A Reeeally Long Post about Demons

I had today an interesting conversation with a woman of faith concerning a Christian man who did not believe in demon possession in the Bible. This concerned the woman, who came and asked me what the Greek said. As you might guess, I obliged (because I love Greek). She was curious to see the Greek text of Luke 8.1-3, the healing of Mary Magdalene, among others.

The "Despair" of Blogging

One of the fun things about blogging is knowing that almost no one reads this stuff. Thus far, my primary support comes from my fiancée and a few friends. Our friends over at Despair, Inc., bring this home quite realistically and humorously with one of their tees:

Links to Articles Concerning Porn

As evidenced by the title, this post has nothing to do with unicorns, pyramids, or the Lord of the Rings; it deals with porn again. Check out the following links for articles dealing with this very issue, or something very, very close.

Complete Fear

Have you ever been afraid? Of course you have. Everyone has something which he or she fears. However, not everyone experiences early or often the kind of fear that is beyond fear. Not everyone experiences terror.

Q&A at Academia.edu

The website Academia.edu, which is like a Facebook for researchers and nerds, has recently (I think today, actually) added the option for Q&A for the entire site. Similar to status updates, one may ask a question and tag that question with particular research interests (i.e., musicology, New Testament, evolution, etc.). That question becomes visible to those who have those research interests listed on their profiles, thus enabling them to respond to the query.

The Messianic Secret: Research

"The task is underway; the materials are set at hand; the researcher is a habitual procrastinator. How shall this story end? Stay tuned to find out!"

As if there weren't enough materials available for the study of the Messianic Secret in Mark's Gospel, I have set out to make another one. This is for a term paper here at Lubbock Christian University in a New Testament Theology grad course. Here is a brief view of the requirements:

Confession, 1

Within Evangelical Christianity, confession is an act far too suppressed. Books like Lamentations are set aside as relics of an ancient time, long past and of little value. Here is an excerpt from Lamentations which resounds deep within me now:

Christianity and Health Care

I'm officially curious: should Christians be pro- or anti-health care? As I perused the newspaper this morning, I came across an article in which several locals from my area are attempting to sue President Barack Obama for his health care legislation. My gut reaction was, "Seriously?" I could not believe what I had just read: suing the U.S. President for a piece of legislation which they deemed "unconstitutional".

Blogs of Note: Greek and Exegesis

Occasionally, it is much simpler to point to the resources of others than to attempt to create my own. At other times, it is an act of humility to admit that someone else is simply better at something than you are and to watch their work. Here, then, are better attempts than mine at blogging, Greek, linguistics, and exegesis:

Honoring God or Your Body?

Tomorrow morning my fiancée and I begin walking. The plan is to walk to the nearby park, and continue on for about an hour, leaving plenty of time between the walk and the start of church. Tonight, we prayed that in this, we may honor God with our bodies by taking care of them since he was kind enough to bestow them upon us.

Through the Fire of Translation

To anyone who has ever taken NT Greek, I salute you. To anyone who has ever translated Hebrews as an undergraduate student, you know that we have been through, as my professor has lovingly called it, a baptism by fire.

A Theology of Porn

Two things must be mentioned before any discussion comes: (1) I am a Christian, and (2) I struggle with porn. This is a topic that hits home very hard with me, so I wish to open an honest discussion about it.

I have been wrestling with porn and how it relates to Christians for some time now. I don't have any final conclusions, but I have a few ideas.

Hebrews at 22

"It is finished" (Jn 19.30). Our Advanced Greek class has finally completed translating Hebrews, semi-complete with categorizations of participles, infinitives, and genitives according to Daniel Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Having done this as an undergraduate student at the age of 22 gives me a feeling of accomplishment, but I feel there is much more to be done here. While our little group of Greek nerds is about to move on to Acts, I would like to go back and do revisions.

Princesses

I've got a 5-year-old cousin who is fairly convinced that she is a princess. She often invites me to her tea parties, and I often oblige. However, I came across an article at ThinkChristian that has got me thinking about this. Check out the link below.

Biblical Heroines and Cinderella Culture

If you have a little princess as a daughter, or a daughter at all, consider reading this article. It is worth your time.

Awkward Questions

This is a repost from E.V. Eynekel's Least Creative Homepage in the History of Humanity.


As he states, "This video is absolutely worth your time."

Death for Faith

There are many reasons why we don't die for our faith in America. The most obvious among them is that Christianity is legal here. Another is that Christianity isn't nearly as important here as the nation (especially when the religion is viewed as only being possible in a 'free country'). However, a possibility occurred to me tonight at dinner.

Luke, to the College Kids

Our congregation is currently focusing on Luke's gospel, primarily in the classroom setting. Our college minister, Joey, has been walking us through a verse-by-verse analysis of the text, and we are currently up to 4.30. I am finishing up a BA in Youth and Family Ministry, and it has been a long time since I have attempted to read Luke as someone unfamiliar with biblical studies does.

Bible Bowl

Thus far, I am incredibly ignorant of what goes on outside of Texas, especially in terms of how other churches work. However (in a decidedly Texan accent), 'round these parts we gots a thing called Bible Bowl.

The First Post

It is my hope that this blog may be of use to those in the biblical studies or those interested in such. I aspire to reach others as others have reached me, such as Julie Ponder, James McGrath, and Mark Goodacre. And so, to business.

I write more or less according to my fancy or as the world's happenings require them. I welcome any and all criticisms, preferably positive ones. If you have any insight, feel free to provide it. I'm young and have lots to learn!

Grace and peace to you all from God our Father.