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What Does it Mean to Be Human?
Someone asked me this last week if I would write down my thoughts on what it means to be human. My answer will of course focus on the Bible, since that is the best source for understanding the intricacies of what it means to be human. Being human means being a creature made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28). There are two important aspects to this statement. First, human beings are creatures made by a Creator. Hence, man is obligated to follow and obey the Creator. No creature has the authority to supersede the Creator, and thus morality and ethics are completely derived from the Creator himself. Second, although mere creatures, human beings are accorded honor that is unparalleled in creation—human beings are made in the image of God. As such, mankind is given direct authority on behalf of God to function as caretaker and guardian of the rest…
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Should Christians be Pacifists?
Earlier this week I listened to a debate on whether or not Christians should ever engage in violence. The discussion was a good one, and is worth thinking through. A pacifist believes that a Christian should not engage in violence. To the pacifist, Christ’s command to love one’s enemy prohibits them from doing violence to them (Matt 5:44). After all, it is kind of hard to love your enemy while you are beating him up or killing him. To the pacifist then, there is never any justification for aggressive self-defense or for fighting in wars. I want to approach this subject and examine a few biblical texts that hold application for our thoughts on this. The first thing to consider is that the government is ordained by God to use violence to ensure law and order. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from…
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Should Women Wear Head Coverings?
If you walk into almost any church in North America this Sunday you will not see many (if any) women wearing a head covering. However, 1 Cor 11:2-16 seems to indicate that head coverings should be worn by women during the church service. To further complicate matters, one of the reasons given in 1 Cor 11 is because of God’s created order. If Paul is supporting head coverings from the created order, are we not obligated to continue this practice which all the churches of Paul’s time observed (1 Cor 11:16)? This is notoriously one of the most difficult passages to interpret. Some people claim that because of the many exegetical difficulties, this passage should not be used for discussion on gender and roles. However, despite some of the contextual difficulties, I think the passage is clear enough to trace the overall argument and make an informed theological decision regarding…
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Biblical Thoughts on the Transgender Issue
Over the last few months I have been following the cultural push for transgender equality. One of the biggest arguments for those arguing for transgender rights is that these individuals have the right to declare what gender they really are on the inside. However, is gender a choice, or is it something inherent to each individual’s identity? The Bible is clear on the matter. God created them male and female (Gen 1:26-28). God is intimately involved with the creation process of each individual (Ps 139:13-16). Hence, each human being is endowed by God with their gender, and they ought to accept it as part of the Creator-creature relationship. According to the Bible then, if a child is struggling with their sexual identity, they should not undergo some kind of sexual reassignment surgery. Rather, they should be patient and be allowed to continue to develop. Interestingly, on June 12th, Paul McHugh…
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Book Review: What is the Meaning of Sex?
This weekend I decided to read a book which was recommended by Al Mohler and Russell Moore entitled, What is the Meaning of Sex, by Denny Burk, published by Crossway. I picked it up from the local library not really knowing much about Denny Burk. Denny Burk is a PhD graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and currently is a professor at Boyce College (the undergraduate program of SBTS). He is an associate pastor in Louisville, KY, and edits The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood. He also blogs at dennyburk.com. Burk divides the book into eight main sections, bordered by an introduction and conclusion. The outline of the chapters are as follows: Glorify God with Your Body Glorify God with Your Hermeneutic Glorify God with Your Marriage Glorify God with Your Conjugal Union Glorify God with Your Family Planning Glorify God with Your Gender Glorify God with Your Sexuality…