Parchment & Pen Blog

I worked on these all night last night. Feel free to use. I could not find any visual aid in distinguishing among the prevalent types of literature represented in each book, so I made one. As well, I could not find any chart that breaks down the books according to percentage. I had to put [...]

Accommodation theories are very popular today when it comes to the Scripture. No matter what the issue, if it seems to folkish, bizarre, or mythological, we can explain it by saying that God was simply “accommodating” to a contemporary way of thinking, not actually affirming the detailed reality of this stuff. Whether it be the [...]

Those of us who believe the Bible is the inspired authoritative word of God believe that it is relevant for our lives today. In fact, we believe that the Scripture guides our thoughts and paths, giving us instruction on a daily basis. But what do we mean by that? Does the Bible speak to everything? [...]

Some people, who have slaved for years learning Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, may find themselves saying, “You can’t really understand the Bible unless you’ve studied it in the original languages.” The nose starts to point down, and the person uttering these words begins staring out over his or her reading glasses with an all-knowing look [...]

One of the best ways to confirm the Christian faith is through prophecies in the Old Testament fulfilled in Christ. As I read through certain portions of the Old Testament I can’t help but be amazed at the evident hand of God in the composition of these Scriptures. God tells the Israelites, who were continually [...]

The following is a practical guide to biblical interpretation following a three step process that I have used for years. The Bible is two-thousand years old and often seems very archaic. This makes it hard to know how it applies to us. It can be very frustrating as all Christians are encouraged to read their [...]

1. Preunderstanding fallacy: Believing you can interpret with complete objectivity, not recognizing that you have preunderstandings that influence your interpretation. There is no such thing as a “white-coat” interpreter. In other words, there is no one who comes to the text as a scientist who objectively interprets the data. We all are influenced by many things including [...]

I believe in a doctrine called inerrancy. More particularly, I call it “reasoned inerrancy” to distinguish it from other more “technically precise” models. In short: I believe that the Bible, when interpreted correctly, is true in everything that it intends to teaches. Those are some important qualifiers: “in everything it intends to teach” and “when interpreted rightly.” This [...]