Applied Theology
When a honey bee gets angry, it stings. After the sting, it dies. Literally, the bee gives its life in defense of its anger seeking revenge. Our anger is often like that of the bee. It is volatile and deadly. And, like the bee, we are able to inflict only a temporary pain to the... Continue Reading →
Chaos usually ensues after our worship service concludes. It isn’t the chaos of a charismatic explosion, filled with dancing or laughing or strange verbal utterances. It isn’t chaos of any negative sort. Rather, it’s the delightful chaos of slightly uncontrolled children rushing around in search of candy, suckers, and places to run. My children are... Continue Reading →
Brooke Parks at Persecutionblog asks an excellent question: Is Christian Persecution a Social Justice Issue? I believe that it is. At least, I believe that persecution is a justice issue. Parks is correct to note the limits of social justice. Parks points out that the goal of ministry to the persecuted is not to remove... Continue Reading →
I seem to have a recurring disagreement with fellow Christians. I don’t like disagreements. I try to avoid them, but, when it comes to the persecuted church, I keep having them. The conversation typically goes something like this: We are engaged in talking about some current event related to Christian persecution. The brother or sister... Continue Reading →
Upon incurring trauma or injury, the human body unleashes a dizzying array of processes and chemical reactions for the purpose of sustaining life. Endowed with wisdom from God, our bodies are actually much smarter than we who inhabit them. When trauma strikes, our bodies unleash 1,500 chemical processes. In such trauma, our bodies produce Adrenaline... Continue Reading →
Several years ago, when I was first contemplating a Ph.D., I did what most judicious students would do. I visited different seminaries and universities and thought through all my options. On one of my visits, I ran across an older, seasoned sage of academic endeavors. Our conversation turned out to be most refreshing. ... Continue Reading →
You might remember the old western show Rawhide. Featuring the stalwart character of trail boss Gil Favor, this classic TV series launched the career of Clint Eastwood, who starred in the series as the upstart cowhand Rowdy Yates. In one episode, “Incident with an Executioner,” the crew is bedeviled by the presence of a black... Continue Reading →
Violently (yet relatively quietly) Christians are dying out in Bible lands. In the place where Paul was converted and in the location of the church that first sent an offering to help needy Christians—in these ancient Bible lands, Christians are dying at an alarming rate. Actually, the more accurate way of saying it is... Continue Reading →
Earlier, Acts 13:32-39 was quoted, but not in its entirety. When the complete quote is included, we see that the early church proclaimed more than the fact that Christ is the fulfillment of Israel, He is the realization of the Son of God. As such, Christ is also the fulfillment of the kingdom. So, Acts... Continue Reading →
About 5 days ago, I posted the news that a gospel fragment was found stating that Jesus had a wife. In that post, I noted how foolish the hype was for insinuating that the fragment was proof of another gospel. Now, it appears my post was correct. The so-called controversy of the gospel of... Continue Reading →
Before the game, our team took note of the size of the goalie. He was at least 6’3” and weighed in at a solid 280. He was a big guy—like a mountain with a t-shirt. We thought (or hoped) his size would limit his agility, but then we realized he wouldn’t need agility because... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 