Each month we invite Bible professors from the University of Northwestern into the studio and open the phone lines for questions on the Bible, faith and the church. This month on Ask the Professor we welcome back Professors Mark Muska and Ardel Caneday to field your questions. We invite you to open your Bibles. The phone lines are open!
Today’s questions and topics include:
• Can a Christian practice self-defense, in light of Jesus’ words to “turn the other cheek”?
Dr. Caneday draws a distinction between murder and killing and cautions that this is a complicated topic. He also points out that Jesus’ words are often applied to the defense of a nation, rather than one person to one person. Mark cautions against pulling one verse out of its context and using it to build a doctrine, but looking at the whole counsel of Scripture and using proper interpretation to understand what God is saying.
• Revelation, and end-times events.
• The man of lawlessness referred to in 2 Thessalonians.
• Numerology – the study of how numbers are used in the Bible and whether or not to take them literally.
• The distinctions between Western and Eastern churches.
• The frequency of Old Testament sacrifices.
• What it means to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”
Ardel points out that the Greek means “to bring to completion.” It is activity that is “energized by the grace of God.”
• Why God often changed a person’s name after they encountered Him in Scripture.
Ardel points out that some of the name changes, such as Sarai to Sarah or Abram to Abraham, are significant because of the redemptive role they played in history. Others, such as Barnabas or Cephas, are nicknames.
• The meaning of the Old Testament phrase “he slept with his fathers” (a Hebrew euphemism meaning death)
