Essays for King Jesus

Transmitting the Old Testament:  Adventures of the Hebrew Text What do the famous Dead Sea Scrolls tell us about the Bible? In this second essay in his series "Transmitting the Old Testament: Adventures of the Hebrew Text," Vince Beiler guides us through the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they help to broaden our understanding of the ancient Hebrew text of the Bible.

Transmitting the Old Testament:  Adventures of the Hebrew Text  How did we get the Bible when it was written thousands of years ago? "It is easy to think that transmitting the biblical text is a relatively simple matter. This is probably because (a) we have never tried copying a document long hand and (b) we are accustomed to printed Bible editions with clear, consistent lettering....

Vince Beiler takes us through the fascinating history of the Hebrew Bible and is transmission across millennia, which eventually led to today's compact printed bibles. This was originally published in three parts on our website. https://anabaptistperspectives.org/essays/hebrew-bible-history-part-1

Seeking Better Vision - Anabaptists, History, and the Powers What is Anabaptism at its core? Is it defined by history and people? In this essay, Kyle Stoltzfus argues we do better if we seek to see what the early Anabaptists saw. Their eyes were on the reign of Christ and how that relates to the "principalities, and powers" the Bible talks so much about. We need better spiritual vision to see what...

Marlin takes a look at slavery passages in the New Testament. "My point is not to make slavery look less bad, but to see what these texts teach us about our own work, whatever our economic situation." "New Testament advice to slaves reminds us that, whatever our economic situation, God values and will reward all legitimate work, and Our work and economic lives should reflect Kingdom generosity and...

"In today’s highly partisan environment it is easy for American believers to be carried away with the passionate belief that politics can be the solution to our nation’s problems." Stephen Russell reminds us that we are part of the kingdom of light, not the kingdom of darkness. Does our relationship to politics reflect this?

Is it possible to start churches of new believers that will uphold Jesus's teachings, including those less commonly taught in America? Allen Roth draws from a lifetime of experience in evangelism and church planting. He gives a resounding yes, while detailing some challenges for those who take up the task.

Music is extremely powerful. It can either draw us away from God or draw us closer to God. Which would you prefer? Daniel Allgyer has spent years researching songs, singing in choirs and leading worship in church. He is passionate about helping others understand the importance of good music and how good or bad music can and will affect us. This essay was published on our website in March 2020.

Is communion bread literally Christ's body? Is the Lord's supper only an act of remembrance? Marlin Sommers says neither. The biblical term koinonia (participation, sharing, fellowship, communion) gives a clue to a fuller understanding of how we encounter Christ in the Lord's Supper. 5WyPZfndE8ii49Es4k7i

Like any economic difficulty, a COVID-19 economy highlights the need to steward our resources, whether those resources be meager or vast. Hard times can actually clarify our understanding of basic Christian economics. In this episode, Marlin Sommers explores four themes which should be present in the Christian response to the present pandemic. This is a bonus podcast. Expect this week's regularly-...