April 9, 2022
Finally, after preparing his readers for twenty-one verses, Paul begins his foolish boasting. Paul’s boasting matches, in some way, the “super-apostles” (hyperlian apostolōn; 2 Corinthians 11:8; 12:11). Whatever boasts they may have boldly announced, Paul can match them and more. Just as the “super-apostles” are apparently Hebrews, Israelites, descendants of Abraham, and ministers of Christ, […]
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Biblical Texts | Tagged: 2 Corinthians 11, 2 Corinthians 11:21b-29, Boasting, Church, Humility, Ministry, Suffering, Weak |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 18, 2019
This is one meditation from the published book by John Mark Hicks, Around the Bible in 80 Days: The Story of God from Creation to New Creation (Abilene: Leafwood Press, 2022).
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Theodrama | Tagged: Acts, Christ, Church, Creation, Israel, Mission, New Creation, Story of God, Theodrama |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
March 5, 2018
This is a guest post by Jeff Wischkaemper, who holds a Ph.D. electrical engineering, and he lives in Knoxville, TN, where he attends a relatively new church plant that is affiliated with Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. ********** It’s been six years since my wife and I left the Churches of Christ. Shortly after we left, […]
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Uncategorized | Tagged: Church, Church Gowth, Church Plants, Demographics, Millennials |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
January 29, 2018
This is a guest post by Kaitlin Hardy Shetler who delivered this homily on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 at the All Saints Church of Christ on January 28, 2018. ******** When I read Corinthians, I am struck by how many times Paul connects weakness to holiness. It’s as if the whole letter, peppered with missives to […]
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Biblical Texts | Tagged: #MeToo, 1 Corinthians 8, Abuse, Church, Knowledge, Love, Sexualilty, Sexuality, Strong, Suffering, Weak, Woundness |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
October 16, 2017
Listening to this letter within the community of his own house church, Philemon hears Paul’s affection for Onesimus. He is not only Paul’s child but Paul’s own “heart.” “I am sending my heart back to you,” Paul writes. This simple statement has several significant rhetorical functions. First, Paul not only does not secretly hide Onesimus […]
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Uncategorized | Tagged: Church, Onesimus, Philemon, Philemon 12-16, Roman Slavery, Slavery, Table |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
August 18, 2015
Several weeks ago, Michael Shank asked—by email—if I would review his new book, When Shovels Break, on my blog. Since I reviewed his first book Muscle and a Shovel, I thought it brotherly to say “Yes” to his request, just as I have responded to all his communication with me in the wake of my […]
28 Comments |
Books | Tagged: Church, Ecclesiology, Hermeneutics, Interpretation, Michael J. Shank, Michael Shank, Muscle and a Shovel, When Shovels Break |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
June 27, 2015
This is a key moment in Peter’s letter, both rhetorically and theologically. Rhetorically, it heads the major body of the letter (1 Peter 2:11-4:11) as the letter moves from identity to exhortation. Theologically, it describes how disciples of Jesus live faithfully in a hostile culture. In terms of identity, though exiles and aliens within Roman […]
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Biblical Texts | Tagged: 1 Peter 2:11-12, Church, Culture, Ethics, State, Witness |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
June 21, 2015
This section is soaked in quotations, allusions, and echoes of the Hebrew Scriptures. Peter depends heavily on Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 8:14, Isaiah 43:20-21, Exodus 19:5-6, Isaiah 42:12, and Hosea 2:23. Out of the 126 Greek words that lie behind the English text, almost half of them are directly from the Hebrew Bible (quoted […]
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Biblical Texts | Tagged: 1 Peter, 1 Peter 2:4-10, Church, Identity, Israel, Mission, Missional, Temple |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks