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
In 21st-century North America, we are a culture that focuses on hands. We don’t really think about it that way on a daily basis, but it’s nevertheless true. We communicate a lot of information with our hands, and you can tell a lot about a person in our culture by looking at his/her hands. All … More First Reading of Ruth: 4, Redemption
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 spend any time at all in the Old Testament, you’ll notice a theme that runs throughout. It is idolatry. Almost everyone falls into it. They succumb to idolatry in droves, over and over and over again. Idol worship is not a sin that only trips up the brazenly corrupt. The Bible illustrates idolatry … More Idolatry Is Not Dead
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
Genesis has got some issues. Well, that isn’t really true. A better way to say this is that I had some issues with Genesis. They were big ones. I had them for a long time and a few of those issues were only worked out very recently. In fairness to me, a lot of people … More Issues in Genesis – Introduction
