5.Why was it important for you to use ethnic names in this novel? I did that to emphasize two things. The first is that names in ancient biblical times were a vital part of a person’s identity, reflecting their destiny, character, deity, family lineage, or some other trait. The secon...
Good foundations make for strong houses. The same is true of our lives. When the Israelites were shaken by their enemies, Isaiah prayed for them to stay strong (Isaiah 33:2-4). But their strength wouldn’t come from bravery or weapons, but by building their lives on God. “He will be...
Serving God is one of the most important principles of the Christian faith, as believers are expected to help the church with a joyful spirit. “Love one another.”“Care for one another.”“Pray for one another.”“Encourage one another.”“Help one another.”“Counsel one another.”“Sup...
Psalm 49:5.The iniquity of my heels(ormy sup- planters, or of those who have trodden on me). This explanation of the phrase (Syriac and most others) suggests the meaning of “evil days—days of adversity,”i. e.not adverse times simply, but those in which bad men abuse their power...
Christian scriptures andunder what circumstances.”11What has too often been missing, Watts suggests,has been robust discussion on the functional dimensions of such texts: how andwhy they have been used, in various contexts through the centuries.What emerges is a tripartite system, whereby the ritu...
Finally, theauthoritative bodiesof any of these canons must also be taken into context. For example, the Kings that favored the Mahāvihāra monks in the Theravāda school promoted the development of thePālicanon in that way over that of the Abhayagiri monks. While the religious authoritative bo...