Back in 2020, I wrote about a book by Bruce Winter (2003) dealing with the so-called ‘New Women’. Winter claims that some upper-class women in the first century had begun to embrace a lifestyle of sexual freedom, thoroughly rejecting the cultural norm of modesty for women. He argues that this movement had gained a measure of … [Read More...]
It’s a MARBLE!
When teaching, I often point to the value of a reverse interlinear, especially as a software feature. A reverse interlinear shows the English text and enables us to … [Read More...]
Metacognition
Meta-what!? Yes, metacognition. I will explain. You can also watch this content as a VIDEO PODCAST A Useful Word Let’s start with cognition. It is used for … [Read More...]
Walk: A Metaphor
Walk is a much-used metaphor in Scripture. Its meaning is clear: walking stands for how we live life; our walk is our lifestyle. Paul uses the metaphor extensively … [Read More...]
Christian Zionism: Revisiting My Doctoral Dissertation (II)
What new insights related to Christian Zionism have been produced by scholarship over the past 16 years? This is Part II of a re-evaluation of my thesis (Hornstra … [Read More...]
Christian Zionism: Revisiting My Doctoral Dissertation (I)
I was invited to give a lecture in September on the following topic: Positions on the State of Israel in the context of eschatological decisions. One reason for … [Read More...]
In Memoriam
On 21 July of this year, my mom passed away. She was 85 years old. The funeral was a week later. I want to share with … [Read More...]
The Challenge of James (II)
The challenge of James is, of course, a double one. The more important one is to do what it says; that’s hard. But there … [Read More...]
The Challenge of James (I)
As teachers, we often focus on a limited number of books that we teach often, leaving others unexplored. In my case, the … [Read More...]
Deconstruct Your Faith: The New Trend?
I must admit, when I first encountered the phrase, I was not sure what it meant. What are we talking about? Young adults … [Read More...]
The Bible and Music; Plus: The Revised Toolbox!
James McGrath has published an unusual and innovative book, The Bible and Music. It uses the power of the World Wide Web … [Read More...]
Samuel Once More: Realpolitik or Sermon on the Mount?
It is a month later, and the book of Samuel is still on my mind. Its marvellous storytelling, as simple as it is … [Read More...]
Samuel: Great Stories, But What’s the Point?
Among the books of the Bible, there are those I teach often, among them Revelation and Isaiah. There are many I teach … [Read More...]
Revelation: A Look at the Text (Part 2 of 2)
In this issue, I am presenting the final instalment (unit 12-17) of my teaching on the book of Revelation. We will be … [Read More...]
‘Original Sin’: Explaining the Inexplicable
In a previous issue, I began an exploration of original sin. According to Genesis 3, ‘something happened’. Paul, in … [Read More...]
Revelation: A Look at the Text (Part 1 of 2)
Building on the general introduction published in October of 2022, I am presenting the next instalment of my teaching on … [Read More...]
‘Original Sin’: The Conundrum We Cannot Do without
Sin is universal. There is no one who does not sin. There is something fundamentally amiss with humans. How do we … [Read More...]
Revelation: A General Introduction
This will be a short one; the real content is elsewhere. I am presenting the first instalment of my teaching on the book … [Read More...]
Terseness
One subject that is foundational if we want to understand the OT better is Hebrew poetry. It is a subject habitually … [Read More...]
Titus: Structure and Genre
Two things before I dive in with Titus. First, this is issue number 100. And some of you have been reading these letters … [Read More...]
Holy
Holy. The word is used a lot in the Bible. But what does it mean? It is one of the hardest biblical words to define, at … [Read More...]
Our Father: A Lecture in Prayer
For the gathering of our Bible school staff in YWAM Europe in May, I prepared a Bible meditation. I made it an exercise … [Read More...]
The Two Gorillas of Atonement Theory
More than a year after I completed and published a three-part study of the atonement, here is what I think now: Penal … [Read More...]
Nahum: Vengeance and Retaliation?
I will not mention any names (modern ones, that is); I am sure you can fill in the blanks. Originally, I intended to … [Read More...]