Why does Revelation count so carefully? Mark Atkinson explains the symbolic meaning of the numbers one, three, four, six, seven, ten, twelve, twenty-four and forty-two, and shows why 666 marks intensified sin rather than a code to be cracked.
Why do so many readers get Revelation wrong? Mark Atkinson sets out four ways of reading the book, chooses the Idealist approach for this study, and outlines its eight scenes as layers of one story told from different angles.
Why did the early church condemn a teacher who wanted a god of love and no law? Randall Otto traces Marcion’s views of God, salvation and Scripture and argues that the same spirit is at work in the church today.
What does it mean that humanity is made in the image of God? Scott Morschauser reads Genesis 1 against its ancient Near Eastern background and argues that the image is an office of covenant servanthood under God, fulfilled in the obedient Son.
Who do you say that I am? Susan Cyre works through Mark 8, from the feeding of the four thousand and the blind man healed in stages to Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi and his rebuke, with notes on blindness, the Messiah and the cross.
How should a church answer the case that homosexual practice and ordination go together? Jack Haberer sets out the eight arguments of the pro-gay resolution one by one, answers each from Scripture and the confessions, and quotes the authorities on both sides.
What happens to the Bible when every reader decides for herself what it means? Pride Carson finds that the 1995-96 Horizons study sets personal judgment above Scripture, and asks what that leaves of the Christmas confession that the Word was made flesh.
What does it look like when a king has authority and power, and when he does not? Susan Cyre’s study of Mark 6 sets the rejection at Nazareth, the death of John and the feeding of the five thousand side by side, with notes comparing the banquets of Herod and Jesus.
What happens when the church reads Scripture, and even the cross, from the human point of view? Leslie Zeigler shows how that starting point turns theology into anthropology, then tests it on three feminist readings of Hagar, the empty tomb and the Samaritan woman.
What does Jesus’ word do for a man among the tombs, a woman who has spent twelve years looking for healing, and a girl who has died? Susan Cyre’s study of Mark 5 asks the group to notice who holds authority, with notes that draw on Calvin.
What does the whole Bible say about same-sex practice, and do its prohibitions simply reflect the cultures of their day? James R. Edwards works through the key Old and New Testament texts and answers the usual objections to each.
Why do the scribes see Jesus heal and call it Satan’s work, while the unclean spirits call him Son of God? Susan Cyre’s study of Mark 3 poses questions on the Sabbath, the Twelve and the unforgivable sin, with notes that draw on Calvin.