"That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons."Mark 1:32 Sickness. Disease. Death. In the ancient world, particularly in Palestine of the first century CE, all of this could be associated directly or indirectly to the activity of demons, evil spirits that could afflict human beings by external... Continue Reading →
To view all posts in this review series, please go to its index. CONCLUSION The final chapter of Strobel’s book is titled “Reaching Your Verdict.” He begins by detailing healings that no doubt lend themselves to his own beliefs regarding the miraculous: a teenager with a life-threatening allergy is healed from its debilitating effects; a woman... Continue Reading →
To view all posts in this review series, please go to its index. INTERVIEW #8 – DOUGLAS GROOTHUIS What happens when God doesn’t intervene? What does the believer do when miracles don’t come? In ch. 13 of The Case for Miracles, Strobel opens with a personal anecdote concerning his wife Leslie who suffers with fibromyalgia. For those who don’t know what... Continue Reading →
"For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people... Continue Reading →
"Slavery is part of the cultural fabric of the world that produced the Scriptures. Though some debate whether servitude or even debt-slavery should be used to describe the institution instead, the presumption of right to sexual access marks Hagar’s status as enslaved." - Wil Gafney Chris Hansen has another post in his series covering J. Warner... Continue Reading →
In part one of my review of Lee Strobel’s The Case for Miracles I covered chapters 1-3, a section featuring Strobel’s interview of the skeptic Michael Shermer. In part two I covered chapters 4-6 featuring his interview with Craig Keener. In part three I covered chapter 7 which featured an interview Strobel had with Candy Gunther... Continue Reading →
Below is my translation of Mark 1:21-28, a pericope wherein Jesus enters a synagogue in the city of Capernaum and ends up casting out an unclean spirit. This story in some ways sets the tone for the rest of the Gospel because it emphasizes two aspects of Jesus' messianic ministry: teaching and miracles. As the... Continue Reading →
In the last "Musings on Mark" we began taking a closer look at Mark 6:45-52. Today we finish up looking at that passage. "He Intended to Pass Them By" We left off in the last post with Jesus seeing the struggle of the disciples as they tried to row "against an adverse wind" (Mark 6:48).... Continue Reading →
One of the few stories shared by both the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John is the story of Jesus walking upon water. (Well, almost all of the Synoptics - Luke omits it.) Each version is different in one way or another. The Markan Version The Markan version (Mark 6:45-52) comes on the heels... Continue Reading →
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