Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

The incarnation.  It sits at the heart of the Christian faith.  It is this belief, this theological tenet, that forms the bedrock of Christianity.  Without the incarnation Christianity is nothing.  Without the incarnation Christianity is pointless.  Without the incarnation Christians are to be pitied more than any other people for our faith is senseless and without foundation.  Take away the incarnation and Christianity falls.  Remove the incarnation and our faith is no longer apostolic. Without a doubt, most Christians, especially those who self-identify as evangelicals, hold the view that the incarnation is of the utmost importance.  Well, that is what they say anyway.  The question is:  Do they really believe it?  And further, what are the implications of such a belief?  In this post, I want to explore just once aspect of the incarnation, one that many people born into our American culture of violence simply overlook....

While many of the talking heads in the media are beginning to call for more "conversations" about guns and gun control these days, as a Christian, I believe it is time for those who consider themselves followers of Jesus to stop hiding behind secular governmental laws and institutions and to start working towards a "theology of guns." Indeed, the all-too-frequent appeals made by those who supposedly align themselves with Jesus to the American Constitution rather than the Bible, should raise some red flags. When it is not Scripture that is being held as the gold standard of how we should think and live and conduct ourselves in this world but rather, a secular document, then we have a problem. The Constitution is not the Christian’s benchmark but rather, Scripture is. Yet, the fact is, Scripture can be misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misused. In many cases, the Bible is not all that easy to understand. Even more, sometimes, what we think we can simply t...

In a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I made the call for Christians to turn in their guns.  Of course, it was not my blog post that brought the following about, but I must say that I was glad to see that this week, in L.A., the police department offered citizens grocery store gift cards for turning in their guns .  I did some looking and found that other states, such as Illinois and Maryland , have done this in the past too.  I would love to be a part of helping organize something like this in Kentucky.  Even more, I would love to see churches helping set up these types of events all over the country (and world for that matter).  Pastors, elders, deacons, and congregants, why not take the lead in your place of worship and try to get something like this in the works?  It is Christians, those who claim to be sons and daughters of the Prince of Peace, those who claim to align themselves with and follow the Prince of Peace, who should be leading the way...

Yesterday was another sad day in this country.  With the continual rise of theater shootings, mall shootings, and school shootings, it is high time that we who call ourselves Christians, that we who identify ourselves with the Prince of Peace, finally act on the convictions we mouth.  If you are a Christian, it is time for you to lay down your guns.  Turn them in.  Hand them over.  Get rid of them.  More guns is not the answer.  The stupid  suggestion that "If more of us had guns then we would be able to take out shooters" is absurd.  The fear-mongering grip that the NRA has on both citizens and politicians is sickening.  They continue to promote an agenda of fear leading people to believe that more guns equals more freedom.  This is patently a lie.  It is a lie that lines the pockets of gun makers, bullet makers, and the military machine that drives so much of this country.  But we as Christians need to finally stand u...

This afternoon I received a gratis copy of the ERV (Easy-To-Read) Illustrated Bible in the mail.  This particular version of the Bible is produced by the World Bible Translation Center / Bible League International .  The ERV Illustrated Bible contains over 40 full-page color photos and a very brief, but nice introduction to the Bible.  The print is larger than most Bibles, which is easy on the eyes and easy for children and beginning readers.  Here is a sample reading from Gen 1:1-4: The Beginning of the World 1. God created the sky and the earth.  At first, 2. the earth was completely empty.  There was nothing on the earth.  Darkness covered the ocean, and God's Spirit moved(a) over the water. The First Day--Light 3. Then God said, 'Let there be light!' And light began to shine.(b)  4. He saw the light, and he knew that it was good.  Then he separated the light from darkness. (a) The Hebrew word means 'to fly over' or 'to sw...

Hot off the press, Kregel has just released Douglas S. Huffman's The Handy Guide to new Testament Greek: Grammar, Syntax, and Diagramming . Given the subtitle and all the author hopes to accomplish in this volume, just by looking at this almost pocket-size work that is barely over 100 pages in length, one wonders if Huffman can really accomplish addressing all of those topics. In my view, he does. Huffman divides the book into three major parts. Following the subtitle, the first part deals with grammar, the second deals with syntax, and the third with diagramming. This, I think, makes it a bit different than Mounce's pocket-size handbook. Essentially, the first major section of Huffman's work consists of paradigms. That's right, the first 52 pages are lined with paradigms. Occasionally Huffman will sprinkle in grammatical comments and offer some mnemonic devices. Beyond this, however, the first section is meant to act as a quick-reference guide. One of...

This is a post I wrote a few years ago that I have been re-sharing each Advent season.  I hope you find it thought-provoking and helpful.  Happy Advent!  (Note: 1) That I have not really change much of the original post except for this note--thus, my kids' ages have changed since I first wrote this; and 2) I will not be responding to comments on Facebook, so, if you wish to interact, please leave your comments here on my website.  Thanks.) The question posed in the title of this post is an interesting one. Many times, when people ponder this question, they are also asking something like "How do I tell my kids the truth about Santa?" or "Is it wrong for my Christian kids to celebrate a Christmas that has Santa included in it?" For me, however, I think the question raised in this post's title is a good starting place for all such questions. This year at Christmastime, my daughter is 3 and 1/2 years old. For the first time, she's beginning to ass...