“The rape of the soul.” That’s how Roger Williams (1603-1683)—at one-time Baptist minister and founder of Rhode Island—described government intrusions into an individual’s religious conscience. In fact, Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony because he had left the established church of the colony, believing, instead, that the sanctity of the human conscience demanded […]
Contraceptives and the Rape of the Soul Read Post »
For many Christians, the effort to love the way the Bible commands is tiresome—like driving a car with square wheels. How do we keep from holding grudges? How do we love our enemy? How do we rejoice when our co-worker gets the promotion we deserve? I don’t think we’ll know how to really love until
My Song is Love Unknown Read Post »
In its December 2011 issue, National Geographic celebrated the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, noting the massive impact it has had on the English language (among other things). Consider the following: Most of us might think we have forgotten its words, but the King James Bible has sewn itself into the fabric of
The Bible’s Linguistic Influence Read Post »
Sometimes Christians hear a skeptic point to the fact that there are four different accounts of the life of Jesus as some sort of embarrassing evidence that the early Christians couldn’t get their story straight, or worse, that these are the stuff of legend. I’ve known some believers to get very flustered when the issue
The Four Gospels: Are Different Accounts of Jesus a Problem? Read Post »
Welcome to the Q&A section of the BibleMesh blog. During all of my years as a professor and dean, the most interesting questions inevitably come down to the following: “What does the Bible say about ___________?” I think one of the reasons why this line of inquiry never ceases to fascinate me is that Christian
Editor's Intro to "Q&A On The Bible" Read Post »
Welcome to the Q&A section of the BibleMesh blog. During all of my years as a professor and dean, the most interesting questions inevitably come down to the following: “What does the Bible say about ___________?” I think one of the reasons why this line of inquiry never ceases to fascinate me is that Christian
Editor's Intro to "Q&A On The Bible" Read Post »
