The Importance of Imagination: A Biblical Example

Legitimate Uses

I grew up around firearms. My father kept a single-shot .22 and a bolt action 12 gauge in the closet. I learned that those were for grownups and children must not touch them. Still, when Dad got them out, we were allowed to inspect them. And he showed us what they...
The Importance of Imagination: A Biblical Example

Dialogue

[This essay was originally published on August 8, 2008.] Fundamentalists are notorious for their refusal to dialogue with other points of view. To some observers—and to some fundamentalists—this refusal to dialogue is part of the definition of fundamentalism. It is an...
The Importance of Imagination: A Biblical Example

Christ in 1 John 1

John addresses several issues in his epistles. Among these, he tackles the ideas proposed by Gnosticism. Although it was still a relatively new theology, John had first-hand acquaintance with Gnostic ideas. During his old age, he lived in Ephesus at the same time as...
The Importance of Imagination: A Biblical Example

Gnosticism: A Christological Heresy

The first major heresy to threaten the Christian faith was Gnosticism. This error was developed by mixing Middle Platonic philosophy with Zoroastrian cosmology and Christian terminology. Not all versions of Gnosticism claimed to be Christian, but those that did...