Power-Reading the Bible
an occasional blog by Gary D. Collier
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If you want to get depressed, go look up the "Flat Bible Believers" Facebook page. Its very existence helps to demonstrate that people read the Bible every which way...
In my previous post, I talked about self disciplines (or disciplines for the self) as specialty tools, and I noted that these tools are designed to do some things, but not other things. I...
Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" came out in 1964; a new version by the group Disturbed in 2015. I only heard the Disturbed version two days ago—exactly 60 years after...
"You just think everybody has to become a scholar to read the Bible!" Occasionally, some feel uneasy with what I’m saying in the previous posts, and some even get offended by it,...
We certainly need to read the Bible for personal and lofty reasons, in search of spiritual formation. As with textual interests, there are methods that are applied to the self.[1] Back...
Frankly, the basics are pretty straightforward: think of every biblical text as a friend, and then treat your friend the way you want to be treated. Start by listening to your...
“What does Bible study even mean?” Strange as that may sound, not everything that calls itself “Bible Study” is.
What It's Not
Unfortunately, this phrase gets attached to...
It is not in spite of, but because of our love for our ancient, precious biblical texts, that we, with energy, seek out how to read them. We respect methods developed over centuries, and they are...
How do you know when the Spirit of God is speaking?
Claiming that "the Spirit told me" something is very easy to do. And when you hear someone say that, it's...
We’re talking about reading the Bible. So, right up front, let’s put this on the table: When reading the Bible, we need the Spirit of God. All reading of biblical texts...
Power-Reading the Bible can fundamentally transform how we look at the Bible, how we handle it, what we get from it, and how we apply it to ourselves and to others.
So, starting now,...
A very hot topic—abortion as a religious value—was brought into focus today on a short Fox Entertainment interview of two people: (1) a pastor [Shane Idleman] and (2) the president of...
In the movie, Gladiator, young Commodus says to his father, Marcus Aurelius (emperor of Rome 161-180 CE):
You wrote to me once, listing the Four Cardinal Virtues:
- Wisdom,
- Justice,
- ...
Response by Gary D. Collier (Index: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 )
Being in near total agreement with your entire treatment of this subject,...
By Gary D. Collier (Index: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 )
What do you think? Could Adam and Eve have left the garden on their own had they...
By the time we get to Revelation 18:20, the beast-riding woman from chapter 17 is promised for swift destruction in a futile attempt at war against God. And so we come to this:
...
Reading the Bible Is not Rocket Science. Or Is It?
By now it is an old statement, but every once in a while, someone still makes it: “You don’t have to be a scholar to read...
Does the Bible Even Belong in This Discussion?
In the 1951 movie, People Will Talk, Cary Grant (as a medical doctor) makes the following rather bleak statement: "If old Mother...
(This post was originally a private letter to a friend. It has been modified for this post.)
Especially in times like ours, with all the serious concern over life and quality of life, I want to...
In my previous post, I introduced my visit to the Creation Museum (CM). Now I turn to some critical remarks.
Critical Comments:
For all of my enjoyment, CM is not really a natural...
In early 2017 (February 23), a new documentary film came out that asks: Is Genesis History? (Here is the main website.) The answer it gives is a resounding...
A Friendly and Open Letter to Bob Beaudine:
There is little doubt that what passes as “social media” today is more often anti-social. Short quips pass for genuine interaction, and...
To call Christian conversation about the Bible “intelligent” is sometimes laughable–or...
A verse I am drawn to in Isaiah 45 is verse 9. The overall idea seems to be clear: the clay should not try to tell the potter his job or sit in judgment about what he has produced....
