The pendulum of human history swings along a spectrum.  On one end there is liberty and personal freedom; on the other, order and restraint of chaos.We all want two things at once.  We want the freedom to choose, to speak, to own, to worship—the freedom to pursue happiness.  But we also want predictable rules, stable families, stable markets, social trust, and deterrence of wrongdoing and protecti...  Read More

In my last blog, I outlined the covenant cycle between God and Israel (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-30) that always leave an open door for the Israelites to repent and return from dispersion and exile.STEP 1: Obedience to God brings blessing in the landSTEP 2: Disobedience brings hardship to lead Israel to repentanceSTEP 3: Failure to repent leads to Israel’s expulsion from the landSTEP 4: Israel’...  Read More

How is it that despite continued Jewish hostility to the gospel and despite seeing Gentiles outnumber Jews in the Christian church Paul can still hold out hope that the Jews will someday turn to Christ (Romans 11.12,15,23-24,26-27)?  I believe the answer is to be found in the nature of God’s covenant promises which, Paul says, belong irrevocably to the nation of Israel (Romans 9.4-5 cf. 11.29).Man...  Read More

As regards the gospel, [the unbelieving Jews] are enemies for your sake.But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. (Romans 11.28)How can unbelieving Jews be enemies of the gospels and yet “beloved” in terms of divine election at the same time?Paul qualifies his statement with two phrases:  “as regards election” and “for the sake of their forefathers”.First, unbeli...  Read More

Do not be arrogant toward the branches.  If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.  (Romans 11.18)A consistent problem in apostolic Christianity was cultural conflict between Jews and Gentiles in the church.  To address the problem, Paul in Romans 11 depicts Israel as a cultivated olive tree growing from a holy root (the promises to Abraham).  Jewish ...  Read More

This series of blogs is not about opinions on Israeli politics.  Like citizens of any free nation, Israelis differ on Israeli politics, so it is no surprise if American opinions on the topic differ.  Nor is it about American foreign policy toward Israel or the wars in Gaza or Iran.  Political opinions are not antisemitism and not my concern.  Intimations of hatred toward the Jewish people are my c...  Read More

I’ve apparently upset some people with my blogs on antisemitism (Sep 2025-Jan 2026).  Let me explain why I wrote those blogs.I regularly receive newsletters from pro-family and pro-life pastors’ groups and last year there was a growing alarm among conservative pastors about the rise of antisemitism in our churches.  I thought they had to be overreacting.  Conservative American evangelicals were th...  Read More

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old.  You may take it from the sheep or from the goats…  Exodus 12.5Dave Day, Jr. and his wife Kim have been members of our church for years.  They raise sheep.  Last Sunday I preached about the Passover lamb, and Dave caught up with me to share some insights with me about year-old male lambs.He noted that shepherds don’t have much use for “ram lam...  Read More

“I’ve tried everything and nothing works.”“You NEVER listen to me!”“There is nothing on TV tonight.”Most of us have said (and have heard others say) things like this.  Words like “always/never” or “everyone/everything” or “all/none” are universal terms.  Yet in ordinary speech we use them in non-universal ways, and we expect others to understand that “all doesn’t always mean all”.If I say “I alway...  Read More

In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in “mob justice”.  A mob is a group that refuses examination and suppresses dissent.  A mob is persuaded less by evidence and more by outrage or fear.  The members of the group fuel each other emotionally and, by oppressing or ignoring dissent, develop moral certainty about their perspective.  That all members agree proves that they already know the truth.  ...  Read More

I enjoy playing the bass.In fact, the role I play—and enjoy playing—in life is similar to the role of the bass in the band.The bass isn’t a showy solo instrument.The bass is rarely gaudy or extravagant.  It’s rather plain.It’s not out in front.  The bass is behind the scenes.With the drums the bass forms the foundation of the music upon which everyone else – the guitars, the vocals, the keyboards ...  Read More

In praying for people one dislikes, I find it helpful to remember that one is joining in Christ’s prayer for them.  – C.S. LewisThere is no indication that the father in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son approved of his son's reckless lifestyle or that he wasn't disappointed with his son's decisions. My guess is that the son knew his father wouldn't approve and would be disappointed. That's most ...  Read More