Recently reading a primer on biblical studies, I’m reminded of the necessity for biblical scholarship, knowledge of original Hebrew, Greek and maybe even Aramaic, the need to read Scripture contextually to appreciate its nuances over and against pulling verses out of context for special occasions, and an appreciation for Old and New Testament continuity. Most […]
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 3 Background Reading: Jeremiah 52:1–14 Rebuilding the Walls As we begin reading through Nehemiah 3, we are probably asking ourselves whether we want to continue, or jump ahead to Nehemiah 4. In one sense, we find these names and places rather meaningless. Why should we bother learning all these names of persons […]
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 2 Background Reading: Esther 9:29–10:3 In our Bibles, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah precede the book of Esther. But chronologically, Queen Esther came to the throne of Persia in 483 B.C., twenty-five years before Ezra is sent to Jerusalem and thirty-eight years before Nehemiah appears before King Artaxerxes. During that interlude, […]
In recent articles we have discussed some of the foundational principles underlying IRBC’s philosophical model of counseling. Last time we focused our attention on the fact that man was created to work. In Genesis 1:28 (New International Version), God commissions man to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule […]
In the opening scenes of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, a narrator sets up the plot of the story by giving the viewer a condensed history lesson on the mythological world of Middle Earth. The movie touches on critical events over thousands of years of history, explaining […]
A poet, writing about the death of a fellow man, observed this: “His soul is gone, whither? Who saw it come in, or who saw it go out? Nobody; yet everybody is sure he had one, and hath none.”1 When a person dies, it is clear to everyone that a vital aspect of the deceased’s life […]
As we come to the end of this five hundred anniversary year of the Protestant Reformation, I’d like to delve into a crucial theological issue that is so practical for us. If you have your Bible you can turn to Paul’s letter to the Romans. One of the doctrinal issues that is clear in Romans is that what he declares us to […]
Book Review: David Meengs Excelling in Relationships Everyone is surrounded by relationships. First, and foremost with God, our Creator; then with others including family, friends, fellow workers, and casual acquaintances; and finally, ourselves. David Meengs’s book, Excelling in Relationships, is a clear and simply written guide for daily Christian living and a biblical guide for solving […]
Outreach Donor Investments Influence Many Lives The picture above shows the pastors of the RPCCEE (Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe) assembled together for a week of prayer, teaching, and fellowship during which they received books donated by Reformed Fellowship, Inc. Pastor Peter Szabo (pictured second row, third from left) offers this introduction […]
Letters from Inmates Who Receive The Outlook and/or Books from Reformed Fellowship An inmate who was transferred to another prison facility in the state wrote, I am finally settled in and boy is it hot here. No climate control!! But God is going to use this too for his glory and my good! 🙂 I […]