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The Passion Translation: A Review of the treatment of Hebrews

The Passion Translation A couple of weeks ago I came across a review of The Passion Translation of the Bible ( https://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/whats_wrong_with_the_passion_translation ). The review raised some concerns in my mind so I thought I ought to take a look at it. The website says, “ The Passion Translation ( TPT ) is an excellent translation you can use as your primary text to seriously study God’s Word.” If that is the case it needs to faithfully render in good English the thoughts and ideas in the original text. It claims to do this, combining, “the best aspects of what is called formal and functional equivalence Bibles. It is a balanced translation that tries to hold both the Word’s literal meaning and original message in proper tension.” If it does this it is properly suited for serious study. Since I am more familiar with Hebrews than other parts of the NT I thought I would examine his treatment of Hebrews and test this. The website ( https://www.t
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Some reflections on a visit to Papua New Guinea after 48 years

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In 1970, as a newly married couple, my wife and I visited New Guinea, as it was then known. The island was divided into three parts: the western half was known as Irian Jaya, now West Papua and the eastern half was divided into New Guinea in the north and Papua in the South. With independence from Australia and self-government in the mid-70s, these two eastern parts were united to form Papua New Guinea. West Papua is part of Indonesia. We went sometime around Easter 1970. After arriving in Port Moresby we flew to Mt Hagen via Goroka by DC3, stayed with a young John and Anne Hitchen. John was Dean of the Christian Leaders’ Training College (CLTC, https://www.cltc.ac.pg/ ). This was before they went to Aberdeen for John’s PhD Studies. We travelled by truck down the Highlands Highway to Lae with Norman Bartlett, and after a few days there we flew back to Port Moresby (again by DC3) and home again. Only a few memories of that trip a
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More Dialogue with Graeme Carle

More Dialogue with Graeme Carle A few weeks ago I responded to Graeme’s challenge for someone to critique his blog on Israel and the promised land ( https://drphilchurch.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/a-response-to-graeme-carle-promised.html ).  Graeme has now responded ( https://emmausroad.org.nz/7566-2/ ). And some of what he says cannot go unchallenged. I am hoping we can end it here though, as I want my blog to be more than just dialogue with Graeme. Reading the Scriptures against their first century context Graeme takes me to task for not reading the Scriptures against their first century context. I plead, “Not guilty.” This is essential, along with remembering those to whom they were written, since the Scriptures were written for us but not to us. That means that our interpretations need to be meaningful and relevant for those to whom they were written. We need also to be aware of genre in our reading. A case in point is the book of Revelation, which I will refer to below. It w
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A response to Graeme Carle, "Promised land or Not."

Recently Graeme Carle published his opinions on Israel and the promised land here: https://emmausroad.org.nz/promised-land-not/ . In his post he challenged anyone from Laidlaw College or Carey Baptist College to respond. I am taking up the challenge, although I represent neither college. The opinions are my own. Graeme starts with Romans 4:13, “For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ” We all know that Abraham was promised not the world but a small slice of territory at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, But here, Paul, in line with his recognition that God’s promise of descendants to Abraham is expanded to include not just ethnic Israel but everybody who has faith, also recognises that in Christ the promised land is expanded to include the whole world. Graeme claims, “Abraham and Jesus haven’t yet inherited the whole world to share with us have they?” Graeme is wrong.
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