Issue #102 — Easter 2023
The Relocation Hypothesis, Nonviolence Book Review, Gaming Alone, and more... Happy Easter!
Archive
A collection of 148 issues
Why the Relocation Hypothesis Fails to Account for the Empty Tomb
Responding to Jeff Lowder and the Skeptical Relocation Hypothesis for the Empty Tomb
Book Review: “Nonviolence: The Revolutionary Way of Jesus”
A fresh, Biblical look at militarism and violence. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Issue #101
How Reliable Are Our New Testament Manuscripts, How Politics Replaced Spiritual Practice, Christian Unity in Three Steps, and more...
Issue #100
Confronting Spiritual Abuse, How to Talk with Your Kids about Transgender Ideology, The (Un)Definition of Marriage, and more...
Issue #99
What's the Difference between God and Allah, Why Does God Allow Evil, How Do We Know and Feel God's Love, and more...
Issue #98
Is Evolution Compatible with Genesis, What Kind of Culture Shaped the Bible, Start Here if You're Struggling to Pray, and more...
Issue #97
On Buddhism, the Gospel Is Political, Escape from Kabul, and more...
Issue #96
Lewis' Oxford, How to Tell if You're Blessed, What Can Contemporary Christians Learn from the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and more...
Issue #95
The State of Bible and Theology in America 2022, the Best Christian Music of 2022, Responding to ”Spiritual Abuse Is Not As Harmful As Other Kinds of Abuse, So We Shouldn’t Worry Too Much About It”, and more...
Issue #94
What Augustine Might Say to Someone Deconstructing, a Lack of Generosity Means a Lack of Contentment, and more...
Issue #93 — 2022 Year in Review
The Top 7 Articles, Podcasts, and Videos of 2022
Issue #92
How to Crush Your Pastor, Did the Patriarchs Live 900+ Years, Apologetics and Church Abuse, and more...
Issue #91
Are the Christmas Stories Fact or Fiction, Why Isaiah 7:14 Confuses People, Advent and the Near Irrelevance of Political Power, and more...
Issue #90
The Big God of the Old Testament, How Should Christians Speak in Public, the Unbiblical Pursuit of a Trouble-Free Life, and more...
Issue #89
Anselm on Friendship, the Dehumanizing Habits that Social Media Has Normalized, the Son of Man Came Eating and Drinking, and more...
Issue #88
Is Sanctification the Pursuit of Perfection, Every Argument for God Has Not Been Debunked, Should Christians Address Racial Injustice, and more...
Issue #87
Holiday Gift Guide for Book Lovers, Pray Your Way into Thanksgiving, Esther and the Theology of Thanksgiving, and more...
Issue #86
Expose Your Kids to Hard Truths, Don't Fear the Book of Revelation, Why Unity Is Still Worth Pursuing, and more...
Issue #85
The Doctrine of God, Reject the Idol of Happiness, Why Do Christians Make Such a Big Deal about Sex, and more...
Issue #84
Building Deep Community in a Lonely World, A Missing Component in Our Discussions about Doing Justice, 8 Ways We Normalize the Abnormal, and more...
Issue #83
Why Is Christian Unity So Hard, Scripture Alone: What the Reformers Really Believed, What to Say to Someone Suffering Like Job, and more...
Issue #82
We Still Need the Nuclear Family, Pray Your Uncensored Thoughts, the Something More of Sex, and more...
Issue #81
Should We Want God to Exist, How Discipleship Strengthens the Church, In Praise of the Uncool Church, and more...
Issue #80
What Spoils the Lord's Supper, Gaming and the Metaverse, Trans Gender, and more...
Issue #79
Thank You Your Majesty, Take Time to Be Unproductive, How Psalm 10 Guides Our Response to Injustice, and more...
Issue #78
Hebrews 11, Teaching Children to See, 6 Ways Christians Can Respond to Our Strange New World, and more...
Issue #77
Jesus: Leader or Follower, Forgiveness Changes Everything, How to Apply Biblical Narratives, and more...
Issue #76
Jesus' Love for the Marginalized, Honor-Shame Culture and the Gospel, the Contradiction of Healing Prayer, and more...
Issue #75
What Sins Feed Your Sins, the Masculinity Debate Needs Johnny Cash, Ethnic Reconcilation Is Part of the Gospel, and more...
Issue #74
Did David Rape Bathsheba, Even Chaos Praises God, How Might Jesus Do Counseling, and more...
Issue #73
Do You Just Have to Vent, What We Missed about the Mount of Transfiguration, Scrolling Alone, and more...
