Luther Seminary's Bible Q & A

Podcast features Luther Seminary professors Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Sarah Henrich. How to choose? Almost every script passage repays study by unfolding into a Word that matters deeply, often surprisingly. Over the years, passages to which I’ve been asked to turn my attention rather read more...

My favorite Bible passage for today is Psalm 121. 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come?2 My help is from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot be moved; your keeper will not slumber.4 In deed, he will neither slumber nor sleep, the keeper of Israel. read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Fred Gaiser. Article written by Fred Gaiser. When asked about my favorite Bible passage, my first response is that I don’t have one, and then, if I am feeling curmudgeonly, I add -- under my breath -- “and neither should you.” read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Kathryn Schifferdecker.Article written by Kathryn Schifferdecker. Like most believers, I love many different Bible passages, and different ones have been significant for me at different periods in my life. Lately, though, I’ve been particularly read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Kathryn Schifferdecker.Article written by Eric Barreto. Have you ever found yourself at a strange point in life and wondered how you got there? Have you looked back at the coincidences and happenstance that brought you together with others in a read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Kathryn Schifferdecker.Article written by Cameron Howard. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the LORD with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Matt Skinner.Article written by Matt Skinner. I’m drawn to biblical passages that make me see differently. My capacity to imagine what’s possible for the world is limited, and my ability to perceive the true nature of things is sometimes read more...

Podcast featuring Luther Seminary professors Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Amy Marga. Article by Amy Marga. The Bible offers a picture of God who mothers through the work of birthing, preserving, and nurturing God’s children. But such imagery is not without some tension. God’s mothering read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Rolf Jacobson. Article by Rolf Jacobson. You have turned my mourning into dancing!   You stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. -Psalm 30:11 One of my favorite teachers, Professor James Armstrong of Princeton Theological read more...

Podcast discussion with Mark Throntveit, Eric Barreto, and Cameron Howard. Article by Mark Throntveit. Let’s get one thing straight. There is no best way to read the Bible. Any way you are reading the Bible is good. It’s better to be reading the Bible once a week, standing on one foot, and read more...

Podcast discussion features Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Lois Farag.Article written by Lois Farag.   "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; … And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  - read more...

Podcast discussion features Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Mark Granquist. Article written by Mark Granquist. When I was in college I knew guys who spent their summers going door-to-door in the South, selling Bibles and other related books. They told me that by far and away their best seller (and biggest read more...

Podcast discussion features Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Michael Rogness. Article written by Michael Rogness. “Do angels still exist today?” Of course they do. Can you imagine God telling the heavenly host of angels, “You’re all done with your work”? Much to my surprise, read more...

Podcast discussion features Kathryn Schifferdecker, Cameron Howard and Mary Hess. Article written by Mary Hess. It is difficult to write a short piece about a term like “justice” in the Bible, because the concept is at once so central to the entire Bible, and yet so far from our contemporary read more...

Podcast discussion with Kathryn Schifferdecker, Cameron Howard and Alan Padgett. Article written by Alan G. Padgett. When I converted to Christianity as a young man, I was new to the Bible and to the social conventions of the evangelical Baptist Church I soon joined. My long, flowing locks were troubling read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Amy Marga. Article written by Amy Marga. The Bible has quite a bit to say about sex. It depicts the benefits of human sexuality as well as its use as a tool of power that protects male honor. However, the only template for human sexuality in the read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Matt Skinner. Article written by Matt Skinner. Can we experience unified communities and faithful living when people disagree? If Christians take differing positions on ethical issues or can’t agree about a particular course of action, have read more...

Podcast discussion featuring Eric Barreto, Michael Chan, Terri Martinson Elton, and Cameron Howard. Article written by Michael Chan.1 One day after class, a colleague asked about the day’s lecture topic. “Esther,” I replied. Smiling, she announced that Esther was her preschool daughter’s read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, Nancy Lee Gauche and Terri Elton. Article written by Nancy Lee and Paul Gauche. “Once upon a time…” These four words have been igniting imaginations since the beginning of time. As long as there has been a story to tell, the fire read more...

As a pastor serving in the field of children, youth and family ministry who has sought to partner with parents in the faith formation of their child(ren), I am often saddened to hear parents who feel overwhelmed, inept, and quite frankly guilty about their role in passing on the God story to the next read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Terri Martinson Elton. Article written by Terri Martinson Elton. As a kid my grandparents repeatedly told (and retold) the story of our heritage, of our Scandinavian ancestors and their roots. Over the years grandma and grandpa made the stories read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Kathryn Schifferdecker. Article written by Kathryn Schifferdecker. Why do people suffer? It’s a question as old as the Bible (or older) and as current as today’s newspaper. Someone we love dies. A child is abused or neglected. A tornado read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and David Lose.Article written by David Lose. What does the Bible say about the cross? Quite a bit, actually. But it doesn’t all agree. And while that may trouble those looking for absolute consistency among the four gospels, it also sheds read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, Chick Lane and Grace Duddy. Article written by Chick Lane and Grace Duddy. What does the Bible say about money and possessions? Obviously, a lot. Someone has observed that other than the Kingdom itself, Jesus talks about money more than any other read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Craig Koester.  Article written by Craig Koester. What is my favorite part of the Christmas story? When I think of the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, according to Luke 2, I am struck by its subversive quality. Luke tells the read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Rolf Jacobson. Article written by Rolf A. Jacobson.   Ask a Stupid Question... Would Jesus shop on Black Friday? First of all, nobody knows. But -- in case you are the one person in North America who doesn’t know what Black Friday read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Diane Jacobson.Article written by Diane Jacobson. I love the stories of the women in the Old Testament. Many we know well -- Ruth, Naomi, the matriarchs, Hannah, Esther, and more. So, a question: Who would make your list of the top five most read more...

