Dr Paul Allen

There are three major kinds of irony: verbal, situational, and dramatic. Verbal irony is when a person says something that they think is true, but while it turns out to not be true as they meant it, is still in fact literally true. For example, when Donald Trump—before becoming president—told President Obama that Obama would be “remembered as one of the worst Presidents” President Obama responded, “at least I’ll go down as a President.” While that statement turned out not to be true in the way President Obama meant it, it still was true in an even more ironic way. For an example more famous than American Presidents, in Star Wars Episode IV, Ben Kenobi tells Luke that Darth Vader killed Luke’s father. While that is not true in the way it sounded, it was nevertheless true in an entirely different and more profound way. Situational irony is when the outcome of a narrative is the opposite of what was expected. For example, in To Kill a Mockingbird, the children spend the book fearful of B

There is no single correct way for how God ’s people should respond to a culture hostile to faith. In the Old Testament , God called the Israelites to develop their own society. He designed laws to keep out pagan influences. But He sent New Testament followers into the world to impact unbelieving cultures. As we reflect on our relationship to societies that are hostile to Christian faith , it helps to consider Old Testament figures who found ways to honor God even after they were plucked from safety and placed in unfriendly circumstances. Example 1: Joseph His story is found in Genesis 37 -47 - Sold as a slave and taken to Egypt but maintained his godly character despite recurring setbacks. - A model of integrity both in adversity and prosperity Example 2: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego Their story is found in Daniel 1-6 - Taken to Babylon as prisoners of war and trained for service in a pagan government. - Models of integrity and commitment to the Lord while serving unbe

Luke 22:14–23 “He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’” (v. 19). Human beings have a tendency to sacralize time and space. In other words, there is something within us that seeks to commemorate and set apart certain places and dates that have been important in our lives. We build monuments in areas where battles were fought that changed the course of a nation’s destiny. Days are marked on the calendar to celebrate the birth of a country and even our own entrance into the world. We are driven by an almost insatiable desire to remember the past, and we associate special memories and feelings with places and dates. The sacralizing of time and space is approved by the Lord, at least when it comes to the landmark events of redemptive history. God commanded the celebration of the Passover to recall and proclaim His great redemption of the Israelites from Egyptian slav

English: By Rembrandt. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." ( Romans 1:17 ) Today's verse contains a portion of Habakkuk 2:4 , emphasizing that those who have been "twice born" can live using the same faith that God granted us so that we could believe ( Ephesians 2:8 ). An acronym for "USE" can help focus our thoughts. U--Use what you have: Moses had only a rod when God called him to deliver the nation of Israel ( Exodus 4:2-6 ). We should use the talent and equipment already in our possession, just like the widow of Zarephath who gave her meager grain ( 1 Kings 17:10-16 ). Daniel used his secular position ( Daniel 6:14-23 ) and Esther used her beauty and bravery ( Esther 4:13-17 ) to accomplish His will. S--Start doing it: Nothing happens unless we become involved. The priests of Israel participated in the miracle at Jordan when

Mordecai and Esther (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it" (Esther 5:14) In the Book of Esther , much of the plot is set in motion by the hatred of Haman for Mordecai. When Haman expresses his resentment of Mordecai to his family, they recommend, "Let a gallows fifty cubits (22m / 75 feet) high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it" (Esther 5:14, ESV ). Some of the more recent English translations offer something different from the ESV. The TNIV , for example, reads, "Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it."  The NLT offers something similar: "Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it." At the end of chapter 7, Haman ends up being "hanged" on that

Image via Wikipedia "And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near and touched the top of the sceptre." ( Esther 5:2 )   Queen Esther knew she was risking her life when she came unbidden into the presence of the mighty king of Persia in his throne room . Even though she was his favorite wife, he did not know she was a Jew nor that she was hoping to get Haman's terrible order for genocide of the Jews reversed. She knew that it was a capital offense for even a queen to go into the throne room without authorization, and that only the king--by holding out to her his golden scepter--could save her life. But she also knew that she had "come to the kingdom for such a time as this," and so she said: "If I perish, I perish" ( 4:14, 16 ). The king, however, did extend his golden sceptre to her, and e