A New York Times article yesterday titled “Christians Debate Verses From Bible on Homosexuality” presents, among other things, two views of what Paul says about homosexuality in Romans 1:26-27. Unfortunately, both positions depend on translation inaccuracies. Romans 1:26-27 “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for…
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Newsweek reports on Dr. Dale Martin‘s claim that Jesus was killed because his followers were armed. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all agree that crowds supporting Jesus carried weapons of some sort, usually translated “swords.” (Curiously, the Newsweek article omits Matthew.) But Dr. Paula Fredriksen is quoted in the article as arguing that “the Greek…
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I got a great question during a lecture I gave last week in Washington, DC: Quotations from the Bible frequently appear in prayers. What should we do when a better understanding of the Bible’s text forces a new translation that no longer matches the prayers? For example, in And God Said I argue against the…
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