Lives 1st

  The first major conflict in the Jesus Movement was resolved by   the Jerusalem Council (50 CE). Even though all but one apostle had been personally taught by Jesus, the council led by Jacob (James), the brother of Jesus, and included “elders.” Their ruling became an “institutional truth” of the Jesus Movement. The councils of the Roman Catholic Church also created “institutional truths.” A major change occurred in the 16 th century. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/411e17e0df3f/know-the-difference-between-institutional-and-individual-truths

  I was working on an email about Martin Luther’s movement beginning on university campuses in 1517 CE. I took a break to write recommendations on two books -- Your Professors Are Lying to You About Israel and The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust . The first book deals specifically with five false accusations. The second book deals with Postmodernist claims that “An author didn’t actually know what was meant in a text that he or she had written, so readers were therefore free to create their own meaning for a work, unrelated to all previous interpretations.” Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/7115186f402e/the-age-of-transparency-has-arrived-in-america

  Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and I talked about death a lot. When we first met, besides being a pastor, I was the chaplain at the Sheriff’s Department. Later he became a chaplain at a local police department. So delivering the message, “your loved one is dead,” was one of the things we both understood. So, as an Informed Bible Reader, I learned to insert myself into Bible stories, understand what they meant to the original audiences, and then apply I discovered to my life today. I was reading the story of Cain and Able. The first thing that popped into my mind was – Who delivered the “your loved one is dead” to Adam and Eve? Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/f69311d02ef6/your-loved-one-is-dead

  Being an Informed Bible Reader makes it possible to discover things many Bible readers miss. I was updating our notes on Genesis 5 and wanted to share this one with you. The words in italics are the Bible verses. In the day that Elohim created ADAM , He made him in the likeness of Elohim . He created them male and female, and blessed them and called their name “ ADAM ” in the day they were created. (Be sure to note that “ ADAM is the name of two people ” – usually called “ Adam and “ Eve .” ) Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/6e65a54a96c4/when-did-adam-and-eve-die

  The Torah does not have a “Right Beliefs” Standard. Jesus did not teach Christians to have a “Right Beliefs” Standard. Jesus used the Torah to teach those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, gave shelter to the homeless, gave clothes to naked, visited the sick, and went to those in prison will enter into eternal life . Jesus taught people to use the Tov Standard the Creator used when He created the Skies and the Earth. He did not give people “Right Beliefs” Standard. Continue reading at -  https://mailchi.mp/4f40bdba87dd/right-beliefs-or-life

  We explore the Bible and biblical heritages. Explore means we examine and investigate information related to the histories of writings in the Bible, as well as the histories of institutions linked to the Bible. Bible study is an important part of Exploring the Bible and biblical heritages, however, we place the appearance of Bibles, institutions, beliefs, doctrines, creeds, and statements of faith in chronological order on a timeline. This often reveals some very interesting historical and theological nuggets. Continue reading at – https://mailchi.mp/c12f590e40d4/the-pope-or-the-bible

  After the Civil War, “the rise of liberal Protestantism in the North” created a backlash in the ranks of most evangelical denominations against the Enlightenment, Deism, and Unitarianism. Southern evangelicals agreed with the Northern Liberal Christians that America should be a Christian nation, but the Southerners disagreed about exactly what that meant and how it could best be achieved. The Southerners viewed their Northern Liberal Christian brothers and sisters as a major barrier to reaching God’s goal. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/bb6a40b608ca/why-understanding-history-and-biblical-heritages-are-important

  Prominent leaders, teachers, and blue-collar workers collectively let their hair down to talk earnestly about their faith, and to ask penetrating questions about how science and faith can contradict or reinforce each other. For a good hour of discourse, goodwill filled the room. And then one church member asked the senior pastor whether he believed that the first chapter of Genesis was a literal, step-by-step, day-by-day description of the origins of the earth and of humankind. In an instant, brows furrowed and jaws tightened. Continue reading at – https://mailchi.mp/53153bb595bb/how-science-and-faith-could-reinforce-each-other

  For the ancient writer and readers of the Hebrew account of creation, Elohim’s existence is as self-evident as life itself. There is no notion of the birth of Elohim and no biography of Elohim. It does not even begin with a statement about the existence of Elohim. Such speculation would have been unthinkable at that time. The Hebrew concept of Elohim is implicit in the narrative, not formulated abstractly and explicitly. Continue reading at – https://mailchi.mp/e5fc16d8925d/elohim-pagan-gods-humans-and-morals

  “ Ethnocentrism ” comes from two Greek words:  "ethnos" (“ nation ”) and  "kentron" (“ center ”). It means “ people believe their culture is central to the universe .” It is a tendency to use our culture -- values, ideas, and rules — as a starting point for thinking about and judging other people . “It is a tendency to believe that our ways are right and those without our ways are less right. https://mailchi.mp/33d9ecde378e/get-into-the-ancient-mindset-before-you-read-the-bible

  The Hebrew word BARA is translated “created” in Genesis 1:1. The options in the graphic involve changing a heart, changing a body, changing the landscape, and changing the ground . Therefore, the first question we ask is, “ What is available to change? ” The choices are in the next verse. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/798584d8ac70/elohim-the-creator-the-mysteries-of-the-beginnings