Brick by Brick
biblical studies
Apostolic Ghostwriters: John Calvin on whether Saint Peter wrote Second Peter
There have always been questions about the authenticity of the Second Epistle of Peter. Origen of Alexandria (ca. 215–250) said that “Peter left behind one letter that is acknowledged, and possibly a second, but it is disputed,” and our earliest Canon list, the Muratorian Canon (ca. 170–210), doesn’t include it. Eusebius (writing ca. 311) noted that its status … Continue reading
Video from our April 12th symposium on Christian faith and evolutionary science
Our first symposium on faith and scholarship was a big hit! Peter Enns, Sujin Pak, and Greg Reeves gave three great talks and we had a very stimulating panel discussion as well. You can watch the video here.
The Bible, Human Reason, and their Limits: The Poverty of “Deductive Approaches to Scripture”
By his own admission, Jesus didn’t know everything. After warning the disciples about the great, apocalyptic trials that were soon to fall upon Jerusalem and about his own parousia, Jesus says, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt 24:36) And, as … Continue reading
C.S. Lewis on the Bible: Myth, Truth, Fact, and Genesis
If Genesis’s creation stories are mythological, does that mean that the whole Bible is just a myth? And if Genesis’s early chapters are myth, doesn’t that mean that they are false? As I showed in my last post in this series, C.S. Lewis thought that, strictly speaking, Genesis’s creation accounts were, in fact, ancient myths which God … Continue reading
C.S. Lewis on the Bible: Genesis and Myth
Is Genesis a myth? Ever since George Smith discovered and published the ancient Babylonian creation story, Enuma Elish, in 1876, theologians, biblical scholars and informed laypeople have been aware of the fact that the book of Genesis was not written in a literary or cultural vacuum. As other ancient Near Eastern creation stories have been brought … Continue reading
C.S. Lewis on the Bible: God’s Word in (very) human words, Part 2
In my last post I highlighted C.S. Lewis’s take on what it means to approach the Bible humbly: namely, we should first ask honestly and with an open mind, What sort of book has God actually given us and how has He given it? When we do that, we find that God has given us … Continue reading
C.S. Lewis on the Bible: God’s Word in (very) human words, Part 1
I am always thankful that the first theology book I ever read was C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity. I stumbled upon it in the B. Dalton Bookseller at the local mall early in the summer before my senior year in high school, was intrigued, took it home and devoured it in less than a day. From then … Continue reading
Was there a historical Adam and Eve?: The debate continues
This spring the NC State InterVarsity Grad & Faculty Ministries will be hosting a conference on what is becoming a pretty hot-topic among evangelicals who have been paying attention to recent developments within the natural sciences, namely, Was there a historical Adam and Eve? Did Eden exist? Is Genesis 1-3 myth or history or what? These … Continue reading
(Re-)Reading Matthew Together: Jesus’s Table (Manners), Jesus’s Kingdom and Jesus’s People in Matthew 15
Tonight the Graduate Christian Fellowship will be looking at Matthew 15, a chapter of the Gospel that has long been a challenge to me. The first half of the chapter narrates a clash between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees over Jesus and His disciples’ disregard for the “tradition of the elders” concerning mealtime ritual … Continue reading
Introducing: Gospel Conversations
I was just introduced to this site today and am very excited to share it with you. Gospel Conversations is a great web-resource coming out of Australia which is aimed at exploring “the richness of the gospel in a conversational forum.” They explain: Essentially we want to take God out of the religious box we … Continue reading
Hi! I'm David, the campus minister for InterVarsity's graduate and faculty ministries at NC State and Meredith College. I hope you'll join me as I learn to "practice resurrection" in the City of Oaks, in her universities, and in the wider world. You can contact me at dmwilliams83@gmail.com
