Dr Paul Allen

“Psst! Did God   really say ?” The very first words of the serpent slyly whispered to Eve in the Garden of Eden haunted me as I wrestled with the Bible’s prohibition of homoerotic sex. I was teaching a module on Biblical Sexuality at the  London School of Theology  in 2009. I was overwhelmed by the volume of new scholarly arguments challenging me to rethink my conservative position on same-sex relationships. Of course, I believed the Bible was inspired, inerrant, and infallible — but in the light of new exegetical evidence, was I correct in holding to a traditional interpretation of the texts prohibiting homogenital relations? Moreover, several of my students who claimed to be “evangelical” had adopted rather worrisome postmodern and permissive perspectives on sexuality. It wouldn’t be easy to persuade them to accept an orthodox interpretation of the biblical texts. Gagnon’s Bombshell Robert Gagnon’s 2002  opus magnum   The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts a...

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the home of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. . . . But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or the wine he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favour and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test ...

I am increasingly persuaded that “hearing back” from God in the life of prayer involves an analogous process. It involves a practised prayer life that matures our perceptions to hear him right. For it’s not as though God was ever truly silent. And it’s not that we are at too great a distance from the one in whom we live and move and have our being to hear his voice. On the contrary, as G. K. Chesterton suggests with characteristic paradoxy, it may be that “the laughter of the heavens is too loud for us to hear.”1 If such things are so, then Silence “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10) . Being still, or practising silence, is my first suggestion in a course for retraining perceptions. My primary focus isn’t so much on literal silence (though it can’t hurt); it’s on quieting our voices and hearts enough to listen. Those who would truly hear any other, and indeed the ultimate Other, must relinquish control over what’s said. They must render themselves vulnerable to hearing someth...

Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (Jude 21) If you are a Christian, God “keeps” you (see Jude 1, 24). He preserves you in his love so that nothing can separate you from him (John 6:37–40; 17:11–12; Rom. 8:28–39; 1 Thess. 5:23; 1 Pet. 1:3–5; 1 John 5:18). And you are responsible to continue in the faith. Not only does God keep you; God commands you, in community with the other believers in your church, to “keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21; see John 15:9–10). He tells you to do this in three ways: 1 . Keep yourselves in God’s love by “building yourselves up in your most holy faith.” What is this “faith”? It is “the faith” that verse 3 says you must “contend for.” The faith is the content of Christian belief as Christ and his apostles handed it down. It includes foundational teachings such as Christ’s atoning death in the place of sinners, his resurrection, salvation by grace alone through faith alo...

“It’s a Christmas miracle!” This exclamation permeates the holiday season from Hollywood to New York City and everywhere in between. While pop culture’s use of this phrase ranges from humorous to heartwarming, the true miracle of Christmas often goes overlooked.  The Incarnation of the Son of God surpasses every miracle that has or will ever occur. It defies human comprehension in a way no other miracle can Because of its profundity, many Christians fail to appreciate how magnificent this miracle truly is, leading to a defective view of what it means that the Word became flesh.  As we celebrate this miraculous event in just a few short days, let’s reflect on the true meaning of the Son of God becoming the Son of Man. One way to improve our understanding of this significant biblical teaching is by refuting what it does not mean. Throughout church history, many errors have arisen regarding the Incarnation. The first error is believing that the Incarnation is the birth of the fir...

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7 When I became a Christian, I learned that we really do not know when Jesus was born.  The Bible does not clearly tell us when Jesus was born. In Luke 2, the birth story of Jesus simply says that, at the time of Jesus’ birth, the flocks were in the fields. This likely means that Jesus was not born in December. Why?  That time of year experiences a lot of rain and cold, which would cause a shepherd to keep their flock safe and warm and not roaming in the open fields. Those who defend the Christmas date as the potential time of Jesus’ birth respond by saying there are often weeks during the winter when the weather warms up and allows sheep to roam freely in the fields.  Arguments against Jesus being born in December are many. One, during the winter months, many roads are impassable, which would mean that the governm...

What does this Prophecy mean today? One of the most well-known prophecies about the birth of Christ is Isaiah 9:6, which says,  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  We read this on Christmas cards and holiday signs, but what does it mean? The original context of this promise in Isaiah helps us. Isaiah answers three questions about this child who will be born. What He Brings First, what will he bring? Along with the arrival of this child, Isaiah promises that God will bring three gifts. The first is joy.  Isaiah 9:1 says, “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”  These are the northern parts...

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” has been seen countless times on three continents by Polish grandparents and Japanese schoolchildren. It remains evergreen and universal — just like the Saviour Linus describes in his simple recitation of the Nativity as it appears in Luke’s Gospel.  However, that citing of Scripture did not easily pass the cynicism and cowardly cultural gatekeepers of American network television when Charles Schulz and his production team offered the first of what became many Peanuts specials to CBS executives in December of 1965.  In fact, even before those suits tried to remove mentioning Christ from this Christmas show, Schulz’s two partners in the venture, Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez, advised him to take the Gospel passage out of Linus’ mouth.  As one of those executives said, “The Bible thing scares us.” The Peanuts creator’s response spoke volumes: “If we don’t do it, who will?”  The fact that any mention of Jesus over the public airwaves was co...

Luke 2:  “Glory to God in the highest,  and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:14–15) “And [Simeon] came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,  according to your word;  for my eyes have seen your salvation  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,  a light for revelation to the Gentiles,  and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:27–32) Rather than bringing fear, which is the appropriate response to seeing the glory and greatness of God, the gospel (the “good news”) is described by the angels as “great joy that will be for al...

Introduction The Holy Spirit is universally recognized by Christians as the third person of the Trinity—eternal, divine, and sharing God's attributes. His role spans creation, salvation, and sanctification. While Christians agree on the Spirit's work in inspiring Scripture, they differ on the extent and nature of his involvement in the world and in personal salvation. Biblical Survey of the Holy Spirit Old Testament The term rûaḥ refers to the Spirit of God, signifying wind, breath, or divine life. The Spirit empowered individuals like Bezalel (for craftsmanship), prophets, judges, and kings (e.g., Saul and David) for specific tasks. The Spirit’s presence was occasional and task-specific, not permanent for most individuals. New Testament The Gospels : The Spirit is central to Jesus' life—from his conception to baptism, ministry, death, and resurrection. He empowers Jesus for miracles and ministry. Acts : The Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost, initiating the church's gl...

Those born in the baby boomer generation are entering the longest phase of elderhood in history, full of potential but also fraught with challenges My friend Jeremy’s father has always taken pride in doing things himself. When Jeremy (whose name I have changed for his privacy) was a kid, he watched his dad, an architect, painstakingly renovate their entire family home – ripping up floorboards and laying tile. Today, Jeremy’s dad still insists on climbing up a ladder to clean out the gutters; he wants to fell deadwood with a pruning saw and move heavy furniture around the basement. But now 80 and living with Parkinson’s disease, his drive comes with higher stakes, every strenuous task increasing his risk of preventable harm. “My dad doesn’t know anything else,” Jeremy says. “He’s always been the person who fixes the hole in the roof.” Now he does it in spite of family members desperately trying to convince him to let them do it instead or pass those responsibilities to hired help. Being...