Living the Gospel in a World Burnt-Out on Religion (Part 1)
Many today are angry at religion, or at least disappointed with it. Rightly so perhaps, since so much violence is carried out in God’s name. In the MENA part of […]
Christian Violence Against Muslims
There’s no denying that violence has an unfortunate place in Muslim and Christian history, but too often our historical narratives are laden with denial. Common presumptions position Islam as the […]
The Ancient Gospels in Arabic: Where Did ‘Isa’ Come From?
Editorial Note: The following is a short introduction on early Gospel manuscripts and the origins of the name of Jesus in these Arabic texts from Dr. Hikmat Kashouh’s new book […]
Magical Power in a Name? A Case for Using ‘Isa in Arabic Translations of the Bible
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2) As Juliet agonizes over her […]
Loving Muslims During Ramadan
Muslims around the world are in the final week of Ramadan. Many Christians I know, and Evangelicals particularly, are not positively inclined toward Muslims. Islam and Muslims are widely demonized and […]
Indulgences Are Still for Sale
The selling of indulgences did not stop with the Reformation. Originally, indulgences linked prayer and repentance with forgiveness: specified actions of good works or penance drew on the ‘treasury of […]
Mission: Self Sacrificial Service or Imperialistic Conceit?(Part 2)
This is Part 2 of an article originally published by ABTS. Read Part 1 here. Though the critique of the history of “mission” should be heard and heeded, it is […]
Mission: Self Sacrificial Service or Imperialistic Conceit? (Part 1)
I imagine that for most readers the word “mission” evokes positive connotations of self-sacrificial giving and heroic exploits of missionaries of a by-gone era. Early Protestant missionaries to the Middle […]
The Christmas Story: In Real Life
When we lived overseas, Christmas could be hard. Distance from family, none of the cultural reinforcements queuing that Christmas feeling and work didn’t really stop. One day years ago, reading […]
Interpreting the New Testament through the lens of Israel
There are theological issues that are up for debate. And there are Biblical passages that are difficult to understand. But what I did not expect to hear in separate sermons […]