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CLOSED DOORS AND OPEN WINDOWS
Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, summer comes slowly, often not arriving until the end of June. Today, June 24, is the first real summer day of the year. We have the windows open. A gentle breeze blows across the waters of the sound. The waves sparkle in the late afternoon sun. On a…
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IS THE CHURCH’S STANCE ON HUMAN SEXUALITY A CONFESSIONAL MATTER PART 3: 1 CORINTHIANS 6
A The study committee appointed by Synod 2016 of the Christian Reformed Church “to articulate a foundation-laying biblical theology of human sexuality” was asked by the same synod whether in regard to what the church teaches about human sexuality (with same-sex marriage central to the discussion) the church should declare a status confessionis, ecclesiastical Latin…
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IS THE CHURCH’S STANCE ON HUMAN SEXUALITY A CONFESSIONAL MATTER PART 2: THE CLARITY OF SCRIPTURE
Let’s go back to where we were (for more introduction, see the previous post: “Is the church’s stance on human sexuality a confessional matter? The status confessionis question”). The study committee on human sexuality (a committee charged by the Christian Reformed synod of 2016 “to articulate a foundation-laying biblical theology of human sexuality”) was asked whether the…
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IS THE CHURCH’S STANCE ON HUMAN SEXUALITY A CONFESSIONAL MATTER? THE STATUS CONFESSIONIS MATTER
A brief introduction In June the synod of the Christian Reformed Church, my denomination, will take up a long (175 pages) report of a study committee charged five years ago (Synod 2016) “to articulate a foundation-laying biblical theology of human sexuality.” In an earlier series of posts, I asked whether there is such a thing—“a…
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WHAT KIND OF BOOK IS THE BIBLE? (4/6)
The Quest for “a Foundation-laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality” In the previous two posts (well, three, if you count the ‘Read This First’ introduction) in this series (“The Quest for ‘a Foundation-laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality”), I looked, first, at how a new report on human sexuality, commissioned by Synod 2016 of the…
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HOW THE STUDY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SEXUALITY HANDLED THE TEXTS (2/6)
Reading Matthew 19 (The first in a series on looking for “a foundation-laying biblical theology of human sexuality”) If you were to go looking for “a foundation-laying biblical theology of human sexuality,” where would you turn? Finding such a theology of human sexuality was the task presented by the synod of the Christian Reformed Church…
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DOES THE BIBLE HAVE A PLOT? (3/6)
The Quest for “a Foundation-laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality In a previous post (“How the Study Committee on Human Sexuality Handled the Texts”), I looked at how a new report on human sexuality, commissioned by Synod 2016 of the Christian Reformed Church, handles Matthew 19, a scripture central to the study committee’s case. In…
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THE PRIESTHOOD OF BIBLE SCHOLARS (5/6)
The Quest for “a Foundation-laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality In the previous posts in this series (see, in order, “How the Study Committee on Human Sexuality Handled the Texts,” “Does the Bible Have a Plot?” and “What Kind of Book Is the Bible?”), I have looked at how a new report on human sexuality…
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THE BIBLICAL TEXTS ON HOMOSEXUALITY (6/6)
The Quest for “a Foundation-laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality I thought to write one more post in the series I’m calling “The Quest for ‘A Foundation-laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality,’” looking this time directly at the seven texts that are said to address homosexuality in the Bible. The occasion for these posts is…
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READ THIS FIRST (1/1)
Dear Readers, I sometimes do go on a bit. Okay, more than a bit. Some of you recently listened to me along with John Van Donk and Paul VanderKlay on Paul’s YouTube channel (here’s the link for those of you still interested: https://youtu.be/wJZjAcACsks). And we did go on, nearly two hours’ worth. Since then, I’ve…