Issue #72
God Is Not a Delusion, Patriotism and the Pulpit, How Do You Read the Bible, and more...
Issue #71
Was Ezekiel 26 a False Prophecy, Why Christian Teens Have an Identity Crisis, God Takes Joy Seriously, and more...
Issue #70
Choose Compassion over Culture War, Christianity Is a Religion, Resisting the Politics of Fear, and more...
Issue #69
Discipled by Algorithms, What Did You Expect God to Do, Telling the Truth about Christian Institutional Sin, and more...
Issue #68
Star Wars & Superheroes Debate, Science Wars, Equal but Not Alike, and more...
Issue #67
Abraham's Silence, Leviticus Is Worth Your Time, Woke Church, and more...
Issue #66
Boring Prayer Life, Glory Be to Christ, Renewing a Decadent Evangelical Culture, and more...
Issue #65
How to Spot a Wolf, Things to Remember When a Transgender Student Visits Your Church, Suffer the Loss of What Has You in Its Grip, and more...
Issue #64
Respect Is not Optional, On Suffering, the Fight Over Critical Race Theory, and more...
Issue #63
The Bible and Gambling, Thinking about Technology, God Loves through Human Love, and more...
Early Review: A Rebel’s Manifesto by Sean McDowell
Sean McDowell's new book aims to help students engage culture from a Chrisitian worldview. Does it hit the mark?
Issue #62
The Virtual Good Life, Gun Control Debate, Christian Historiography and American History, and more...
Why “The Garden Weekly?”
I’ve never really explained it, and I can understand why it may seem like a name more in line with a gardening magazine to some...
Issue #61
Christian Empathy Imagines Neighbors as Ourselves, Why Do Translations Differ on the 2nd Commandment, Bad Church Leadership, and more...
A Lament for the Uvalde, Texas Shooting
A few days ago, an elementary school in Texas was attacked by a young man with a gun...
Issue #60
The Life We're Looking For, The Birth of Charity, Kingdom Matters, and more...
Issue #59
A Warning about Bible Verses, Myths about Liturgy, the Most Misunderstood Verse, and more...
Issue #58
Made to Love Your Neighbor, Eternal Life, a Theology of Infertility, and more...
Issue #57
God's Love for Africa, Modeling our Faith, Rules of Online Engagement, and more...
Issue #56
What I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible, What Is an Idol, Vengeance is the Lord's, and more...
Humility and the Fear of the Lord
While the dictionary may define “humility” as a low view of one’s importance, that’s not quite the Biblical view of humility.
Issue #55
Gardening, When Did Jesus Appear to the Women, Poems for Passion Week, and more...
Issue #54
In the Beginning, God Created a Priest, Leave Your Imperfections with God, Parenting LGBTQ Kids, and more...
Issue #53
Disguising Ungodliness and Righteous Anger, Elisha and the Bears, Bonding with Corrupt Leaders, and more...
Issue #52
The Horror of Crucifixion, Mature Thinking, Strategies for Reading Revelation, and more...
One Year of Ministry and a Surprise
This issue celebrates the one-year anniversary of The Garden Weekly. This newsletter started with Issue #1 on April 2, 2021 with an Easter issue. At the time, I wasn't quite sure what TGW should or would be. It's hard to believe that one year along, more
Issue #51
New Testament Letters Q&A, Evangelical Politics, Jesus Wants Your Wallet, and More...
Book Review: Generous Justice by Tim Keller
Social justice is a term that is dividing our churches. Tim Keller pastorally walks us through what social justice means, why it's biblical, and how we can live out the gospel by doing justice in our communities.
Issue #50
Secular Resurrection in Films, Not So Dark Ages, Sexual Abuse in the Church, and more...
Issue #49
Ukraine, Prayer, and Lament, When Others Fall Away, and more...
Church, Do Not Dismiss the Single Life
Why does the church so often make singles into second-class members to be married off? Is that right, and what can we do about it?
Issue #48
Grieving a National Tragedy, How You Can Help, the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, and More...
Issue #47
Spirit Drunkenness, Humans Are Trees, Science of Climate Change, and more...
Issue #46
Christianity's Biggest Problem, Defending Dante, Between Testaments, and more...
Issue #45
Valuing Singleness, Confessing Evangelicals, the Gospel and Fake News, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 8 (2:5–9) — The Son becomes Human
We start a new section of theology as the author of Hebrews talks about the Son who became human, and why...
Issue #44
Theology of Weakness, Family Hospitality, Changing Theology, and more...
Issue #43
Freed through the Water, Best Movies of 2021, Intro to Mark Series, and more...
