Author Archives: Austin Wyman

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says “Do you think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” What exactly does fulfill refer to? It refers to the prophecies of the past made true by the events of the present. After the Babylonian Exile andContinue reading “March 2, 2020”

Not only did the Israelites doubt that God was capable of satisfying their craving, they believed that, if it wasn’t for God, they would have been able to satisfy it on their own. They would’ve still been in Egypt, in luxury, if it wasn’t for their trust foolishly placed with God. Moses, too, has hisContinue reading “–February, 19, 2020–”

The passages in Leviticus mention the phrase “without blemish” thirteen times. This concept of purity is not exclusive to Leviticus either. Its significance is reiterated throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. In Genesis, the conflict between Cain and Abel is partially characterized by the quality of the gifts they offered to God. The giftsContinue reading “–February 17, 2020–”

In the BBC series Doctor Who, one of the central mysteries of the show is the name of its namesake protagonist. Who is “The Doctor”? This question may never be answered for the audience because unveiling this mystical name would shatter the universe itself, but in its place, the expression “Doctor Who” provides a clearContinue reading “–February 10, 2020–”

In many ways, the Bible is intended to be model for how Christians should act. Family relations is not one of these ways. In Genesis alone, fraternal relationships leave a lot to be desired. Cain kills Abel, leading to the first murder and fratricide. The descendants of half-brothers Ishmael and Isaac are at war withContinue reading “–February 5, 2020–”

In this passage, we discover the founding of the Israelite people, who throughout history, are characterized by violence. However, this violence is rarely represented in the “taking” sense. Violence is rarely used by the Israelite people in order to take something they were not meant to have. Instead, violence is a tool to “receive.” GodContinue reading “–February 3, 2020–”

When trying to develop a formal definition of religion, a common problem is that it brings in practices that most people would not recognize as being inherently religious. For example, we all know that nationalism is not the same as religion, but what makes it different? When you break both concepts into their fundamental components,Continue reading “–January 29, 2020–”

Faith is unavoidable because it is impossible for everything to be known about anything. Augustine states, “Nothing would remain stable in human society if we determined to believe only what can be held with absolute certainty” (Wilken, 171). It is impossible to have certainty in the world when there are things that are unknown. However,Continue reading “–January 27, 2020–”

Before sacrificing Isaac, Abraham addresses the young men he brought with him. He orders them to stay at the foot of the mountain while the ritual happens, though he reassures them, saying “we will return.” This implies that both him and Isaac will return from the summit, not just Abraham. This suggests that maybe AbrahamContinue reading “–January 22, 2020–”

by Austin Wyman The problem of “original sin” is often misunderstood in Genesis 3. Despite God’s explicit warning, Adam and Eve’s sin is not consuming the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Behind their action of disobedience against their creator is the intention of selfishness. The first two humans were motivatedContinue reading “–January 20, 2020–”