Tag Archives: Bible interpretation

Is This Difficult, or Is This Simple?

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Don Merritt

 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened,     and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,     and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’  “Then will appear the sign of … Continue reading →

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Detective Stories and Working Theories

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Don Merritt

Well fellow detectives, how did you do? What? You didn’t do your homework?  I’m shocked! When we were together yesterday, your assignment was to look over Matthew 24 and 25 very carefully and look for structural clues that might help … Continue reading →

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The Real Question

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Don Merritt

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Matthew … Continue reading →

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Weekly Podcast: July 21, 2014

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Don Merritt

Proof Texts We’ve been discussing Interpretation here at The Life Project for the past 6 weeks or so, and this podcast should wrap the discussion up for the time being, with a brief coverage of proof texts. What is a … Continue reading →

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Weekly Podcast: June 30, 2014

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Don Merritt

The Will to Not Know This week, another brief podcast dealing with matters of interpretation, this time with the idea of not wanting to know the truth. This is almost like presuppositions on steroids, and can have far-reaching consequences. Take … Continue reading →

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Weekly Podcast: June 23, 2014

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Don Merritt

Let’s Keep it in Context This week’s podcast is all about context. Along with understanding presuppositions, context is the most important element is interpreting and understanding any spoken  or written discourse. This applies to literature, law, scientific writing, politics and … Continue reading →

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Straw Man Arguments

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Don Merritt

Thursday afternoon, I posted a piece called “False Premises: An Example” that deals with a comment posted on this blog. If you missed it, I would suggest you have a look before you continue with this post. In that piece, … Continue reading →

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False Premises: An Example

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Don Merritt

There are times when people express arguments for cases that are difficult to respond to, not because they contain a great argument for a worthy cause, but because they contain flawed logic. Last Friday I received just such an argument … Continue reading →

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Bonus Post: James and the Sermon on the Mount

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Don Merritt

The connection between James and the Sermon on the Mount is striking in that there are so many that James could almost be a commentary. Maybe it’s just me, but I think that another curious feature of this connection is … Continue reading →

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Bonus Post: James and Moral Instruction

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Don Merritt

While our book of James is written in a letter form, there are no personal messages contained in it, for it is actually another literary form popular in the ancient world, a paracnesis or moral instruction. Proverbs in the Old Testament … Continue reading →

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