Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
Jesus’ disciples ask him, in Matthew, chapter 24, what are the signs of the end of the age and of his second coming. After explaining those things, our Lord proceeds, in chapter 25, by presenting three great parables about the last judgement, one of which is an allegory about ten virgins or bridesmaids. This is …
As a younger man, Moses left Egypt to avoid being arrested for killing an Egyptian overseer of the Hebrew slaves. Fleeing to Midian (northwest Arabian Peninsula), he married, had children, and worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law. After a new Pharaoh comes to power back in Egypt, God commands Moses to return to lead …
If you have ever attended a church Sunday school (or synagogue Hebrew school) as a child, you probably already know the story of David and Goliath. This tale is the chronicle of a young Hebrew shepherd boy, who killed a Philistine giant on the battlefield, some three thousand years ago. This Bible story is told …
In ancient cultures, most practitioners of supernatural skills were men. They were the religious officials of various pagan cults, who were considered ritual specialists in the magical arts. It wasn’t until later, during medieval times, that a witch was considered a person who performed harmful supernatural acts against others. And, the introduction of demonic forces …
We have all been profoundly affected by the current coronavirus pandemic. Psychological surveys indicate one result of this global crisis is a growing mental health emergency, the consequences of which may be felt for years to come.1 And new medical problems, resulting from the untested, experimental, and sometimes forced mass vaccination of the population, compound …
While most Christians believe that the Ten Commandments are essential to their faith, some believe the other laws given in the Old Testament are irrelevant. They say that Christians are not bound by the Law of Moses. One person with this attitude raised the question, “What was the purpose of the law, if we no …
Over the years, I’ve studied, and attended lectures, about Jacob and the ‘Twelve Tribes of Israel’ living a good life in Egypt during the early days of their exile. This also includes studying about Moses and his rescue of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt hundreds of years later. The problem is that not much …
Lately, research shows that drawing a line between where being human ends and being a machine begins is becoming harder to establish. It seems that fictional characters like ‘Data’ (Day-ta) or the ‘Borg’, of Star Trek, may not be fictional in the future. A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about Artificial Intelligence …
Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist and a descendant of Aaron, the prophet, high priest, and elder brother of Moses (Exodus 6:23-25). Her name means ‘my God has sworn’ or ‘God is my oath’ and she was a pious and privileged woman. She married Zechariah, of the priestly order of Abijah1 (or Abia), …
Fruit of the Spirit Series: Galatians 5:22-23 One day, long ago, someone approached me after a sermon and said, “We humans are nothing other than just one of many animals on earth. We were just lucky that our brain evolved higher and, therefore, set us apart from every other creature on the planet.” To that …