Search — Theology Explorer

@LearningReason @itskellydiane @SummrWrites I would quite agree with Bercot in that primary sources are extremely important. Quoting someone quoting someone is very likely to get you into trouble someday. That said, I don't think the primary source...

@LearningReason @itskellydiane @SummrWrites I would quite agree with Bercot in that primary sources are extremely important. Quoting someone quoting someone is very likely to get you into trouble som

debate

@itskellydiane My wife is a physio and a great one at that. We raised 3 children

@itskellydiane My wife is a physio and a great one at that. We raised 3 children without childcare by working together. All are adults and following Christ.

general

@LearningReason @itskellydiane @SummrWrites Interesting, I've never heard someone say that women have to cover their head in the privacy of their own bedroom while praying. That phrase "symbol of" is not in the Greek. It is added by translators who...

@LearningReason @itskellydiane @SummrWrites Interesting, I've never heard someone say that women have to cover their head in the privacy of their own bedroom while praying. That phrase "symbol of" is

general

@yorel480 @lasteveharvest @itskellydiane What? Where are you getting this from? There's nothing in the Talmud that specifies shaving a prostitutes head as a form of punishment. The Bible calls for the death penalty for adultery. Maybe there were Gre...

@yorel480 @lasteveharvest @itskellydiane What? Where are you getting this from? There's nothing in the Talmud that specifies shaving a prostitutes head as a form of punishment. The Bible calls for the

debate

@LearningReason @itskellydiane @SummrWrites Ok, there is certainly something going on⎯though it seems to be with the Judiazers. In Jewish contexts, if a wife were to become a Christian and then were found to be uncovered in public, this may lead to ...

@LearningReason @itskellydiane @SummrWrites Ok, there is certainly something going on⎯though it seems to be with the Judiazers. In Jewish contexts, if a wife were to become a Christian and then were

commentary

@naegore @lasteveharvest @itskellydiane I think you are missing what Paul is saying here. Paul says in verse 6 that "If a woman does not cover her head, let her also cut her hair"⎯κειράσθω is a permissive imperative in the middle voice (ie. Paul is ...

@naegore @lasteveharvest @itskellydiane I think you are missing what Paul is saying here. Paul says in verse 6 that "If a woman does not cover her head, let her also cut her hair"⎯κειράσθω is a permi

general

@itskellydiane @SummrWrites My goodness. I think you just have to go back...all

@itskellydiane @SummrWrites My goodness. I think you just have to go back...all the way back...back to 1 Cor 11:1-16. “...For hair is given as a covering. But if anyone is inclined to be contentious

1 Cor 11:1-16 debate

John 6:37 soteriology,giving,unconditional election,Calvinism,provisionism,the giving,God-fearers

John 6:37

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

John 6:43-45 soteriology,drawing,teaching,irresistible grace,Calvinism,provisionism,taught by God

John 6:43-45

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis

Ephesians 2:8-9 soteriology,grace,faith,salvation,Calvinism,gift of God,purchased faith,works

Ephesians 2:8-9

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

Ephesians 2:1-5 soteriology,predestination,total depravity,free will,Calvinism,provisionism,spiritual death

Ephesians 2:1-5

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-14

Biblical examples of women who worked outside the home: Proverbs 31 woman (entrepreneur), Lydia (businesswoman), Priscilla (tentmaker).

Biblical counter-examples to women-only-at-home view

Prov 31 Lydia Priscilla

Romans 16:1-2 Linda Belleville Discovering Biblical Equality Two Views on Women in Ministry

Linda Belleville's claim: no lack of women leaders in the early church

Mike introduces egalitarian scholar Linda Belleville's claims about women leaders.

Linda Belleville hosting vs. leading overseer

Central egalitarian claim: hosting a house church made you the leader/overseer of that church

Mike identifies this as a pervasive claim that recurs throughout egalitarian literature.

Acts 16:15 Lydia N.T. Wright hosting vs. leading

Acts 16:15 refutes host-as-leader: Lydia hosted Paul immediately after conversion

Mike applies the host-as-leader test to Lydia.

Acts 12:12 Linda Belleville hosting vs. leading Mary mother of Mark

Acts 12:12 refutes host-as-leader: Mary mother of Mark hosted a prayer gathering

Mike presents another counter-example.

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Proverbs 31 woman, Lydia, Priscilla, and women sponsors of Jesus as examples of women working

Mike gives biblical examples of women working outside the home.

