Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
After Moses’ death, God chose Joshua to lead his people into the Promised Land of Canaan, and Jericho was the first city conquered by Israel after crossing the Jordan River. It is just north of the Dead Sea and five miles west of the river. Being a natural desert oasis, it is sometimes called the …
Over the years, I’ve often been asked to describe God and Jesus; not who they are, but what they are. We humans are technically highly-formed creatures of the animal kingdom on earth, but how would we describe our creators, for they didn’t originate from our tiny and insignificant planet, in this vast universe that seems …
The anniversary word ‘jubilee’ has become newsworthy again, since the recent death (8 September 2022) of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. I was only eight years old when she became Queen of the Commonwealth realms, in 1952. She had reached her 50th anniversary of accession to leadership in 2002, a milestone which was …
The Epistle of Jude is not a very popular subject in Bible studies. It is often neglected in biblical analysis for a few reasons. First, it is rather short in length having only twenty-five verses, and therefore it is easily overlooked. Second, many feel it is about intolerance, rather than being inclusive and so, not …
Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy is believed by some scholars to be the last letter written before his death in Rome.1 Paul encouraged Timothy by saying “hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13, NRSV).2 Our study …
Everyone has a guardian angel, right? You know, an invisible heavenly spirit being from God that shadows us throughout this human existence and runs interference during the rough times in our lives. If true, I imagine some of them must have a boring existence, while others (like mine) have a very rough time, trying to …
Not long ago, I received an email letter from a visitor to The Outlaw Bible Student website; it was from a lifelong research scientist, university professor, and author. This letter wasn’t positive or negative directly toward me, but from the tone of it, I knew it was unquestionably from an atheist.1 I have found that …
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 …