Have you ever wished you could to take part in an archeological dig in Israel? Here’s a chance of a lifetime! This summer, there will be two excavation sessions at El Araj, the most likely location of Bethsaida, a New Testament village on the Sea of Galilee. Taking place on June 26-July 10 and then […]
Last winter I gave a couple lecture series on my most recent book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus for the Theological Education Initiative in Columbia, MO and also at Trinity Church in Lansing, MI. For both audiences, I spoke about the three main sections of the book. Repacking our Mental Bags How the Bible […]
If you’d like to hear more about my life story and perspective, I did an interview in London with Sam Hailes on “The Profile” on Premier Christian Radio that aired Saturday, July 21, 2018. I thought it was a very good conversation. Listen to it at this link. This is their description of […]
What a delightful time I had traveling to the UK and Netherlands June 7-21. I spoke to a total of nine audiences, around 80 – 100 typically, always a few more than the organizers expected. A few folks came from quite a distance. I hadn’t traveled in either country before, so I enjoyed encountering these […]
How did the laws of the Torah sound in the ancient world? What radical new ideas was God was teaching? These are some of the things I’m writing about right now for my next book, called Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus. I gave a talk a few months ago on this in the Haverim […]
Have you noticed the latest food trend? Growing numbers of people are into artisanal foods. They love organic cheeses and heirloom vegetables, farmer’s markets and food co-ops. They want to eat slow food, not fast food. It takes more time and effort, but it’s worth it, they say. You know what? I’m into artisanal Bible […]
I’m excited to share the news – my book, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus (Zondervan, 2012) is now available in Dutch! If you want to download a free pdf preview of Wandelen in het Stof van Rabbi Jezus, use this link. You can order the book at this link. The Dutch publisher, Uitgeverij […]
Next week we’ll be beginning Lent, which looks forward to the Passover/Resurrection Day. Passover, of course, is the celebration of God’s redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt. I think I’ve found the perfect activity for the season–making mudbricks like the ancient Israelites did in Egypt! Today Biblical Archaeology Review gave instructions on how to […]
Many of us are frustrated by why no one seems to be able to come up with one perfect English Bible translation. Why are there so many versions? Why can’t we just have one final, best English translation? A major reason is because of one aspect of language that most of us don’t appreciate. When […]
If you’ve ever heard me speak, you know that I usually start with the famous painting by Warner Sallman of called “The Head of Christ” that has hung in my family’s home since the 1950’s. As much as I’ve loved this image of Jesus, I joke around about the fact that with his blue eyes […]
I’ll be giving three lectures for the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday, November 2, 2013 from 9 AM to 1 PM. This is part of their Haverim Lecture Series. A haver is a friend who grapples with you to study the biblical text. Fans of the JC-Studies Center are called “haverim.” I’ve […]
We talk about Jesus as the true lamb of Passover, but moderners have a hard time imagining what that means. We have no mental imagery of what a Temple sacrifice ceremony was like. We know that the disciples joined crowds of other worshipers in the Temple to sacrifice a lamb, which they roasted and ate […]