The Wandering Heretic

The decision of James at the Jerusalem Council almost demands a search for the underlying logic. On its own, the four stipulations given to the Gentiles appear almost random. They were to avoid “things” sacrificed to idols, blood, food that was strangled, and “sexual perversion.” As I noted previously, this is [...]

 
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Since I am exploring how the Assembly (commonly translated as “church”) is a Gentile attachment to Israel within Gentile Lands, I figured now would be a good time to wish everyone a Happy Passover. Passover is not yet, you say? This is Easter season; Passover is not until April 19th of this year [...]

In my last post, I discussed Tim Hegg’s proposed underlying logic behind James decision at the Jerusalem Council. Hegg’s rather extensive and valuable contribution to this topic is contained in his essay, Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council. In that document, Hegg proposes that the four restrictions given on Gentile behavior all had [...]

The decision of James at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:19-21 and codified in a letter to the Gentile churches in Acts 15:28-29 almost begs for an underlying rational. On its own, it does not serve as a comprehensive ethic, for it restricts Gentiles only from 1) things offered to images, 2) blood, 3) [...]

In my last post, I noted the quandary that was created by God’s desire to “bring in the Gentiles.” The Apostles were taken aback by just how committed God was to that goal. In essence, they suddenly had a large group of Gentiles who were attaching themselves to Israel through the Jewish Messiah, [...]

 
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Since this is the big day for Primaries in Ohio, I will take a pause to avoid religion and muse about a less controversial topic: politics. What is it about the Democratic Party that pushes them toward mediocrity? Perhaps this is true of politics in general. The Republican Party isn’t exactly the [...]

N.T. Wright has often said that an ordination question he asks seminarians concerns just what three chapters of the Bible they would keep if they were about to be stranded on a desert island. Then he notes, they already have Matthew 28, John 3, and Romans 8. I used to be at a [...]

Acts Chapter 15 is the watershed passage in Scripture when one wants to consider the relationship between Jew and Gentile in the new Messianic communities. It also has bearing as to the nature of the Torah to both groups as members of the same body. However, there are some foundational assumptions behind the [...]