Dr Paul Allen

Did Paul Silence Women? The Greeks say it’s More Complicated Than That.  What If Paul Never Said What We Think He Said About Women? Before you stop reading, let me be clear: This is not an attack on Scripture. Or even another denomination.  This is not an attack on the King James Version.  And this is not an attempt to make the Bible fit modern culture.  This is a challenge to do what faithful Christians have always been called to do: Go back to the text. Go back to the languages. Go back to the context. Some refuse to do so.  The Reformers called it ad fontes—“back to the sources.”  Ironically, some of the same Christians who celebrate the Reformation’s return to the original languages become uncomfortable when those original languages challenge long-held assumptions. Yet returning to the Greek and Hebrew is not liberalism.  It is Reformation Christianity at its best.  Translation matters. Not because Scripture changes. But our understanding of S...

The Church at large is reeling from more and more exposure of sin in the lives of its leaders, whose greed, sexual immorality, abusive behaviour, and lust for attention have left many weary and wary. In the charismatic world, the list of problems includes failed “prophecies” from those claiming to speak for God. It’s no wonder that even many continuationists have become gun-shy about the supernatural. To be clear, by “continuationists” (more commonly, charismatics), I mean those who believe the Holy Spirit still distributes spiritual gifts today, including supernatural gifts like prophecy. People who believe the Holy Spirit ceased distributing spiritual gifts after the apostolic age are called cessationists. Scripture takes these issues seriously. Jesus warns of false prophets (Matt. 24:11, 24), as does John (1 John 4:1). Likewise, Peter and Paul warn of false teachers, prophets, and apostles (2 Cor. 11:13; 2 Pet. 2:1), and all their warnings are relevant for this moment. With that sai...

Jesus articulates the amazing truth that it will be to the advantage of the disciples for him to leave them, for then the Spirit will be sent in his place. Although Jesus had been of such great importance to them, he now says that someone is coming who can be of even greater benefit (16:7) to them, and they will be active based on his strength. In 14:12–14, Jesus identifies one of the benefits of the arrival of the Spirit. Jesus promises that the works (erga) that he performed will be achieved to a greater degree by those who believe in him. Such works are best identified as miracles and possibly also ethical acts. It may be appropriate to recognize that anything that fulfils the will of God, as exemplified in the life of Jesus, may be identified thus. However, to suggest that believers will be able to perform greater miraculous works than Jesus, in terms of the dramatic impact they cause, is an unlikely interpretation of the text. Nor is Jesus promising that greater power will be avai...

On June 22, 2025, the Mar Elias (St. Elijah) Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria, became a   scene of unspeakable tragedy . An Islamic suicide bomber slipped into the sanctuary during Divine Liturgy, opened fire on the faithful, and detonated his explosive vest. Twenty‑five Christians—men, women, and children—were killed. More than 60 others were wounded, many critically. The church was destroyed; wooden pews were splintered, stained glass shattered, and blood ran along the tiled floor. And yet, amid the wreckage,  one portrait endured : The centuries‑old icon of  St. John of Damascus , a son of this very city, remained unscathed. The symbolism cannot be ignored: Muslim terrorists bombed a Damascus church, but the icon of the man who, nearly 13 centuries ago offered the first theological critique of Islam and its prophet remained untouched. Who Was John of Damascus? John of Damascus (AD 675–749) lived under the Umayyad Caliphate, a Christian in a Muslim‑ruled world. ...

Every year, substantial sums of money are allocated to the two major Christian churches in Germany. Last year, they received more than €600 million ($645 million) in state funding, in addition to the billions in church tax that the clergy receive. Understanding why huge state allowances go to the  Catholic  and  Protestant  Church takes us back more than two centuries to the 20 years of Napoleon's occupation of Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. After defeating what was then the first German Reich, the French ruler ordered a far-reaching separation of church and state, including the closure and expropriation of monasteries and other ecclesiastical institutions. A law dating back to 1803, known as the "Reichsdeputationshauptschluss" — often referred to in English as the Imperial Recess of 1803 — compelled the churches to cede money and land to often neighbouring secular principalities. As a form of compensation, they agreed to pay the salarie...

  1. Prosecuting fellow believers through online platforms without ecclesial process The Apostle Paul instructed the church in Corinth to judge matters internally (1 Cor. 6). Today, however, the church has outsourced judgment to the Twittersphere. Believers now play judge, jury, and executioner without due process or any semblance of ecclesial order. Social media has become a tribunal, and reputations can be assassinated with a single click. This practice not only bypasses biblical structures of accountability but also reveals how biblically illiterate and spiritually reckless much of the body has become. The church is not a mob. It is a family governed by elders, not online outrage. 2. Presumptuously calling for a 'court of Heaven' For over a decade, the “courts of Heaven” teaching has gained traction in certain charismatic circles. The idea is that one can summon a heavenly court to break generational curses and demonic strongholds. While there are kernels of truth — God is a...

     By Rich Gregory Feb 11, 2025   I recently faced what should have been a “simple” plumbing repair. Those who have attempted such a repair know this statement is laughable, as there is never anything “simple” about “plumbing.” Those are two words that should never be put together. No matter how hard I pushed and pulled, the pipe assembly that needed replacement wouldn’t come apart. After looking up my problem on YouTube (which is what every good weekend warrior does when faced with a snag), I discovered that my issue could be resolved with a small plastic tool costing about $1.50. After my fifth trip to the hardware store that day, my problem was solved in five seconds flat. Without that tool, a self-inflicted flood was right around the corner, but armed with it, the job proved incredibly simple.   That principle – get the right tool for the job! – is transferable to the church. In Titus 1, Paul gave Titus what seems to be a relatively straightforward task: H...

Your academic life was all yours, from elementary to middle and high school to higher education. You read. You studied. You took quizzes, tests, and exams on your own. You did projects and wrote papers. You received your scores, marks, and grades. But occasionally, you were required to participate in a group project. Yes, you remember those. The group project is two or three or more of your classmates joining you to assemble a project for your teacher or professor.  Each member did a piece of the whole to submit it. You had to agree on everything from the topic to the content to how you would present it. And then, you all received the same letter grade, regardless of who did what or how much. Of all the things you were supposed to learn by doing the group project, you probably knew that you never wanted to do a group project again. They just rarely work well. Either you had to do most of the work yourself, or a “weak link” dragged down your grade. Who came up with this form of acad...