Issue #42
Best Christian Music of 2021, Paradise Lost, Shame Deserved and Undeserved, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 7 (2:1–4) — Pay Attention to Jesus
The author of Hebrews breaks off from his argument to give us a short application: pay attention to Jesus.
Issue #41
The Best of The Garden Weekly in 2021
Issue #40
2021 In Review, 2021 Prophecy Review, What Civility Really Means, and more...
God Frees His People Through the Water
To the unbeliever (and many Christians!) baptism can seem quite odd. What purpose could dunking someone underwater really serve besides a quick bath?
Issue #39
A Christmas Hymn, and a Reading from the Book of Matthew
Issue #38
Advent Looking Forward and Back, Messianic Prophecy, Grappling with Old Testament Violence, and more...
Issue #37
The News and Loving Neighbor, Despair Well, Theology and Film, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 6 (1:7–14) — Angels Are Servants, Not Inheritors
What are angels, and how are they different from the Son?
Issue #36
Kindness in a World Gone Mad, Textual Criticism, the Revolutionary Mosaic Law, and more...
Bible Study: 2 Samuel 7:1–17 — The True King Is Coming
David wants to build God a house, but God refuses. God turns the table and promises David a house in return. But what is this house? And what does it have to do with Jesus?
Issue #35
Remember as We Feast, Prepare for the Metaverse, Mr. Rogers Antidote, and more...
Issue #34
Small Sufferings, Peace and God's Will, Gen Z's Questions about Sexuality, and more...
Issue #33
Bible Translation, Evolution of Worship, Reporting Abuse, and more...
Bible Study: Psalm 2 — Kiss the Son
In Psalm 2, an anointed one inherits the earth in response to humanity's rebellion against God. Who is this anointed one? And what does it mean for us?
Issue #32
Saints Judging Angels, Starfish Stories, See How Good It Is, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 5 (1:4–6) — The Firstborn Son
Jesus is the firstborn, begotten, son. But what does that mean? Was Jesus created? Was Jesus born of reproduction?
Issue #31
Where Prayer becomes Real, Galileo, Every Moment Holy Volume 2, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 4 (1:2b–3) — The Worthy Son
God has spoken through a son, but who is this son?
Issue #30
How Many Women at the Tomb, Walk in the Light, Misreading Scripture, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 3 (1:1–1:2a) — God Speaks, Are You Listening?
We open our study of the text of Hebrews by looking at how God speaks to prophets compared with how God speaks through a Son...
Issue #29
KJV Only Controversy, Enjoying the Bible, Empathy Is Not Sin, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 2 — Structure
What can the outline and structure of Hebrews tell us about the message of this letter?
Issue #28
Top 10 Debates, News through Psalms, Wilmington's Lie, and more...
Bible Study: Hebrews Part 1 — Introduction
Starting our study of Hebrews, let's look at who wrote it, why, and to whom...
Issue #27
Greater than John, Theology of Worship, Liberty University, and more...
Themes of Jonah Part 5: Love Your Enemies, Jonah!
What is Jonah's deal? Why is he always trying to do the opposite of what God is telling him to do?
Issue #26
Liturgy, Leviticus, More Than We Can Endure, and more...
The Importance and Danger of Ritual and Liturgy
What is liturgy? Why isn't it as common in modern western Christianity? And what can we recover from liturgy that we are missing?
Issue #25
Your Physical Body Matters, Lessons for Disagreement, Seven Christians Who Wrestled with Doubt, and more...
Themes of Jonah, Part 4: Why Do You Hide, Jonah?
Jonah runs away from God, but how do we hide from God today?
Issue #24
Early Church Uniqueness, Psalm 148, Transgender Identities and the Church, and more...
Themes of Jonah, Part 3: Change Your Mind, Jonah!
Why is it so hard to change our minds?
Issue #23
Theology of Pleasure, Making Sense of Revelation, the Fracturing of Evangelicalism, and more...
Themes of Jonah, Part 2: Jonah and the Big Fish
Everyone knows Jonah is swallowed by a big fish. But what if there's more to the story?
Issue #22
Jonah and the Big Fish, Paul and Socrates, Gratitude, and more...
Themes of Jonah, Part 1: Get Up Jonah! Jonah Went Down.
The book of Jonah is very short, but I believe that it is one of the greatest pieces of writing in scripture...
Issue #21
How to Help Afghans and Haitians, the Man Who Tackled the Klan, Losing the Culture War, and more...
How to Help Afghans and Haitians
There have been several tragedies in the world...
Issue #20
Athanasius, Free for Responsibility, Francis Chan, and more...