Luke 8:1-3 Proverbs 31:16-24 Acts 16:14 Lydia Priscilla Aquila

Mike Winger idea 2023-11-22

Education-level argument: women were uneducated so Paul restricted them temporarily

Mike addresses the claim that Paul restricted women because they lacked education, and once educated, the restriction would lift.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 Lydia Priscilla gender-based restriction

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-14

Tim McGrew and Lydia McGrew's paper on miracles and the resurrection as a sophisticated cumulative case for Christianity

Cameron recommends a freely available academic paper

resurrection of Jesus Tim McGrew Lydia McGrew

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Undesigned coincidence: 1 Corinthians 4 and Acts 19 — Timothy's route to Corinth

McLatchie gives an example of undesigned coincidences between Paul's epistles and the book of Acts, confirming Luke as Paul's traveling companion.

1 Corinthians 4:17 Luke 1 Corinthians 16:10 Paul Timothy 1 Corinthians 4:17

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Lydia McGrew's book on undesigned coincidences

Winger references Lydia McGrew's scholarly work as a resource for deeper study on undesigned coincidences.

undesigned coincidences Lydia McGrew historicity of the Gospels

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Part 2: Introduction to the household baptism argument for infant baptism

Winger presents the paedo-baptist household baptism case charitably before critiquing it.

Acts Acts infant baptism paedobaptism

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Acts 16:15: Lydia's household baptism — likely no infants present given her context as a traveling businesswoman

Examination of the Lydia household baptism passage and contextual clues.

Acts 16:15 Acts 16:14 Lydia Acts 16:15 Acts 16:14

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Circumcision-baptism parallel breaks down on multiple fronts: faith requirement, compulsion, and gender exclusivity

Winger extends the critique of the circumcision-baptism parallel by pressing its internal inconsistencies.

Lydia faith baptism

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Matthew 10:16-24 uses Olivet Discourse language — either Jesus repeated similar words or it shows the connection between the disciples' temporary mission and the church's ongoing mission

Responding to why Matthew 10:16-24 contains Olivet Discourse wording not found in Mark 6 or Luke 9 parallels

Mark 13:9-13 Matthew 10:16-24 hermeneutics Mike Licona Mark 13:9-13

Mike Winger idea 2020-02-26

Q&A: Luke 14:33 ("renounce all you have") and Luke 12:33 ("sell your possessions") are hyperbolic expressions of total dedication to Jesus, not literal commands for universal poverty. Lydia continued her business after conversion and used profits to support missionaries.

Q&A — sell everything and follow Jesus

Luke 14:33 Luke 12:33 Luke 14:33 Luke 12:33 Lydia (seller of purple)

Mike Licona Mike Licona Lydia McGrew

A controversy exists in NT scholarship over whether gospel authors used "literary devices" from Greco-Roman biography that allowed them to change facts. Dr. Lydia McGrew argues against this; Mike Licona argues for it.

Introduction to the literary devices controversy with Dr. Lydia McGrew

Matthew 27 Matthew 27 literary devices in Gospels fictionalizing literary devices

Key examples of alleged literary devices: (1) John moved the temple cleansing from Passion Week to early ministry; (2) John invented "I thirst" on the cross as a theological symbol; (3) Matthew's raised saints as "special effects." McGrew argues all are unnecessary — simpler historical explanations exist.

Examples of literary devices McGrew disputes

harmonization literary devices in Gospels achronological vs dischronological narration

Critical distinction: achronological narration (not specifying order) vs. dischronological narration (deliberately changing order). The former is uncontroversial; the latter requires heavy burden of proof. "Mere difference hunting" is not sufficient evidence for fact-changing.

McGrew's key methodological distinctions

Plutarch Mike Licona Mike Licona

The external evidence (compositional textbooks, Plutarch) is far weaker than claimed. The textbooks never explicitly say "it's acceptable to change historical facts." Plutarch's differences may just be mistakes, not intentional literary devices. Licona admits attributing devices to the Gospels that aren't even found in the textbooks or Plutarch.

Critique of the external evidence for literary devices

John 7 undesigned coincidences Lydia McGrew John 7

Positive evidence FOR gospel reliability: consistent personality of Jesus across Gospels, unexplained allusions (John 7 — Jesus quotes a scripture nobody can identify), unnecessary realistic details, and the absence of realistic fiction as a genre in the first century.

McGrew's positive case for the reportage model