Exegesis: The Task of Interpretation

Exegesis: The Task of Interpretation

“This is a Bible verse that has confused me and at the same time made me feel like a lesser being. And I realize, I have so far chosen to ignore this verse instead of taking time to understand it correctly.” This was said by one of our students in DAI’s Master of Arts...
Identifying and Interpreting Genre

Identifying and Interpreting Genre

Many years ago, I was in a pretty serious relationship with a woman when we were separated by a thousand miles for a work obligation. We talked on the phone weekly (long distance!) and exchanged countless letters. One of those letters completely caught me off guard,...
Bible Stories and the Bible’s Story

Bible Stories and the Bible’s Story

The Appeal of Stories  The 1987 cinematic classic, The Princess Bride, opens with the sick grandson begrudgingly relenting to let Grandpa read him a storybook with “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.”[1] By...
Choosing the Best Bible Translation

Choosing the Best Bible Translation

One of the most frequently asked questions I get about the Bible is, “What’s the best translation?” With dozens of English Bible translations on the market, it’s a fair question. After all, if we can’t read Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic, aren’t we at the mercy of the...
Our Only Great Hope

Our Only Great Hope

A Meditation on Advent from Isaiah 7   Introduction Advent is a Latin word meaning “arrival” or “coming.” Since around 431 AD the church has been recognizing the four Sundays leading up to Christmas as the Advent Season. It’s a season of anticipating the birth of...