Introduction             The first few centuries after Christ’s life, death and resurrection were foundational in the development and establishment of the doctrine of the church. During this time the church had to delicately discern that which was heresy and that which was truth. Tertullian and his polemics against heresy were instrumental in this development. [1] Tertullian would coin the terms “trinity” and “economy” which were fundamental in the development of orthodox th

Introduction             The metaphor of the LORD as a shepherd can be soothing and comforting to the soul. On stressful days, I will often open up my music app and hit play on Jon Foreman’s song “The House of God, Forever.” As he melodiously sings the words of Psalm 23 to the rhythmic strum of the guitar, stress seems to dissipate. In the Fourth Gospel, John describes Jesus as declaring, “I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11 ESV). This declaration is part of a series of “I am”

What are God's motives behind exiling Israel in the book of Isaiah?   Introduction The Old Testament Prophets seem to portray God as punitive. God often appears harsh and angry in his words of judgment against Israel and the surrounding nations. How is a new Christian (or seasoned Christian) in the midst of suffering, to react when they pray, “God, I want you to speak to me” and proceed to open directly to Isaiah 3:13 which speaks ominously about how the LORD “has taken his

Introduction             The end of the book of Deuteronomy describes Yahweh bringing Israel to the brink of the promised land after forty years in the wilderness. [1] Before entering, Yahweh restates the covenant as the terms which Israel is to live by if they are to be blessed. One of the central questions driving the rest of the Old Testament after this moment is whether Israel will uphold their end of the covenant to Yahweh. [2] Against this backdrop Isaiah 55 can be re

What constitutes good biblical leadership?   Introduction From a worldly perspective, good communication, resilience [1] , years of work...

Behold the King of Kings, He strolls above chaos, Leaving order in his wake. His eyes pierce through rock, Perceiving that which hides...

A few summers back I had the joy of spending a weekend at this place called Malibu along the sunshine coast. This camp, nestled in a...

Introduction           The life, death and resurrection of Jesus has sent shockwaves throughout the world. As yeast spreads throughout...

This is a heremeneutical research paper I wrote for a course on biblical interpretation. Introduction                       “Worthy is...

Introduction             Stories of the accolades of great men and woman of faith are inspiring. One such story is that of Saint Patrick....

Introduction             Matthew opens his Gospel by tracing Jesus’ lineage back to Abraham (Mt. 1:2-16). He is intentional about...

This is a paper I wrote for a class on Biblical Interpretation, which compares the biblical interpretation methods of typology and...

Introduction The central message of Christianity is that God is love and the central requirement for Christians is to live by love. [1] ...

Introduction             Within the contemporary world, there is a powerful trend marked by its tendency to abandon the notion that there...

Historical, Biblical and Cultural Background The account of the golden calf is recorded in Exodus 32. Prior to this event, the people of...

If we understood just how high we already are in Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father, then we would stop trying to climb and...

It can be so easy to avoid digging into difficult questions. Truth is often like a puzzle, it takes time to sift through the different...

Cascading currents of living water, Sweeter than sugar, Satisfaction beyond measure. Ceaseless and refreshing. Quenching every longing....

Your love is a whirlpool. Whirling me ever closer to the centre... The centre... The centre of your heart. Dipping my toe, Whisked away...

I wrote this paper for a philosophy course I am taking about suffering and belief in God. In this paper, I use the movie The Passion of...