Tag Archives: ANE

Reviewing Darkness 01

Let’s take a fresh look at the Dark Side, shall we? Take a moment to refocus your awareness in your heart-mind. Get a good grip on the moral anchorage of your convictions, because we need to face some stormy truth. … Continue reading

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The Communion of Tribulation

In some ways, there is no going back. This is why I warn readers that, while we do have an obligation to understand the Ancient Near Eastern culture so that we can understand the Bible, we cannot go back and … Continue reading

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Conditional Physics

I felt that this didn’t fit in the pulpit because it’s didactic, more a question of fundamental philosophical approach. Western Christianity tends to push God out into the spooky unknown. God is “knowable” only in the sense of propositional statements … Continue reading

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Bibliography

Aside from the lightweight references I used in my A Course in Biblical Mysticism, some of you may take an interest in looking more at some of my studies on the background of the Bible. Old Testament Survey: The Message, … Continue reading

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Only What’s In Your Hands

I’m posting this late in the evening because I had to let it percolate into my soul all day before I knew what to say. This is an issue of biblical justice, not doctrine. Indeed, the whole thing rests squarely … Continue reading

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Anti-Activism

It’s a question of dominion. You and I are permitted to take assertive action only within the boundaries of covenant. When it comes to social and political issues, the prevailing applicable covenant is Noah’s. We could easily get lost hashing … Continue reading

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Psalm 104

This is another of those soaring lyrical songs that is impossible to summarize. What may not be obvious is that we have ample examples from other cultures across the whole region and in different millennia of the Ancient Near East … Continue reading

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Keep It in the Heart

The Ancient Near East in general, and the Hebrew people in particular, bore an ancient legacy of the heart-mind. While it’s obvious not everyone was heart-led, it is also obvious that Scripture took seriously the existence of the heart-mind as … Continue reading

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Ditch the Systematic Theology

“What must I do to be saved?” We see this question from the Philippian Jailer in Acts 16:30. The question itself arose from Greek culture. It became a figure of speech, so the actual meaning varies with the context. It … Continue reading

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Heart-led Parables

Our mysticism is not as their mysticism. One of the most confusing things we deal with is a vast legacy of Western-style mysticism. The Western version remains cerebral; it does not target a heart-led understanding. Instead, there is some nebulous … Continue reading

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