Dr Paul Allen

Anybody who has ever read the Bible has struggled with parts that have confused them. This should not surprise us, but rather we should expect it for a number of reasons. But before we look at these, we should note that Christians also believe in what has been called the clarity of Scripture .  This means that the most important concepts in Scripture are clear and understandable to those who read it in dependence upon God and who humbly desire to understand it, believe it, and follow it. Psalm 19:7 says, “The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (see also Psalm 119:130). So even though there may be some things in Scripture that are confusing, the parts that are vital to understand can be readily understood by God’s design. The first reason the Bible can sometimes be confusing is because it is the record of God’s thoughts and ways. As we read it, we are trying to better understand God himself. The problem is that our finite human minds are ultimately...

Without the Roman Empire , Christianity might never have spread so successfully. You could say the empire was a tinderbox awaiting the spark of Christian faith . The empire’s unifying elements aided in the expansion of the Gospel: Roman roads made travel easier than it had ever been before; throughout the realm, people spoke Greek; and the mighty Roman army kept peace. As a result of the increased mobility, pockets of migrant craftsmen settled for a time in a major city— Rome , Corinth, Athens, or Alexandria—then moved on to another. Christianity stepped into an open climate, religiously. In a sort of “new age” movement many people had begun to embrace eastern religions—the worship of Isis, Dionysus, Mithras, Cybele, and others. Worshipers searched for new beliefs, but some of these religions had been declared illegal, because they were suspected of offensive rituals. Other faiths were officially recognized—like Judaism, which had enjoyed a protected position since the days of J...