WEEKLY COMIC: It's "Magic"!

COOL TOOLS: Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Bible Quizzing is great, because you always know exactly what to study.  We even break it down by week for you! But sometimes there is a specific topic or idea that you want to learn more about.  You can try word studies by using a concordance, you could try asking questions of your coach or youth pastor, you could even try Googling the issue.  But a Dictionary of Biblical Theology is a great place to start.  It lays out an issue, a person, or an idea clearly and cites a number of different experts, if there is disagreement.  It's a quick way to go from ignorance to expert.

Click on thru and click on a few topics you find of interest!

Theology of 2 Peter

Every writer has an intent when he puts pen to paper (or has his scribe do so). What are the underlying themes and theology of 2 Peter? And what does he see as most important?

Eschatology is the dominant theological focus in 2 Peter, with an emphasis on the certainty of divine judgment on ungodliness and apostasy. This judgment has happened in the past, continues in the present, and will find ultimate expression on the day of the Lord ( 3:10 ). This is proven by the destruction of the ancient world in its ungodliness, the continuing detention of insubordinate angels, and the catastrophic destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah for their evil and immorality ( 2:4-10 )...

The final judgment of ungodly persons will occur at the second coming of Christ ( 1:16 ; 3:4 ). It will be so severe and comprehensive that it will include the destruction of the heavens, the earth, and everything in them. All evil will be brought under the scrutiny of God and will be punished by him ( 2 Peter 3:5-7 2 Peter 3:10-12 ).

INTRODUCTION: 2 Peter

The last book we'll be studying this year is 2 Peter. Unlike 1 Peter, this book is not focused on how to live in a world of persecution, but rather how to live in a world without the Apostles in it. As the lives of Paul and Peter - the two great leaders of the Christian church after the Ascension - were coming to an end, the Church needed to understand that Christianity was bigger than any sinful, human leader. Check out the Bible.Org introduction for more information.

Peter was about to die. Not only would this motivate him to get the letter finished, it served another purpose as well. With Paul gone, these Gentile churches lost their apostolic witness to the faith. If Peter were to die, then a second apostolic witness would die with him. Although he had only ministered to them in writing, this important link with the apostolic faith would be gone. Not only this, but with the continuing and widening persecution from Rome against Christians, there was still the danger of apostasy. Though Peter could not prevent his death, he could reassure his audience that his death was within the sovereign plan of God. Hence, in the very statement about his coming death, Peter tells his audience that it was prophesied by Jesus (1:14-15). Thus this letter served both as a last will and testament, and as an encouragement for the Christians to remain true to the apostles’ teaching (cf. 3:2, 15-16), even though there would be no living voice left. It is not insignificant that Bauckham, who denies authenticity to this letter, still sees a similar purpose/occasion: “In the relatively new and largely unexpected situation of the Christian church after the death of the apostles, [the writer] assures his readers that they are not disadvantaged as Christian believers who do not have personal access to the apostolic eyewitnesses . . .

Theology of 1 Peter

Every book of the Bible has a theme and/or story to tell. 1 Peter is no different. And unsurprisingly, considering the author, it is all about standing firm under persecution.

First Peter was written as a circular letter to churches in five provinces of northwestern Asia Minor. Because of their conversion to Christ these people had been alienated from their culture and their former friends ( 1 Peter 1:14 1 Peter 1:18 ; 2:9 ; 4:3-4 ), and the letter encourages them in the midst of slander, personal abuse, and ostracism ( 1:6 ; 2:12 ; 3:15-16 ; 4:4 ). Peter instructs them to understand their sufferings as an emulation of the passion of Christ ( 2:21 ; 4:13 ), to anticipate the glory they will enjoy when Christ is revealed to the whole world ( 1:13 ; 4:13 ), and to recognize that the church has become their primary social group ( 2:1-10 ; 3:8-12 ; 4:7-11 ). The message of this letter is the genuine grace of God ( 5:12 ) to be realized in their disciplined response to persecution.

Magic philosophy

INTRODUCTION: 1 Peter

Unlike Hebrews, there is little doubt as to who wrote 1 Peter. But like Hebrews, 1 Peter is very much focused on how a Christian lives in a hostile world. Check out John McArthur's introduction to this brave and fearless book.

When the city of Rome burned, the Romans believed that their emperor, Nero, had set the city on fire, probably because of his incredible lust to build. In order to build more, he had to destroy what already existed.

The Romans were totally devastated. Their culture, in a sense, went down with the city. All the religious elements of their life were destroyed—their great temples, shrines, and even their household idols were burned up. This had great religious implications because it made them believe that their deities had been unable to deal with this conflagration and were also victims of it. The people were homeless and hopeless. Many had been killed. Their bitter resentment was severe, so Nero realized that he had to redirect the hostility.

The emperor’s chosen scapegoat was the Christians, who were already hated because they were associated with Jews, and because they were seen as being hostile to the Roman culture. Nero spread the word quickly that the Christians had set the fires. As a result, a vicious persecution against Christians began, and soon spread throughout the Roman Empire, touching places N of the Taurus mountains, like Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1:1), and impacting the Christians, whom Peter calls “pilgrims.” These “pilgrims,” who were probably Gentiles, for the most part (1:14,18; 2:9,10; 4:3), possibly led to Christ by Paul and his associates, and established on Paul’s teachings. But they needed spiritual strengthening because of their sufferings. Thus the Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this epistle to strengthen them.

The Theology of the Book of Hebrews

As we study the book of Hebrews, it will be helpful to understand the grand story that the write is trying to tell. What is the theology of the book of Hebrews? What point is he trying to make?

The theological epicenter of the Epistle to the Hebrews may be summed up in one word: Christology. No biblical document outside of the four Gospels focuses as totally and forcefully on the person and redemptive achievement of Jesus. Likely this factor more than any other secured its prominent place in the early church's canon of Scripture in spite of doubts concerning its apostolic origin in the West (Carthage and Rome) prior to the fourth century. Eastern Christendom appears to have regarded it as Pauline from the beginning.

Are you a "Fake" Christian?

Have you ever stopped to think about how real your faith is? It is almost a cliche for youth speakers to challenge teens to "get real", but a new study suggests that for most teenagers Christianity is more about feeling good than knowing God.

Many teenagers thought that God simply wanted them to feel good and do good -- what the study's researchers called "moralistic therapeutic deism."
Some critics told Dean that most teenagers can't talk coherently about any deep subject, but Dean says abundant research shows that's not true.
"They have a lot to say," Dean says. "They can talk about money, sex and their family relationships with nuance. Most people who work with teenagers know that they are not naturally inarticulate."

As we study the book of John this year, don't be afraid to come to practice with any questions you may have. It is a great primer for the Faith, and a good chance to realize that Jesus is who he said he was.

HUMOR: God as a Southpaw

Little Bobby was spending the weekend with his grandmother.
His grandmother decided to take him to the park on Saturday morning.
It had been snowing all night and everything was beautiful.

His grandmother remarked... "doesn't it look like an artist painted this scenery?
Did you know God painted this just for you?"

Bobby said, "Yes, God did it and he did it left handed."

This confused his grandmother a bit, and she asked him
"What makes you say God did this with his left hand?"
"Well," said Bobby, "we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on God's right hand!"