Podcast featuring Cameron Howard, assistant professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. This is the second of two podcasts on the Old Testament created in collaboration with Wayne Presbyterian Church, Wayne, Penn., for its "Confirmation for the Rest of Us" program. In this podcast, read more...

Podcast featuring Cameron Howard, assistant professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. This is the first of two podcasts on the Old Testament created in collaboration with Wayne Presbyterian Church, Wayne, Penn., for its "Confirmation for the Rest of Us" program. In this podcast, Dr. read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Terence Fretheim. Article written by Terence Fretheim. A regular rhythm of natural disasters has occurred in recent years, from floods in the Midwest, to fires in California and Colorado, to hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, to earthquakes in China read more...

Podcast discussion with Luther Seminary faculty James Boyce, Eric Barreto, and Cameron Howard. Article written by Cameron Howard. What's with all the begats? Do you skip over the genealogies when you read through the Bible? If so, you’re not alone. These long lists of names, usually joined by the read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and James Boyce. Article written by James Boyce. Where did the Bible come from? For most Christians questions about the origins of the Bible are not just a matter of idle curiosity. Virtually all of us hold these writings we call the Scriptures as read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Matt Skinner. Article written by Matt Skinner. It’s fine for Americans to express pride in America, to pray for America, and -- especially -- to work to make it a better, more just society. But no one should presume that God holds America read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Matt Skinner. Article written by Eric Barreto. Wouldn’t life be easier if we were all the same? If we all spoke the same language, wouldn’t we avoid so many of the conflicts and rifts that destroy our relationships? If we all shared read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Mary Hinkle Shore. Article written by Mary Hinkle Shore. Jesus was a small-town peasant in a Roman province far from the centers of political and religious power. People in such circumstances rarely threatened Rome in any serious way. A miracle-working read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Fred Gaiser.Article written by Fred Gaiser.       "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). Jesus was not the first to pray this prayer, nor was he the last. But when we hear this terrible outburst on the lips read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Sarah Henrich. Article written by Sarah Henrich.  Was Jesus married -- and why do we care? In the wake of the recent publication of a small (1.5-inch x 3-inch) piece of a Coptic (an ancient language of Egyptian Christians) manuscript, we read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Gracia Grindal. Article written by Gracia Grindal.  What is heaven like? While I believe firmly in heaven, and I use the images of Revelation frequently in my hymns, what heaven will actually be like is beyond my imagination. If it has strained read more...

Songs and hymns that describe the glorious splendors of heaven abound. One spiritual, "I Got Shoes," focuses on the basics -- shoes, a robe, wings, and a harp. And it promises freedom from hypocrisy: "Everybody talkin' 'bout heaven ain't goin' there." The song depicts a simple, joyful freedom: I got read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester. Article written by Craig Koester.  People often wonder what to make of the book of Revelation. Some find its bizarre images of seven-headed monsters and fire falling from the sky confusing at best and terrifying at read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Mary Hinkle Shore. Article written by Mary Hinkle Shore. The New Testament includes four gospels. When two of them introduce Jesus, he is already an adult. The Gospels of Mark and John include no information about the birth of Jesus or read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Diane Jacobson. Article written by Diane Jacobson. Does Sabbath still matter? Many folks would say no. Keeping the Sabbath seems kind of lightweight compared to killing, idolatry, adultery, and theft. Many think that keeping the Sabbath read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Lois Malcolm.Article written by Eric D. Barreto. Jesus' first words in the Gospel of Mark do not appear until the 15th verse of the first chapter, and what he says is a definitive statement of what his mission is all about. At the same read more...

  Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Richard Nysse.Article written by Richard Nysse. God's association with war in the Old Testament has long been a disturbing problem for Christians. [1] The problem becomes even more intense when we observe that God is called a "warrior." read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Lois Malcolm.Article written by Lois Malcolm. Who is the Holy Spirit? We often have difficulty answering this question and perhaps are rightly suspicious of those who are only too eager with a response. Yet the Spirit is as close to us read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Sarah Henrich. Article (below) written by Sarah Henrich. What really happened at Easter? Even after two millennia, inquiring minds still want to know: What really happened at Easter? Or, to phrase it differently: Really, what happened read more...

The New Testament consistently teaches that Jesus, God’s Son, dies so that we may be saved from sin. The ultimate motive for this is the love of God. Underneath the surface of events, behind and beyond the folly and wickedness of human leaders, God's plan for salvation was being worked out (Acts read more...

Paul hated women, didn’t he? Short answer: I don’t know. We aren’t really equipped to read that far into the head of someone who died 2000 years ago. We could reframe the question: Did Paul write things that have been used by Christians to do great damage to women and that have hampered read more...

Who wrote the Bible? The short answer is: God, through people. I’ll get back to that point. The long answer would take more time than you probably want to spend right now. So here’s a summary: The Bible was written by lots of different people over many centuries, from about the 9th or 10th read more...

When did Jesus drive out the money changers from the temple? In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus cleanses the temple near the end of his life. In John, Jesus does so in the earliest days of his ministry. What were Jesus’ last words? According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus cries out in pain and isolation: read more...

How do you know which Bible to buy? Has your church joined the Bible blitz? Are you involved in a Bible reading program? While this craze is to be applauded, such programs immediately encounter an embarrassment of riches: Never before have there been so many different translations from which to choose. read more...