Category Archives: Bible

Wide Angle: Fallen (and Still Falling)

Posted on November 16, 2021 by salooper57

When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden, humanity’s authority over creation was ripped from them. They were divided from God, divided from their inner selves, divided from each other. God had warned them, “In the day you … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Proof of … Faith (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Posted on November 7, 2021 by salooper57

I don’t know what you think about proof of vaccine (and I hope you won’t feel the need to tell me), but the Bible reveals that God also has a “proof of” requirement—and no one is going to pass legislation … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Faith, Peace with God, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What to Do When the Bible Bothers You

Posted on November 6, 2021 by salooper57

Why has this bothered me? Because it sounds as if Isaiah – and worse, Jesus – is saying that God doesn’t want people to hear or to see and so to turn to him and be healed. Such a calloused deity seems incompatible with the God I have known in Jesus, who loves even messy people and offers them his blessing. Nor does it fit with other passages in the Bible that unambiguously state that God wants all people to come to repentance and to be saved. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Wide Angle: Presenting God as a “Cosmic Spoilsport”

Posted on November 5, 2021 by salooper57

I have always assumed, when I read this passage, that the entire temptation took place in a day, even in a few moments. But the text does not really say this, and I suspect that it is not so. Perhaps this temptation continued at intervals for days, or weeks, or even months.

The serpent began by asking a question—not that he cared how the woman answered the question. It was not an answer he was after. He only asked the question to prepare the ground of her mind for the seed of doubt he intended to plant. By prefacing his question with the words, “Did God really say,” he introduced uncertainty into the situation and into her mind. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wide Angle Series: It Was [Not] So

Posted on November 1, 2021 by salooper57

In ancient times leaders would place images of themselves throughout their kingdoms. (And they do it today, too – one need only think of Kim Il Jong, the North Korean head of state or, previously, Saddam Hussein.) Such images served to remind their subjects of their ruler.

When God made the earth, he intended to place his image everywhere, a constant reminder that he rules the world.  Humans were intended to be the living image of God, ruling creation (Genesis 1: 28) as God’s representatives, with his love and wisdom flowing through them to all creation Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

No Vacancy: A Halloween Message

Posted on October 31, 2021 by salooper57

Enjoy this timely message. The central text is Matthew 12:43-45: “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Peace with God, Sermons | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Halloween Lesson on The Giving God

Posted on October 30, 2021 by salooper57

But Halloween is the eve and vigil of a Christian holy day, and it once helped me learn an important Christian truth. I was probably nine or ten-years-old. For the first and last time, I went trick-or-treating on the east side – the nice side – of our city. My cousin was from the east side, which is where the more affluent folks lived.

der woman. When she opened the door, we shouted, “Trick or Treat!” and held out our bags. She looked us over for a long time and somehow deduced that I was not from the neighborhood. “You don’t live in this neighborhood!” Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wide Angle: The Speaking God

Posted on October 29, 2021 by salooper57

It is hard for us to grasp how God’s word, his communicated thought, can bring matter into being and manipulate it into whatever shape he chooses. But consider a simple analogy: God’s realm covers the vast universe, but you have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wide Angle: Creator

Posted on October 28, 2021 by salooper57

God is not merely a creator; he is the Creator. This is a major theme in the Scriptures. Over sixty times, God is either said to have created or is referred to as the Creator. The biblical writers clearly thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Bible as Panorama

Posted on October 27, 2021 by salooper57

I have a picture from 1917 or ’18 of my grandfather’s army company. It is one of those panoramic pictures that a photographer took in numerous shots and then seamlessly joined together. Because of the way the picture was taken, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment