You Go Girl – The Sexually Confident Wife in the Song
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 [...]
scripture
Breath – Song of Songs 7:8
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 [...]
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Summary
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 [...]
What is Lust?
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 [...]
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Effeminate (malakos)
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 [...]
Is Cross-Dressing Sinful?
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 [...]
Defense against Offense – Scripture on Offending Others
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. [...]
Confronting Boundaries — Part 2
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. [...]
Confronting Boundaries — Part 1
I recently wrote about my recognition that some boundaries aren’t as universally absolute as some Christians believe. Murder is wrong across the board, but can the same [...]
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Fornicators (pornos)
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 [...]
Your Face – Song of Songs 2:14
Song of Songs 2:14b KJV: Let me see thy countenance… NIV: show me your face… NASB: Let me see your form… There are two key words here that reveal a [...]
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Homosexuals (arsenokoitēs)
We’ve covered pornos (fornicators), eidōlolatrēs (idolaters), moichos (adulterers), and the precise but hard-to-express malakos (effeminate). Paul’s [...]
Holy Erotica, Batman — Song of Songs = Biblical Erotica
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. So says the first line of this book of the holy Canon, and it’s telling that one can’t even get past this [...]
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Idolaters (eidōlolatrēs)
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 [...]
Perfume at the Table – Song of Songs 1:12
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 [...]
Is it a Sin to Be Naked?
It always stuck with me how Adam and Eve strolled through the Garden of Eden stark naked in the presence of God. They had no shame and therefore nothing to be ashamed of. If [...]
To Drink or Not to Drink
We’ve covered all sorts of topics here, from the general site motif of sexuality to the entertainment value of foam weaponry. Christian life is far from boring, and [...]
Under the Needle – Tattoos in the Bible
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 [...]
The Bible on Unwholesome Talk
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..." [...]
Preaching Hell like New Testament Authors
Aside from Jesus, do we see the New Testament authors and influencers participating in or instructing us to preach hell? [...]