CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

On Not Suffering Fools Gladly

Jun 23, 2017

I must begin this piece by making a confession. I have long thought about this phrase, and have long thought about writing something on it. But I figured it was more or less a worldly phrase, and maybe not one

Predestination and Election: The New Testament Data

Jun 12, 2017

The biblical and theological issues of predestination and election are a stumbling block to some folks. I have had various Christians, including not a few Catholics, say that they just cannot believe in these things. Sadly, this is normally because

Women, Leadership and Scripture: A Brief Bibliography

Apr 30, 2017

I just penned a piece on women and head coverings, and mentioned that this was part of a much larger debate over the role of women in leadership positions. I mentioned that I had not yet written any direct articles

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Apr 29, 2017

I could have entitled this article, “Do Christian women today need to wear head coverings?” For that in good measure is what this particular passage addresses. But a simple yes or no answer is not so readily forthcoming, as I

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Kings 22:21-24

Apr 23, 2017

In this passage of Scripture we read about a deceiving spirit sent by God via false prophets to the wicked king Ahab. The major context is 1 Kings 21-22. But the more immediate context is 1 Kings 22:19-25 which reads:

Art and the Second Commandment

Apr 11, 2017

Sadly some Christians have a very low view of art, and in good measure this is due to a faulty understanding and application of the Second Commandment. The prohibition against graven images has been wrongly interpreted and as a result

Whose Side is God On?

Mar 6, 2017

Around the time of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was asked if God was on his side. His response is a classic: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 24:36

Feb 21, 2017

This passage can seem to be rather jarring. That is, it does not appear to fit in with what we know about basic Christian teaching. The passage in question, Matthew 24:36, has Jesus saying this: “But about that day or

Divine Love and Hate, Part One

Nov 23, 2016

It never ceases to amaze me when I hear Christians giving God advice: telling him what he is allowed to do or say. They have put God in the dock and want him to fall in line with their fallen

Divine Love and Hate, Part Two

Nov 23, 2016

In Part One of this article I offered around a hundred Bible passages which speak about God hating certain things and certain people, and how his people can also follow him in this. The biblical material on this is pretty

Jeremiah 29:11 and the Health and Wealth Gospel

Aug 19, 2016

There are so many memorable passages in Scripture, but they can be misused and abused if not handled correctly. Jeremiah 29:11 is one such passage. It is not really a difficult passage to understand, provided it is read in context.

Was Ancient Israel Meant to Have a King?

Mar 20, 2016

Plenty of debate actually arises over the issue of the monarchy in ancient Israel. Especially when we see imperial presidencies like Obama’s in America (Trump’s could well be the same if he gets in), Christians are now talking a lot

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:2, 15

Feb 24, 2016

These two rather similar verses are not so much difficult passages as ones that can be easily misused. I have had people tell me for example that if we all just adhered to these passages, everything would be good, and

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Peter 4:8

Feb 2, 2016

The main difficulty with this passage is that it is another text which has been utterly mangled by those who seem to delight in twisting God’s word for their own (often evil) ends. The ability of people to distort and

Difficult Bible Passages: Leviticus 10:1-3

Jan 31, 2016

In Leviticus 10:1-3 we find the story of the death of Nadab and Abihu, which is puzzling and troubling to many contemporary believers. God struck these priests down for offering “strange fire” as the KJV puts it. The difficulty here

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Thessalonians 2:11

Oct 15, 2015

Whenever Scripture discusses end times scenarios we must take great care. Much of the apocalyptic genre as found in Daniel and Revelation can be laden with mysterious symbolism and so on which can be difficult to accurately interpret.

And even

Babylon, Its Fall, and the Mark of the Beast

Sep 19, 2015

OK, now you may think I have gone off the deep end: speaking on things that mere mortals must tread so very carefully on. No, I have not gone into a last days’ madness mode, and no, I do not

Difficult Bible Passages Jeremiah 29:11

Aug 27, 2015

Is this in fact a difficult passage? Well, not so much – the difficulty arises when it is rather misused and abused by various believers today. The difficulty arises, as usual, when context is ignored and the passage is used

Do We Have God’s Heart On This?

Jul 10, 2015

One good test to decide if we really are sons and daughters of the Living God is if we share his heart on important issues. The true child of God will of course think as God thinks and even feel

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 5:22

Jul 7, 2015

The main difficulty about the last portion of this verse is pretty evident: Jesus tells us here not to do something which is done repeatedly in Scripture, and even often done by Jesus himself. This threefold warning found here has

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

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CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

On Not Suffering Fools Gladly

Predestination and Election: The New Testament Data

Women, Leadership and Scripture: A Brief Bibliography

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Kings 22:21-24

Art and the Second Commandment

Whose Side is God On?

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 24:36

Divine Love and Hate, Part One

Divine Love and Hate, Part Two

Jeremiah 29:11 and the Health and Wealth Gospel

Was Ancient Israel Meant to Have a King?

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:2, 15

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Peter 4:8

Difficult Bible Passages: Leviticus 10:1-3

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Thessalonians 2:11

Babylon, Its Fall, and the Mark of the Beast

Difficult Bible Passages Jeremiah 29:11

Do We Have God’s Heart On This?

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 5:22

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