Dr Paul Allen

Paul understood that his Corinthian audience faced powerful sexual temptations. In Corinth , the sights and sounds of sex were almost as prevalent as in our own sensual society. He knew that the opportunity to act on such stimulation would be a normal part of life, just as it is today for those of us who live and work in this society. Consider the brazen obedience of Joseph in Genesis 39:7–13. We imagine that as he did each day, Joseph dutifully cared for the small palace. As he entered the cool, dark bedroom, someone roughly pushed him from behind. As he fell forward onto the bed, he didn’t even need to turn around to see who assaulted him. He knew. Even if he couldn’t smell her alluring perfume, he would have know that Potiphar’s wife was making another brazen sexual advance towards him. He rolled off the other side of the bed, rising to see the flushed face of his master’s wife. There was no small talk this time—she came straight to the point, indelicately demanding that ...

While terrorists shout "death to the infidel", this morning people of goodwill will likely cry "Vive la France!" That Paris, the City of Light should again be threatened with darkness serves as a reminder that, in an age of globalisation, our way of life, for all its comforts, is never as secure nor as guaranteed as we think. Having already weathered the Charlie Hebdo attack and its related atrocities, Paris now has to deal with a collection of even more deadly outrages, which President Hollande has rightly labelled an "abomination". More than 120 people have been killed in the latest brutality, which led the authorities to immediately close France's borders and declare a state of emergency. This morning, thankfully, reports on the ground suggest that although shaken, Parisians are for the most part getting on with life. Perhaps they see normality as the best form of defiance in the face of barbarism. In Europe as in many other parts of the d...

Map of Iraq, where Yahya ibn Umar conducted his revolt (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When the world’s attention shifted to Ukraine and Israel last week, the Islamic leaders in Iraq capitalized on the distraction. For weeks the functional government in central Iraq ( ISIS ) had told Christians they had to make one of four choices by this past Saturday: forfeit thier property as a “Christian” tax, convert to Islam , leave, or die. But a week ago ISIS revised their list, and said paying the “tax” was no longer an option. When Friday came around, residents awoke to an Arabic “N” spray-painted on the houses, property, and farms of all suspected Christians. The government had come during the night to demonstrate that they knew who the Christians were, and the spray-painted N’s were a not-so-subtle reminder that the deadline to convert, flee, or die was only 24 hours away. Why the N? Because in Arabic Christians are often simply called Nazarenes . And when this week began, so did the fl...

From The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1923. via http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_middle_east.html Category:Historical maps by William R. Shepherd (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 4:23–25 “Great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis , and from Jerusalem and Judea , and from beyond the Jordan ” (v. 25). In this passage, Matthew summarizes Jesus ’ public ministry in Galilee, an area encompassing 2,800 square miles. Covering this region is no small under-taking, because Jesus, if He moves rapidly and visits two cities a day, will need more than three months to visit every town and village! Jesus is met with much acclaim during the time He spends preaching and teaching in Galilee. Matthew tells us that “great crowds” from the Decapolis and from beyond the Jordan follow the Christ, along with many citizens from Jerusalem and Judea (4:24–25). The Decapolis is a group of about ten cities included within the Roman province of Syri...

Capernaum, Sea of Galilee (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 4:18–22 “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” (v. 22). Jesus ’ ministry begins a new phase when He settles in Capernaum ( Matt. 4:13) in Galilee , because it is there that the people begin to take notice of Him. In His day, Galilee is a bustling commercial area bordered by Syria and Phoenicia , offering ample opportunities for Jesus to interact with Jews and Gentiles alike. Travelers on trade routes can spread news of His ministry outside of Galilee. Moreover, the leaders in Jerusalem, as we shall see, strongly oppose Jesus, but in Galilee He can minister more freely and not have to be constantly looking out for those who might kill Him before the appointed time. When Christ begins His ministry He delivers virtually the same message as John the Baptist — “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 17) — because both the old covenant and the new speak of the...

Isaiah (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Isaiah; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Prophet Isaiah, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Isaiah stained glass window at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Charleston, SC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Prophet Isaiah (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The unifying theme of Isaiah 6–12 is the coming Messianic king. Chapters 6 and 12 frame the entire subsection, with chapter 6 telling of the call and cleansing of Isaiah and chapter 12 recording the song of salvation sung by the saved community. The subsection begins with the death of King Uzziah, the embodiment of the Davidic house. Chapters 7–11 then center on the coming of a holy and divine monarch. The two kingships, the divine and the Davidic, will ultimately merge in a Messianic King from the house of David (cf. 7:14; 9:6–7; 11:1–10). The call of Isaiah is narrated in Isaiah 6. The chapter s...