References to wine and wine-related themes abound in the Bible, and yet few understand how deeply the theme of wine is woven into God's story of creation, provision, and redemption.
The Israelites offered wine at the temple as a sacrifice. It was enjoyed regularly at family meals and celebrations for centuries — as we see in Jesus's first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. And in the Lord's Supper Jesus elevates wine to new heights as this tangible and precious gift of wine now speaks of Christ's precious blood shed on the cross.
But to fully understand the complex way the theme of wine is woven throughout the Bible we must go all the way back to the beginning. |
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There is a grand entrance and exit to Romans 8 in the Bible. It begins with the stupefying statement that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Every fault, every failure, every form of darkness in our hearts melts before the presence of the one who is love.
And it ends with the proclamation that nothing can separate us from the love of God, whether it be death or life, angels or demons, or anything in creation. It speaks to our deepest fear of abandonment. We are not alone, nor will we ever be separated from God, even in our darkest failure, doubt, or anguish. We may abandon God, but the Trinity will never forsake us.
These grand promises hold the power to change our lives — but only if we engage with them. |
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Bible News The latest Bible-related and Bible-adjacent news |
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February 25 — There are many positive trends in global Christianity — but some negative trends as well. Though Christianity is growing, Islam is growing faster, and the Christian population is shrinking in Europe and North America. Martyrdom is no longer in decline, and worse, is projected to grow in coming years. And within the church, financial crimes like embezzlement have skyrocketed, both globally and in the U.S. (Lifeway Research) |
| February 26 — More from the Pew report: Women remain more religious than men overall, though the gap is closing. And the majority of immigrants are Christian. Despite the current stability, analysts expect the religious population to fall further for several reasons, including the huge gap in religiousness between older and young adults. There's a lot more to dig into: read more in RNS, Christianity Today, The New York Times, Baptist Press, Religion Unplugged, or the report itself. |
| February 26 — The big story this week is clearly the new Pew Research report suggesting the long-declining religious population in the U.S. has finally leveled off, remaining relatively stable since 2019. Christians today make up about 62% of U.S. adults — though only 45% pray daily and 33% attend church at least once a month. Even among the nonreligious, however, spiritual views remain strong, with 83% of American adults believing in "God or a universal spirit." |
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Imagine you and everyone in your church were tasked with identifying which books — out of dozens — were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit, which were spiritually edifying and worthwhile, and which were spurious and even dangerous.
Oh, and your choices will determine what every Christian around the world for thousands of years will read. No pressure, right?
A few weeks ago, we looked at the first set of antilegomena — those "disputed" books that almost weren't included in the Biblical canon. Now, in Part II, we'll look at the ones that were rejected, and why.
Plus, what does this all mean for us today? |
| Deconstruction is a spiritual journey during which a Christian examines his or her faith to release what's contrary to God's heart and embrace what's true.
To be clear, deconstruction done poorly can leave a wake of spiritual carnage. I have witnessed it personally. On the other hand, I have also seen that deconstruction done well can be spiritually beneficial. Not only do I think deconstruction can be positive; I'd offer that sometimes it's necessary. You could even make the case that, at times, Jesus was helping people deconstruct their faith. |
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