{"id":2362,"date":"2010-02-08T13:53:18","date_gmt":"2010-02-08T21:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=2362"},"modified":"2020-04-07T11:17:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T19:17:33","slug":"essays-bible-studies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/essays-bible-studies","title":{"rendered":"Essays & Bible Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Bible<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I write little essays from time to time, usually in response to frequent questions I receive from my students (sometimes in conjunction with my responsibilities as a ministerial trainer). I have gathered as many as I can think of here. Enjoy. Feel free to reuse them in noncommercial contexts. Likewise for the Bible studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bear in mind that I am not writing as a representative of any organization \u2014 all views expressed are my own (and, hopefully, God\u2019s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essays<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  1. \"pdf\"Why Jesus.pdf<\/a> This little essay is something I\u2019ve begun making available at my meetings for nonbelievers to take on the way out. I talk about three simple reasons to believe in God, and then show how to go about deciding whether Jesus is truly the path to God.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  2. \"pdf\"The Jesus FAQ.pdf<\/a> This is a companion piece to the Why Jesus essay \u2014 it explains what we can know about Jesus even if we don\u2019t think that the Bible is inspired. Questions include: \u201cIs There Any Record of Jesus Outside the Bible?\u201d, \u201cWhat Did Jesus Look Like?\u201d and \u201cWhat Did Jesus Teach?\u201d<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  3. \"pdf\" <\/span>The Spirit of Jesus.pdf<\/a> This is an introduction to baptism in the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts for those who are nervous about the Holy Spirit.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  4. \"pdf\"The Elephant In The Room: Not All Religions Are Equally Correct<\/a> Aren\u2019t all religions basically the same? NOPE.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  5. \"pdf\"Should I Date Outside The Faith?<\/a> One of the most common questions I get is whether Christian students should date people who do not share their faith. tl;dr no. This article explains why.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  6. \"doc\"Change the University, Change the World<\/a> I wrote this piece for my seminary\u2019s alumni magazine, <\/span>Rapport<\/a>. If you ever wonder why people like me are so passionate about college ministry, this will clear things up for you.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  7. \"doc\"Thrive at Stanford 2010.pdf<\/a> This is a 10 day devotional guide for new students at Stanford which begins on the first day of New Student Orientation. This is the Fall Quarter 2010 version.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  8. \"doc\"The Essence of Integrity by Glen Davis.doc<\/a> This is a meditation on one of the foundational concepts of character.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  9. \"pdf\"The Flaming Goats of Edom \u2014 Thoughts on Hell.pdf<\/a> This is one of my favorite essays. Thinking about hell makes many Christians uncomfortable and (ironically) even keeps some unbelievers from considering the faith, so in this essay I seek to make the doctrine comprehensible to people.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  10. \"doc\"Testing My Faith \u2014 Being Confident of My Salvation<\/a>. Every once in a while I meet someone who\u2019s not sure whether they\u2019re a Christian or not, and so I wrote this meditation on 1st John to help them discern where they\u2019re at with Jesus.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  11. \"doc\"Evangelism in the New Testament.doc<\/a> This isn\u2019t really an essay on how to share your faith effectively so much as an essay on how not to irritate God when sharing your faith.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  12. \"doc\"How Can I Tell If I Am Being Effective.doc<\/a> Some thoughts on evaluating my use of time.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  13. \"doc\"Diligence In The Bible by Glen Davis.doc<\/a> A very short essay directed at ministers (although there\u2019s really only one line making it minister-specific).<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  14. \"doc\"Stanford Chi Alpha Small Group Guide.doc<\/a> Nothing very original here, but we find it helpful.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  15. \"doc\"What the Bible Says About Money.doc<\/a> This isn\u2019t really a full-fledged essay. It\u2019s a one-page summary of what the Bible says about money (which is more than most people think).<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  16. \"doc\"Does the Bible Assert that Jesus is God.doc<\/a>: a very short summary of the Biblical evidence for the deity of Christ. It\u2019s written for believers, in case that wasn\u2019t obvious from the title.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
