It is becoming more and more common for people to point to Hebrews 13:17 as giving pastors and elders in the church an almost unlimited authority to tell other Christians what to do — not just in affairs of the church, but also in their personal lives. This is a complete misunderstanding of the passage. […]
Archives for November 2014
God's Immediate Authority
I was reading recently some of Ludwig Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, because I seek to understand other theological traditions (in this case, Roman Catholic) from their own primary sources and best teachers. In the section on the nature of the authority of the Pope, he states that the pope has immediate authority. “[The authority of the pope is] […]
How Do Paul and Jesus Fit Together?
In contrast to those who argue that Paul’s theology and Jesus’ teaching are at odds, the answer to the question is this: Paul is showing us how to interpret Jesus — especially Jesus’ hard sayings. Consider one example: Jesus’ command to the rich young ruler to sell all that he has. “One thing you still lack. […]
Why Christian Bale is Wrong About Moses
Christian Bale, the actor who plays Moses in the upcoming Exodus: Gods and Kings, reportedly said this of Moses: “I think the man was likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life.” That is quite something to say about one of the greatest figures in […]
Why Do People Like John Piper Put an Emphasis on Being Radical, Rather than Ordinary?
I’m still looking forward to reading Michael Horton’s Ordinary. As I’ve mentioned before, the title makes me wonder a bit, but I am expecting Horton to get the balance right between the “ordinary” and “radical” themes in the Bible. I tend to gravitate more to the “radical” theme, because I think the Scriptures do. However, the affirmation […]