Stopping to Think

Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash An Overview and Interaction with the Basic Ideas of Frederich Nietzsche The Man “Frederich Nietzsche was born in rural Prussia, the son and grandson of Lutheran pastors.” A brilliant philologist, he became a professor at just 24 years old at the University of Basil. While his career was short, cut off in 1889 due to a mental breakdown from which he never recovered, he still is read as one of the most important thinkers of the 19th century, and the modern period. In this paper I want to address three aspects of Nietzsche's thought, and contrast them with a biblical perspective. These three areas are the genealogy of morals, the death of God, and the nature of humanity. Together they help display his desire to make a radical break with the assumed Christianity of his day. From Whence Come Morals? In his book The Genealogy of Morals (1887) Nietzsche “sets out to challenge our most basic assumptions, especially our notions of good and ...

                                                                           Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash    Introduction Inerrancy is the belief that the Bible is entirely inspired by God, such that each and every word proceeds from his mouth and is as truthful as God himself is truthful. ‘While the technical term inerrancy is of recent origin, the conviction that the Bible is “without error” is not.’ So state Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy in their essay on inerrancy in Across the Spectrum. The argument of this paper will be that such a view is not of recent origin because the Scriptures themselves teach that they are without error. And as Wayne Grudem writes, “ to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God. ” To put it prov...

Photo by  Keyur Nandaniya  on  Unsplash   In an article for the Calvin Theological Journal titled, “Just what do you mean-Kingdom of God?” (Volume 51 (2), 2016) , John Bolt quotes Richard Niebuhr, who contested that “the distinguishing characteristic of the” Protestant Reformation was the kingdom of God. In Niebuhr's view, this difference comes down to the “contrast between visio dei and regnum dei.” Or, in English, the vision of God and the reign of God. While I wonder about the historical validity of such a claim - it would seem to me that doctrines such as the perspicuity of Scripture and justification by faith are far more central to the Reformation project - it did make me ask a question. Why would there need to be any conflict between the idea of living under God's rule and having a vision of who he is? Should we not long to “see the King in His Beauty?” (Isaiah 33:17) Surely we can only see him if we are right with him. At the same time, living under the rul...

  Photo by Pawan Sharma on Unsplash Introductions to Amos, Nahum, and Zephaniah Amos Author and Date Authorship of the book has traditionally been ascribed to the prophet Amos. Nothing is known about Amos other than what he reveals in 1:1 and 7:14, that he is a herdsman and dresser of sycamore figs, hailing from Tekoa. He was neither a prophet nor a priest, but was entrusted with a series of messages from the Lord (7:14-15).  The fact that he prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel indicate that his prophecy occurred between 765-750 B.C. Audience and Message This book is directed toward the northern kingdom of Israel, and the beating heart at the center of the book is God himself. The name Yahweh occurs by itself and in combination with other terms over 80 times in the book. The focus of Yahweh and His speech in the book is to warn Israel that the coming day of the Lord is sure, but it is surely bad news for them, rather than the good news ...

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash A Response to “The Setting of Obadiah” Introduction In his paper The Setting of Obadiah ( Hassler, Mark A. 2016. “The Setting of Obadiah: When Does the Oracle Concerning Edom Transpire?” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 59 (2): 241–54. ) Mark Hassler seeks to answer the question of his subtitle: When Does the Oracle Concerning Edom Transpire? The answer to this question matters because it shapes one’s whole interpretation of the prophecy. The Oracle’s Fulfillment Hassler lays out the three primary options for the timing of Edom’s humbling, as predicted in Obadiah’s vision. He gives props and cons for both a 9th century B.C. fulfillment and a fulfillment in the 6th century B.C. The main issue he raises with both of these timings is that there is no historical record of anything close to what Obadiah describes actually happening to Edom in these centuries (see pages 243-246).  What Hassler then goes on to argue is that this visio...

Photo by Jessica Delp on Unsplash An Exegetical Paper on Isaiah 8:11-22 Text 11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”  16 Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when t...