I’ve been trying to think of a clear way to tackle the many questions Hagar’s story raises in Genesis (and beyond). My goal is always to communicate how I found comfort or resolution to my questions so that you might find it helpful in resolving them for yourself. In Hagar’s case, I am having trouble … More Issues in Genesis: The Handmaid & Her Son, Part 2
Through this series, we’ve been working through some of the issues I encountered while reading Genesis, and so far, they’ve been big ones that are complex and require a lot of context and a lot of words to sort out. Thankfully, however, a few of the issues in Genesis are much easier to answer. Sometimes, … More Issues in Genesis: Noah’s Nakedness
Welcome back to Issues in Genesis. We’re starting a new series within the series, today, but it’s really just a logical next page in the story. The Handmaid & Her Son is about Hagar, of course, but it’s also the next chapter of Sarah’s* story, too. We’re going to spend this first post talking … More Issues in Genesis: The Handmaid & Her Son, Part 1
Welcome to the conclusion post for The Trafficking of Sarah. In part 1, we defined the problems this passage can present. In part 2, we answered what I call the “clutter questions” that we might bring to this passage. These are the questions we ask of the text that, if left unanswered, can inhibit … More Issues in Genesis: The Trafficking of Sarah, Part 3
Welcome to Part 2 of “The Trafficking of Sarah.” In this part, we’re going to narrow the scope of our questions and put some context on this whole mess. If you haven’t read the Introduction to the Issues in Genesis series or Part 1 of this “issue” (the selling of Sarai/Sarah to other men … More Issues in Genesis: The Trafficking of Sarah, Part 2
If you haven’t looked at the Introduction to my Issues in Genesis series, please do that. It will give you the shape and purpose of what I’m hoping to accomplish by discussing these stories. Defining the Issue The first time I got really upset with the Bible was in Genesis 12:10-20. In that passage, Abram … More Issues in Genesis: The Trafficking of Sarah, Part 1
Welcome to the final post on Issues in Genesis: The Sons of God and Daughters of Men. I hope this has been a helpful series. I can’t really tell. Ha ha! I have tried to show you an orderly way to consider stories like this one, and then I have tried to share the logic … More Issues in Genesis: The Sons of God & Daughters of Men, Part 4
Welcome back! This is the third installment in our series on the Sons of God and Daughters of Men (Genesis 6:1-6). In Part 1, we looked at the text verse-by-verse to determine what the Bible says and does not say in this passage. In Part 2, we looked at a brief overview of the three … More Issues in Genesis: The Sons of God & Daughters of Men, Part 3
Last week, in Part 1, we went over the text of Genesis 6:1-6, which introduces the short but fascinating story of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Men. This tiny little collection of verses has a lot to say, and how we interpret it will have a meaningful impact on how we … More Issues in Genesis: The Sons of God & Daughters of Men, Part 2
If you haven’t read the Introduction to this series, I really encourage you to do that. That post lays out the purpose and structure of this series as well as my view of scripture and my own struggles in Genesis. This work is important to me. I want this series to be genuinely helpful … More Issues in Genesis: The Sons of God & Daughters of Men, Part 1
