By Chaplain Mike For your further study and contemplation… In response to a parishioner’s request, our friend, Pastor Daniel Jepsen, has written a review of Ken Ham’s video, “The Six Days of Creation,” over at the Franklin Community Church website. Part of Dan’s conclusion: All this is not to say that I totally disagree with [...]
iMonk Classic: The Sanity Verses
13 Jul by
Classic iMonk Post by Michael Spencer From July 16, 2005 Sometimes, I don’t need inspiration. What I need is just my sanity. I don’t need verses that tell me I’m about to see a miracle. I need something that says God wants me to make it to tomorrow, and I’ll still be useful. Sometimes I [...]
Surd Evil, Serpents, and the Cosmic Battle
3 Jul by
By Chaplain Mike A number of commenters to IM this week have struggled with our interpretation that the story of the fall and its consequences does not indicate a radical change in the nature of creation itself as the result of human sin. If, BEFORE THE FALL—plants and organisms decayed, if carnivorous animals ate other [...]
Exile from Eden (Gen 3)
3 Jul by
By Chaplain Mike As we near the end of “Creation Week” here at IM, we come to our final study in the early chapters of Genesis. Today we look at the account of Adam and Eve’s sin and their expulsion from the Garden in Genesis chapter 3. This is the second act of a three-act [...]
In the King’s Garden (Gen 2), part two
2 Jul by
By Chaplain Mike The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:8 (NASB) In the first part of Genesis 2:4-25, we saw: The pre-fall condition of the land The creation of Adam Beginning at verse 8, the author describes: The garden [...]
In the King’s Garden (Gen 2), part one
29 Jun by
By Chaplain Mike And now for more “Creation Week” here at Internet Monk. Oh joy. This has been prompted by recent disputes in the blogosphere between some prominent Christian leaders, who hold to a Young Earth Creationism position, and the BioLogos Forum, a group of Christians from various disciplines that asserts the basic evolutionary model [...]
John Walton: Approaching Genesis as an Ancient Text
29 Jun by
In this video, John Walton, Professor of OT at Wheaton College (IL), discusses how we must approach Genesis as an ancient text. Readers must try their best to understand something of the thought-world of people in the Ancient Near East and to read, as much as possible, from their point of view. One good example [...]
The Land of Blessing
28 Jun by
By Chaplain Mike One of the interesting points of understanding that I came to accept when I studied under John Sailhamer is that there are two focus points in Genesis 1. First, God created everything (1.1). Second, within his creation God prepared a special land in the world where he put Adam and Eve (1.2-31). [...]
Another Look: My View of Genesis 1
27 Jun by
Another Look at a Post… By Chaplain Mike From March 27, 2010 My interest in the first chapters of Genesis began to blossom when I was in seminary, studying under Dr. John Sailhamer. Over the years, I have come back to it again and again. My understanding has grown and been refined each time I’ve [...]
Help Me with My Sermon!
23 Jun by
By Chaplain Mike OK friends, I need your help. For the next three Sundays, I have the privilege of leading worship and proclaiming the Gospel in a sister congregation. One thing I have appreciated about the Lutheran tradition is the emphasis each Sunday on the Gospel passage and message. As you know, however, Jesus spoke [...]
