Making Sense of Genesis 3 (Part 1): The Big Picture, Nakedness, and Two Trees

Genesis 3 is one of key stories in all of Scripture that virtually everyone knows at least a little bit about: the story commonly called “The Fall,” where Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent and eat the forbidden fruit. Then, after they realize they are naked, they try to hide from God. Yet…

Continue reading →

Making Sense of Genesis 2: The Vocation of Man; The Creation of Woman

The Formation of Man, and His Vocation as a Priest With God’s royal Temple gardens described in Genesis 2:4-14 (see my previous post here), it is only fitting that we also get a description of the priest…and that’s what we find in Genesis 2:7-8, with the specific description of the creation of the man. We…

Continue reading →

Making Sense of Genesis 2: The Garden of Eden

What comes to mind when you think of “The Garden of Eden”? Chances are that your mind will immediately jump to some picture you saw from a 3rd grade Sunday School class. Right now, you are imagining it: a lush, Amazon-like jungle, filled with a whole bunch of different animals: a gazelle here, a lion…

Continue reading →

Making Sense of Genesis 1: The Fundamental Biblical Worldview

Some of the most hotly-contested chapters in the entire Bible these days are those found in Genesis 1-11. Young Earth Creationists argue that they are literal history and that to question that means you are undermining not only Scripture, but ultimately the Gospel itself. On the other side of the spectrum, you have militant atheists…

Continue reading →

Answers in Genesis’ Explanation of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: Why Bad Presuppositions Can Lead to a Very Anemic Reading of the Biblical Text

Allow me to begin this post with a brief re-telling of Genesis 2-3… A Truncated Telling of Genesis 2-3 As God was showing the man around the garden, He pointed out all the various fruit trees the man could eat from. “And here we have an apple tree, over there is a pear tree, and…

Continue reading →

Crossing the Jordan (Part 6): An Extended Book Review of Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life”–Rule #3: Make Friends with People Who Want the Best for You

Jordan Peterson’s third rule in his book 12 Rules for Life–Make Friends with People Who Want the Best for You–reflects the concerns of every parent for their child as soon as they get into junior high and high school: you don’t want your child to “get into the wrong crowd.” We all realize, because we’ve…

Continue reading →

Crossing the Jordan (Part 5): A Book Review of Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life”–Self-Respect, Adam and Eve, and the Burden of Responsibility

In his book, 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson’s second rule is, “Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.” Basically, it means you should take care of yourself, respect yourself, and see yourself—despite all your faults and fears—as someone worthy of a good life. If you do that, then you will make better…

Continue reading →

Andy Walsh’s “Faith Across the Multiverse”: Yes, Believe it or Not, Science Really Can Illuminate the Christian Faith!

A couple of months ago, Andy Walsh contacted me and asked if I would do a book review of his upcoming book, Faith Across the Multiverse: Parables from Modern Science. I agreed, but quite honestly, I was a bit hesitant. Yes, over the past three years I have written quite a lot about the creation/evolution…

Continue reading →

Crossing the Jordan (Part 4): A Personal, Reflective Post on Jordan Peterson’s First Rule…

In my last post, I discussed Jordan Peterson’s first rule in his book 12 Rules for Life: “Stand up straight, with your shoulders back.” In that chapter, he used the example of a lobster to make a rather obvious, but often over-looked point: life is full of challenges, and you are bound to find yourself…

Continue reading →

Crossing the Jordan–An Extended Book Review/Reflection of Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life” (Part 3: Stand up Straight, You Rock Lobster!)

We now come to addressing the first of Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life. His first rule (and hence the title of his first chapter) is Stand up straight with your shoulders back. When it comes right down to it, this rule is fairly straightforward: it is telling you to be prepared to take life…

Continue reading →