I take a systematic, methodical approach when confronting boundaries (or assessing any potential truth) because it produces reliable results. I've adapted John Wesley's quadrilateral to this task, since my personal boundaries are essentially doctrine or truth applied to me personally. [...]
It wasn’t that long ago when a man with tattoos would be shunned by society at large and likely barred from most churches. Today, getting ink done is far more widely [...]
Song of Songs 7:8d KJV: And the smell of thy nose like apples NIV: the fragrance of your breath like apples NASB: and the fragrance of your breath like apples Bad breath is [...]
The word malakos in 1 Corinthians 6:9 is one of the more difficult to translate on the list. The NASB and KJV use “effeminate” while the NIV offers “male [...]
Are Christians supposed to dress modestly? And what does that even mean? Can my wife wear a plunging neckline or a miniskirt for me to enjoy on a date night? What is [...]
Previously, I wrote about the precise language used in Hebrews 13:4 that offers a clearly-drawn line in how we as married couples can honor or defile our marriage bed or the [...]
The New Testament speaks pretty clearly on the subject of lust being unhealthy and/or sinful. The obvious go-to Scripture for this can be found in Matthew 5:28 where Jesus [...]
There's a third way explicit language comes under attack, empowered by Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus. "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth..." [...]
Sodomy. Not good, right? I mean, look how it turned out for Sodom. Their sin was “grievous” according to the outcry reported by the Lord, and He destroyed the [...]
Idolatry. The word just sounds rustic. Ancient. It brings to mind images of giant golden statues of animals surrounded by people in robes and other period attire. It [...]
Song of Songs 1:12 KJV: While the king sitteth at his table, / My spikenard sends forth the smell thereof. NIV: While the king was at his table, / My perfume spread its [...]
The first word Paul uses in his 1 Corinthians 6:9 list of kingdom-noninheritors is pornos, a word translated as “fornicators” in the NASB and KJV and as the [...]
One of the most interesting facets of the Song of Songs runs deeper than its rampant sexuality, stretches further than its rich symbolism, and reaches higher than a man [...]
In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he offers a lot of tough but encouraging words of instruction regarding how to live life. Within these few chapters, he [...]
I thought the idea strange —one series of sounds from someone's mouth forms an unacceptable word while another series of sounds makes an acceptable word. Sounds are sounds, right? But like a "good" Christian noob, I obeyed first and asked questions later. [...]
I was nervous. It was a first of many things. My first major project of my senior English class, my first time trying to teach anything on literature, my first serious tease [...]
For years, I was taught offending other people is sinful, citing verses like Romans 14:21 and 2 Corinthians 6:3. I learned Christians are supposed to be each others' morality police; if the herd says we should or shouldn't do something because they like it or don't, we should obey so we do not sin by offending their sensibilities. [...]