The Theologian's Table

Who Will Save Us Now? I'm writing this a few days after President Joe Biden gave a speech in Pennsylvania about how the next midterm election is about fighting for the "soul of America." For however long, it seems that those of us who reside in the United States have been fighting that war. It was once religious and spiritual, but now it is mainly political, with religion and spirituality being hostage to politics which are suffering from Stockholm syndrome. This battle or war over the soul of America has ramped up dramatically since the nation has experienced a decline in traditional Western values. As the US has adopted much more progressive ideals by societal elites, many have lamented the breakdown of modernity and what it supports. On the other hand, we have also seen those who despise postmodernism and progressive advocates fight fire with fire and skew increasingly right as progressives skew increasingly to the left. This has seen both sides fall into a self-cannib...

The Camp Leader and the Cudgel Introduction If you've read any of these posts, you'll know that I've been inspired by a dream to discuss issues around reading the Bible. So far, each post has addressed some surface-level roadblocks when picking up God's word. This post will not be like the previous ones. It will be more of a theological reflection on how the big C church uses the Bible. So, if theology is not your thing, please feel free to tune out, but if you're interested and are daring to read anyway, hang on to your butt because we're going for a ride! The Nebulous Nature of Dreams The truth is, none of the entries I've written so far have really accomplished what I've tried to set out to communicate. They are, after all, based on a dream. We like to say our dreams could be sharing a more profound message, but in the end, they could just be plain old dreams. After I initially awoke from it, my first sense was that it wasn't directed at new Chris...

The Wise Old Sage In case you haven't read any of the first two posts, I have been pondering over a dream about the Bible being called a spare tire. The first post concluded with the analogy that reading Scripture is like wrestling with it because it can be hard to come to terms with. The second post dove more deeply into that theme, suggesting that the violence of the Old Testament and the failures of humanity operated as a mirror being held up to us that simply reflects the realities of human existence, and we don't like that. Now, though, I'd like to recognize another facet of why we sometimes avoid the Bible; it was written two thousand years ago. I've seen the criticism in online interactions that we don't need to pay attention to what the Bible says because it's 2000+ years old. I haven't seen Christians say it as much, but at one time in my life, I have felt that way, and I know I'm not alone. Even though people quote 2 Timothy 3:16 to affirm th...

The Mirror In the last post, which you can read here , I discussed having a dream about why Christians might treat the Bible like a spare tire. I concluded with one idea that the content can be challenging to read and come to terms with, but through a lifetime of wrestling with Scripture, God will bless us for our struggle. I'd like to continue with the same theme today but in a different way.  Aside from what critics of the Bible might interpret as divinely ordained violence, the Bible is just plain violent in many places, even in the New Testament, with the persecution of the Church. In fact, many who oppose Christianity being presented within the public school system have highlighted specific examples of biblical passages that might catch young readers off guard. The latest attempt, albeit tongue-in-cheek, came from a Florida man who opposed the Florida government removing books with questionable content, suggesting the new state standards were inconsistent. Even so, his commen...

  To Wrestle with Scripture is to be Blessed Recently, I had a dream that I've become somewhat obsessed with interpreting. In the dream, I was seated with others around a large conference table, and we were discussing some kind of pressing issue and having trouble finding a solution. We were also falling through the air during the meeting. In an attempt to try and find a solution, I pulled out a Bible from under the table. The person leading the discussion, one of my former professors, Dr. Chris Green, gave me a compassionate look but told me to put it away, saying, "people only use that as a spare tire." Those of us at the table never solved the shadowy problem, and I remember waking up feeling very puzzled. What did the dream mean? Not every dream has a meaning. Sometimes dreams are just leftover bits of information your mind is still processing, and you're treated to a viewing of that process while asleep. On the other hand, I, like Peter, believe that the Spirit o...

How Deep Does Conversion Go? Acts 9 tells the story of the apostle Paul’s conversion from Judaism to being a follower of Christ. Acts 10 tells of another compelling conversion story, but conversion is more profound than we think in each chapter. Let’s start with Paul in Acts 9. Paul, called Saul, was traveling with others on the road to Damascus so that he could capture Jewish converts to Christianity and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. While on the road, a brilliant light appeared, blinding Saul and his companions. A voice from the light spoke out, asking, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” When Saul asked who was speaking, the voice was revealed to be Jesus. We know for sure that Paul was blind for three days, and here’s why his blindness was significant. In Philippians 3, when Paul commented on his pre-Christian life, he states, “as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless (Phil 3:6).” It is t...

Below is an adaptation of a paper I wrote in seminary about millennial teachings of the end-times and how they may have impacted the rise of Christian Nationalism in the US. Where Does Our Help Come From?:  Recovering a Faithful Telos for a Socio-Politically Divided Church Introduction The desire to maintain a particular lifestyle has shifted emphasis from the soon-coming Kingdom to what political party can best help achieve one’s desired goals, along with some fundamental religious freedoms and convictions. As a result, it can be stated the priority of many Western Christians, especially in the United States, has shifted from living as a resident alien in the world to living as a full-fledged citizen and what comes with being a citizen. In some respects, it is understandable because the Christian is very much affected by what happens in this life and needs to meet the certain demands of this life, such as food, shelter, clothing, etc. These necessities are multiplied when family...