Someone recently asked me this question about my translation of the Greek pistis/eo (commonly translated as faith, belief, trust) as “honesty about dependence”. Question: Does the phrase “honesty about dependence” weigh the concept of faith toward the verb? Should “faith” not also hold the noun, as God’s gift? Answer: There is more to pistis/eo than can be … Continue reading Q&A: Honesty about Dependence
Category: Q&A
Q&A: In the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew asks a series of questions prompted by verses in Matthew; Eschelbach's answers are in bold: Here are some of the verses that seem to contradict the idea that one is saved unless he turns to worldly things. This idea implies that we do nothing on our own part to be saved, and backs the … Continue reading Q&A: In the Sermon on the Mount
Q&A: Homelessness
Kelly from Hawaii offered the following response to my post from a few weeks back concerning what to do about homelessness. It was a thoughtful one that I wanted to share: Question: I know your article could not have gone deeper for lack of space and time, but I think it was a little over … Continue reading Q&A: Homelessness
Q/A: Knowledge vs. Wisdom
Question: In the Bible, King Solomon is seen as a very wise man. But some translations say he was very wise while others say he had much knowledge. Is there a difference between the two? If so, what is it? Where does the concept of “understanding” come into play? Answer: The short answer to your … Continue reading Q/A: Knowledge vs. Wisdom
Q&A: How to consider current turmoil in the world
Question: What’s your outlook on the current events? Or better yet, the Green V outlook versus Red Pyramid? Answer: Let's start with the familiar: the Red Pyramid world. When considering things from this worldview, most everyone is in this for him/herself, like drowning people all flailing about in different ways, all grasping at different things, … Continue reading Q&A: How to consider current turmoil in the world
Q&A: Dealing with Atrocities?
Professor, how does the green V model deal with horrendous historical acts done in the red pyramid model? One of my biggest challenges with Christianity as a whole is the way it was used to justify slavery and forced on people, in particular Black and Latino people. I know that these acts are not to … Continue reading Q&A: Dealing with Atrocities?
Q&A: From negative to positive relationships?
Question: Through your Daily Bread Bible verse on May 8 (John 5:24), you commented, “We have passed through an existence burdened with negative relationships (death), into real, substantive, and limitless positive relationships with God and everyone else.” Can you explain this further? Answer: In a one-dimensional world (physical only, time only) world, we are either dying … Continue reading Q&A: From negative to positive relationships?
Q&A: Lutherans At Odds?
Given God's active love in the world and in His people, how is it possible for two Lutherans to be so at odds that they don't even know how to talk to each other without at least one, if not both persons getting really upset and/or uncomfortable? The answer to this question begins with an … Continue reading Q&A: Lutherans At Odds?
Q&A: Hell Deconstructed?
I have a friend who's a big Rob Bell, Liturgists, deconstruction guy. He just raised the thought that Jesus may have been speaking about hell parabolically/rhetorically to convince his Jewish audience his message was important enough to act upon. Or something like that. How would you respond? This is an important question, especially for … Continue reading Q&A: Hell Deconstructed?
Q&A: Friends?
Proverbs 18:24 RSV: "There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." How could that be bad? I then looked up different Bible versions. They were so different from one another. Let's start with a better translation, "A man has many friends, but there is one who loves, … Continue reading Q&A: Friends?