I was reading a news article the other day about another country in which a criminal case was to be settled according to the maxim “eye for an eye.” I started thinking about the scripture in Matthew 5:38 where Jesus says “You have heard it said an “eye for an eye, and a tooth for a […]

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. – Revelation 3:20, ESV Out of Context Meaning: Probably most Christians would be familiar with this image of Jesus knocking on a door. As […]

It was the year between when I finished my undergraduate degree and was about to begin my Master’s degree. The students around me were in the midst of writing their final papers and preparing for final exams. Or, at least that’s what one would expect. However, on this particular day, I noticed everyone talking about […]

As I write this, people are working on their New Year’s resolutions – promises we make to ourselves in order to change the way we do things, in hopes that our lives will improve somehow. However, if we are really honest with ourselves, by the time you are reading this, many of these promises have […]

Of all the nerve!” fumed a certain member of my congregation as she stormed into my office. She was holding a Santa ornament that the (newly formed) decorating committee at my church had included as part of the Christmas decorations. “Pastor, did you see what they put out there for our decorations?!” I did notice […]

Since the autumn season is also one that means new beginnings to many of us – the fall semester is usually the first semester of most school years in North America; churches begin offering programs again as the regular volunteers return from their summer vacations; and for some of us, it may mean the beginning […]

I mentioned in the previous article that we will be looking at different Bible verses/quotes that are often misunderstood or taken out of context. This article is no different, although instead of a single specific verse, we’ll be focusing more on small fragments within specific sections of Scripture and will consider their original meanings and […]

I know we all do it. Christian greeting cards and motivational writers and speakers sell their materials based on the pleasant-sounding statements made by certain Bible verses when taken out of their original context. And we all buy into it as we quote these verses to one another. But what is the danger in that? […]