Athanasius and the Proof of the Resurrection through Christian Fearlessness
Recently I read St. Athanasius’ On the Incarnation 📚. Athanasius was a bishop...
Issue #19
Providence of God, Forgery in the Bible, The Book of Life, and more...
Themes of Ruth, Part 6: The Providence of God
In this last part of this series of themes of Ruth, I want to explore the theme of the providence of God...
Issue #18
Genealogy of Foreigners, Shroud of Turin, Kingdom of God, and more...
Themes of Ruth, Part 5: A Genealogy of Foreigners
The book of Ruth ends in a similar way that the books of Matthew...
Issue #17
Ruth Pt. 4, Evidence, God & Neuroscience, Jesus & The Weary, and more...
Themes of Ruth, Part 4: Boaz’s Wisdom
The book of Ruth speaks of Boaz as a “worthy man” (Ruth 2:1, ESV). This word in Hebrew is gibbor...
Issue #16
Ruth Pt. 3, Golden Rule Reading, Home and a Hunger, and more...
Themes of Ruth, Part 3: Redemption
Boaz is a relative of Ruth’s father-in-law, and this means he has the ability...
Issue #15
Love Begets Love, Philistines, Debate, Curse Our Enemies, and more...
Themes of Ruth, Part 2: Love Begets Love
In the first part of Ruth, we meet Naomi. She has faced great hardship. She has followed the lead of her...
Issue #14
Ruth, Infographic Resurrection, Open to Reason, Critical Friendship, and more...
Themes of Ruth, Part 1: Covenant Loyalty
An important part of Ruth is hesed, covenant loyalty, or loyal love...
Issue #13
Single Life, Costly Obedience, Modesty, Plural You, and more...
Use The Single Life
Many American churches promote marriage as the best, and often sole, answer...
Issue #12
Follow God's Commands, Problem of Susan, Contentment, Spycraft, and more...
The Wise One Follows God’s Commands
Is it wise to follow God's commands?
Issue #11
Give Us Discomfort, Solomon and Sex, Wisdom and Joy, Turning Over Tables, Spycraft and Soulcraft, and more...
God, Give Us Discomfort
The broad evangelical movement, especially in America...
Issue #10
Lament and Labor-Pains, Extraordinary Claims, Alone in the Universe, and more...
Lament and The Labor-Pains of New Creation
Lament is an important part of the Christian life. Scripture testifies to the importance of lament in books like Lamentations and the Psalms. But while there are no lament songs or explicit poems in the New Testament...
Issue #9
Politics and the Pulpit, Isaiah, Myth, Enneagram, Heaven's Government, Ten Commandments, Direct Your Heart, Anointied Leadership
Politics and the Pulpit
In the American context, the separation of church and state means that the American government cannot sponsor...
Issue #8
Lamentations and Hope, the Meaning of Marriage, Reading and Thinking, Christian Science, and more...
Lamentations and Hope
Not many verses in the book of Lamentations are famous; these are: Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope...
Issue #7
Witness to Misery, Faith and Reason, Ephesians Class, Head Covering, Theological Triage, Chuck the Passion, and the Prosperity Gospel
The Christian Witness to Misery
One thing, however, is sure: unless Christians fulfill their prophetic role, unless they become the advocates and defenders of the truly poor...
Issue #6
Truth, John Stott, Vain, Signs, Doubting Thomas, Illusion, Matthew
Holding to Truth
It does not matter whether 50,000 espouse its cause, or only five, or only one...
Issue #5
Lament, Proverbs 30, Ontological Argument, Self-Confidence, Are We Special, Vaccine, Purity Culture
Lament for a Pandemic
As of my writing of this letter, there have been over 18,000 deaths in my state, 580,000 deaths in my country, and 3.1 million deaths worldwide...
Issue #4
The Cross, Luther, Passages, Discoveries, Priests, Books, and Splintering
Thinking of the Cross
As I was going through my study of Matthew 27 (Jesus’ crucifixion), I came upon this quote. As we start this letter, I invite you to slow down...
Issue #3
Questioning, Contradiction, Anger, Kalam, Songs of Prayer, Doors in Hills, and Alabama
Questioning God
In a weekly Bible study, we have been working through the Gospel of Matthew. We recently studied Matthew 26 and the Garden of Gethsemane...
Issue #2
Disagreement, the Exodus, Black Perspectives, Clichés, Pergamum, and Death
On Disagreement
This letter is not designed to make you feel comfortable. It is designed to pull you in new directions. I hope that some content inspires you and helps you feel closer to our Creator...
Issue #1
Holy Week