John 14:6 is one of the most soundbite-able quotes in that incredibly soundbite-packed work, the Book of John. In response to a question by the disciple Thomas, Jesus replies: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!” Very catchy. But what does it mean? Deconstructing John 14:6 According to Wikipedia, ‘the Way’ was a […]
Revelation 12:9 describes “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” (New International Version) Satan, the devil and ‘the enemy’* are generally used interchangeably to name God’s chief opponent. This conflation has been going on for some time. According to a footnote in Wikipedia, “Both the words satanas and diábolos are used interchangeably […]
Genesis 17 is one of the most provocative chapters of the Bible—God’s instruction to Abraham to circumcise himself and his people as a promise of faithfulness. The Bible account relates that the Lord appeared to Abraham and said: “You and all future members of your family must promise to obey me. As the sign that […]
Genesis 3:16 records one of the critical consequences of the Fall—the domination of the masculine over the feminine which laid the patriarchal foundation for what we call civilization, and which underpins the whole of Christianity: “Then the Lord said to the woman, ‘You will suffer terribly when you give birth. But you will still desire […]
As a historical account of creation, Genesis 1-2 may seem to have has little to offer the modern world. Yet behind this frozen façade, these verses reveal one of God’s most fundamental and ever-present laws—the Law of 7. Wikipedia notes that “the authors of Genesis 1 were concerned not with the origins of matter (the […]
It’s that simple, folks. Original sin is generational trauma; destructive patterns of behaviour inherited at birth (conception, actually) which originated at the Fall. The whole theology boils down to three simple equations: The Fall = Neolithic decline Original sin = generational trauma New Testament = trauma resolution manual When understood as generational trauma, the entire […]
If the message of Jesus had to be summed in one phrase, one of my contenders would be Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven.” Arguably, Jesus’ primary message is to love one another (John 13:34). Or perhaps it’s his instruction about the importance of the first two commandments (Mark 12:29-31). What about […]
The Old Testament is an incredibly accurate emotional account of its time. In it, I see the eternal brilliance of God shining through very temporal commands. Paul understood their transient nature: “[The Law] was only supposed to last until the coming of that descendant who was given the promise.” (Galatians 3:19) Then came Jesus: “The kingdom […]
The first five books of the Bible—the Pentateuch—contain 613 commands [1]. Rules were necessary to bond tribes together against outsiders, to stop tribes weakening themselves through infighting, and to normalise the taboos on all things feminine that arose from environmental stress: Reward togetherness: “You will get more and more cattle, sheep, silver, gold, and other possessions.” […]
Famine appears in both Books of Kings: “For three years no rain fell in Samaria, and there was almost nothing to eat anywhere.” (1 Kings 18:1-2) “The Lord has warned that there will be no food here for seven years.” (2 Kings 8:1) Famines in East Africa in the 1970s revealed the impact of environmental […]
