My
emails contain information that are like pieces of a puzzle. Today, I am going
to put some of those pieces together that focus on two ways of thinking about
“legal sayings” in the Bible. Different ways of thinking result in two
different belief models for The Kingdom of God – and very
important conflict that create new belief models about God, money, and
government. Continue reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/888c13a9ac67/kingdom-of-god-protestantism-capitalism-and-american-democracy
The
other day, my wife Susan and I had a very special visitor. Our granddaughter
needed someone to watch her daughter – our great granddaughter. Spending a few
hours with a 13-month-old was fun, and educational. Two people reading or
hearing the same word may have two very different belief models and two different
realities! Continue reading at --
http://mailchi.mp/5bec31604b0f/a-lesson-on-belief-models-from-our-great-granddaughter
In
the ancient world lists served a purpose -- like dictionaries -- today. When
hearers or readers of ancient documents want to know what important words meant
– they looked for lists linked to them. For many years we have stressed
the importance of identifying the Hebrew words Jesus spoke. Today there is a
way for people who do not have the skill to work with Hebrew to increase the
accuracy of their understanding of his words. Continue reading at –
http://mailchi.mp/e06a8a6ddc90/the-importance-of-the-lists-of-the-jewish-jesus
If
we had been taught “the way of thinking” the author of the “Ten Commandments”
intended for them to be thought about, we would call them “The Ten Legal
Sayings. Members of the ancient audiences that heard Exodus 20 did not view
them the way we view them. Jesus did think our way, either. The way we were
taught to think was created after America was discovered. Thinking the Old Way has
many benefits, beside accurately understanding the words of the Bible and the
teachings of Jesus. Continue reading at -- http://mailchi.mp/f37d35f6c4a4/rediscovering-how-to-think-the-wisdom-way
The
Stele of Hammurabi was found in 1901. Shamash, the god of justice, is seated on
a throne. Standing before him in a subservient pose is Hammurabi King of
Babylon. Early scholars incorrectly concluded Shamash is giving divine laws to
Hammurabi -- just like Yahweh gave divine laws to Moses. As new evidence
was discovered, they realized that it was Hammurabi that was giving Shamash something.
This impacts the way we view the words of the Bible. Continue reading at -
http://mailchi.mp/036a2ab200e8/be-wise-establish-justice-and-maintain-order
What if Adam had been
created to be Eve’s helper or God had told Adam that Eve shall rule over him? Meanings
of small words in Bible stories have affected billions of lives. Whose rib is
involved in this story has made a very big difference over the past 1,700 years
– and it is still impacting billions of lives today! Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/0b066cd3c653/what-if-adam-had-been-created-from-eves-rib
I
had never heard the Bible story about “ADAM the Human Collective” -- one entity
that consists of a male and a female human. The Creator empowered this entity
to be His Representative to the rest of the creation, His Shepherd over all
life on earth, and to be His Kingdom on the earth. Read this article and imagine
“ADAM the Human Collective” emerging in your family, community, business, and the
USA today! – Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/009fe3cdabf1/seeing-humans-through-the-eyes-of-their-creator
This
Orthodox Jew understood the message and movement of Jesus better than any
preacher or priest we had ever met. She expressed what we felt when we made the
same discovery at BHC – but she did a much better job of communicating it! She
realized that what Christians call the “Sermon on the Mount” was
actually “A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven.” Continue reading
at -