  17. \"pdf\"What the Bible Says About Baptism<\/a>: an exhortation to Christians to be baptized along with an explanation of what baptism is all about.<\/span><\/figure><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Tools<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    1. \"doc\"A Week of Praying With the Apostles.doc<\/a> This 3 page handout guides you through a week of praying for those whom you serve using the prayers of the New Testament as a model.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
    2. \"doc\"Applying the Bible.doc<\/a> This one page handout is one of the most important things I teach people. I forget where I first learned this idea, but I know it is not original to me.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
    3. \"doc\"How To Read False Religious Texts.doc<\/a> This is an unusual little tool. I wrote it because I require my ministerial trainees to read from the writings of other religions. This little handout explains why and how.<\/span><\/figure><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Pastoral Letters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      During the coronavirus pandemic I began sending physical letters to my students. Here they are. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Easter Pastoral Letter.pdf<\/a> \u2014 a brief reflection on the implications of Easter<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Bible Studies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Most of these are for personal and not group use. They could be adapted for group use, but don\u2019t think you can download them and stroll into a small group meeting with no extra prep.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. \"doc\"Being Filled With the Spirit Personal Bible Study.doc<\/a> This is a very good study to give to a student who believes that Bible is God\u2019s word but is uncertain about what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. It is for personal and not group use.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        2. \"doc\"God And His Rivals \u2014 a Personal Bible Study.doc<\/a> This study will require a lot of thought and a willingness to think outside the evangelical box.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        3. \"doc\"Worship \u2014 A Personal Bible Study.doc<\/a> This is a study for worship leaders, although I suppose any Christian could profit from it.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        4. \"doc\"Preaching \u2014 A Personal Bible Study.doc<\/a> I really like studies like this one which list many examples of something from the Bible and ask you to infer conclusions. They feel so scientific.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        5. \"doc\"Ministry of Women \u2014 Bible Study.doc<\/a> This is a handout I give my ministerial trainees before they wade into the vast literature for and against women in ministry. It\u2019s a way of making sure that they\u2019re familiar with all the relevant texts before they see them cited.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        6. \"doc\"Accepting Correction Gracefully.doc<\/a> This personal Bible study is about giving and receiving rebukes. Mostly receiving. Okay, it\u2019s really about receiving rebukes and only implicitly about offering them.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        7. \"doc\"By Night and By Day \u2014 Evangelism Bible Study.doc<\/a> This is a very short Bible study comparing how Jesus talked with Nicodemus with how he talked with the woman at the well.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        8. \"doc\"Cultivating Noble Character \u2014 Prov 31.doc<\/a> A very short study about not being a slacker.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        9. \"doc\"Davids Fall and Restoration.doc<\/a> A one page study of a passage most people don\u2019t know as well as they think.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        10. \"doc\"How To Be A Servant \u2014 a Personal Bible Study.doc<\/a> A very short study for new campus ministers.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        11. \"doc\"Proverbs \u2014 Watching Your Words.doc<\/a> I bet there are people shocked to know that I\u2019ve spent time reflecting on what it means to speak wisely.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        12. \"doc\"What Is Blamelessness.doc<\/a> A study for new ministers.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        13. \"doc\"What to and What not to Study.doc<\/a> Kind of self-explanatory.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>
        14. \"doc\"Work and Sabbath \u2014 A Personal Bible Study.doc<\/a> This study is worded for new campus ministers, but 98% of it works for people in other vocations.<\/span><\/figure><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          I write little essays from time to time, usually in response to frequent questions I receive from my students (sometimes in conjunction with my responsibilities as a ministerial trainer). I have gathered as many as I can think of here. Enjoy. Feel free to reuse them in noncommercial contexts. Likewise for the Bible studies. Bear \u2026 Continue reading \u201cEssays & Bible Studies\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2362","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6Ded-C6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2362"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5949,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2362\/revisions\/5949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}