There is a version of this debate that goes on in universities and academic journals, and it sounds very different from the one happening in churches. In the academic version, the pro-life position is presented as a modern Christian invention — a case of reading into Scripture something that isn’t there, driven by politics rather…
When does life begin? According to the Bible, the answer is not complicated — though people work hard to make it so. The question matters because everything in the abortion debate turns on it. If life begins at conception, the unborn are persons bearing God’s image and the prohibition on murder applies to them. If…
The Bible does not use the word abortion. That fact gets cited constantly by people who want to argue that Scripture has nothing to say on the subject. It is a bad argument, and here’s why. The Bible also does not use the words Trinity, homosexuality, or pornography — yet no serious biblical scholar concludes…
The perseverance of the saints is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in Reformed theology — and one of the most personally significant. Most people either confuse it with “once saved always saved” — which sounds like a blank check for sin — or they reject it entirely because they’ve seen people who professed faith…
TULIP Calvinism is one of the most misunderstood frameworks in all of Christian theology. People who reject it often reject a caricature. People who embrace it sometimes can’t explain what it actually means or where it came from. Most people assume TULIP is simply “Calvinism” — the theological system of John Calvin. That’s not quite…
The debate over free will vs predestination has divided Christians for centuries. It shows up in Reformation history, in denominational distinctions, in seminary classrooms, and in casual conversations after church. Most people have a position. Fewer have thought through why. The reason the debate persists is not that the Bible is unclear. It is that…
What does the Bible say about free will? Most treatments of this question try to make everyone comfortable. They present both sides, acknowledge the tension, and land somewhere in the middle where nobody gets upset. That’s not what the Bible does. Scripture is not confused about this question. It does not present free will and…
The phrase “Jezebel spirit” gets used constantly in certain church circles. It gets attached to controlling women, manipulative leaders, false prophets, and anyone deemed to be operating in deception. It shows up in spiritual warfare books, deliverance ministry, and social media warnings. The problem is that most of what gets taught about the Jezebel spirit…
Most people know Jezebel in the Bible. Fewer know the actual story. She gets reduced to a symbol — of wickedness, manipulation, sexual immorality. Her name gets attached to a “spirit” in certain charismatic circles that has taken on a life of its own, often with little connection to the biblical text. But the real…
There is a moment in 1 Kings 18 that does not get enough credit for how audacious it actually was. One man. Four hundred and fifty prophets on the other side. Three and a half years of drought behind them. The entire nation of Israel watching. And Elijah sets up the contest, lets the other…