Jesus’s words frequently shock me. They bring me up short. Honestly, sometimes when I read them, I think, I wonder if he knew to whom he was speaking. Of course he knew, I mean no disrespect. But still. Really? Telling Nicodemus he must be born...
If you’ve spent any time in church you’ve probably heard this verse: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10 ESV). But what does this verse really mean, and how is it even possible to “be still and know”? Let’s find out. 8 different angles on...
Who is God? What’s he like? Ask a hundred people, and you might just get a hundred answers. So let’s find out the truth of who he is—from Scriptures. They’re his Word to us, a gift that allows us to get to know him directly. As...
Understanding the Trinity—one God in three persons (Father, Son, and Spirit)—takes us into deep theological waters, where the simplest math fails us: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. Even though the word “Trinity” never appears in any Bible verses, God reveals...
The Trinity—three in one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While it sounds simple on the surface, the doctrine is quite complex. How do the members of the Godhead interact with one another? What do each of their roles entail? Is it even proper to say...
“Attributes of God” sounds like a stuffy theological phrase that barely relates to how we live our Christian lives. In fact, most of us (me included) have to sit with a dictionary in hand to understand the $100 words some theologians use...
We see it sometimes when a baseball player steps up to the plate or when a worshipper in a liturgical church approaches the altar. It’s the sign of the cross, traced on the forehead, shoulders, and chest. In the West, the motion goes: up, down...
Every Wednesday, my family and I gather at our church for midweek Bible study. During that time, I joyfully teach some of the littlest members of our congregation, the four and five year olds. One aspect of our time together involves catechizing. A...
God chose a small group of women to share the greatest news of all time. Why did Jesus appear to the women first instead of the disciples? On Saturday, they rested. But early Sunday morning, the women leaped into action. Motivated by love, they...
What is the Trinity? We can define the “Trinity” or “Triune God” in this way: There is only one God. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are three distinct persons. When we see these...
Even the best metaphors fail to capture the complexities of God’s being. In fact, when Christians attempt to explain the Trinity, they often stumble into metaphors that sound suspiciously like the very heresies Trinitarian theology was...
Are there good reasons to believe that the Bible is true? Are there good reasons to believe that the Bible is the Word of God? Maybe you already believe that the Bible is true and that the Bible is God’s Word, but you’re not sure how to explain your...
Hebrews 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please him.” Not unlikely. Not difficult. Impossible. Thomas a Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, wrote, “Faith is required of you, and a sincere life, not a lofty...
With sixty-six books of the Bible written over two thousand years, the Bible is the most diverse collection of literature in the world. Those books contain some of the most famous stories, most respected wisdom, and most powerful prose (and poetry)...
Ever wondered, “When did Jesus die?” It’s a perfectly reasonable question as we near the celebration of Easter. The good news is there’s a fairly straightforward answer. The Bible and historical records suggest Jesus died at...
Bible study is the practice—whether individually or within a group—of reading, interpreting, and applying Scripture to daily life. Christians don’t study the Bible simply to amass information they won’t use. The point of Bible study is to know God...
Hope. It’s a word most of us overuse: “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” “I hope there’s a good parking spot open.” And, of course, “Hope you’re well!” as a pleasant (admittedly unoriginal) email intro. The Bible uses hope this way sometimes...
It’s women’s history month—and March 8 was International Women’s Day. To celebrate, we’re highlighting 20 Christian women in Church history who served God in both extraordinary and ordinary ways. 1. Priscilla (first century AD) Though the Bible...
One of my required courses in college was titled “Teaching Elementary Math.” I enjoy math and expected the class to be a piece of cake. This assumption quickly proved to be incorrect. During one of these arduous classes, my professor...
Destination: the Eternal City. I was thrilled to finally spend the New Year in Italy with my husband … and a dozen seminary classmates. My doctoral intensive began in Rome, where we sought to discover how the early church celebrated women...
The Bible tells us that all Scripture is authored by God (2 Tim 3:16). This implies that since God is the author and he is without error, the Scriptures are also without error. However, we often come across passages in the Bible that seem to...
Last time you checked the cover of your family Bible, it probably didn’t say “The Bible, by God.” Perhaps that’s why several good questions often arise early in faith conversations, such as: Who wrote the collected books of the Bible? What does the...
A few years ago, I tweeted something that made pretty big and unexpected waves on social media. The tweet read, “Sisters, if we are smart enough to cook, raise/teach children, take care of homes, work 9–5s, or do whatever it is that we do daily...
“Is this worship?” That’s not a thought I expected to have nearing the end of my first 15K race, but there it was. As I watched seagulls soaring overhead and one foot fell in front of the other, my reasoning went like this:...
“Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” As a child, it often seemed like this command was about attending church services and not doing certain things we did on other days of the week. But what does it mean to remember the Sabbath? Is...
The parables of Jesus are far less direct than doctrinal statements. Yet, they’re far more disruptive than simple illustrations. Parables held primacy in Jesus’s public ministry (Mark 4:2, 33–34), and they still inflame the imagination like...
On February 8, 2023, students from Asbury University gathered at chapel as they would any other Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., but it was not an ordinary Wednesday. Those in attendance lingered in the chapel—for 15 more days. Craig Keener of Asbury...
In 2019, my Christian counselor broke up with me. We were discussing my anxiety woes and the constant work I was doing to experience the promise of Philippians 4:7. For the past few years, I had taken Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6 and worked them...
“Repentance is a change of mind.” That was the first definition of repentance I heard early in my Christian life. It was important to me that I knew what it meant to repent because the Bible calls us to do it, as you’ll see in the Scriptures...
Have you ever encountered difficult questions about God or the Bible while sharing your faith? If so, you already realize the importance of being able to give thoughtful responses to challenges like: “If God exists, why is there evil in the world?”...