Posts by Layton Talbert
Purposes of Predictive Prophecy (Part 1)
Why has God given revelation in the form of prophecy? And why so much? What is the goal of prophecy? Or are there multiple intended effects? A number of passages answer these questions. The answers are surprisingly diverse. Some passages corroborate what many interpreters emphasize about the purpose of prophecy. Other passages emphasize answers that…
Read MoreWhy Interpretational Disagreements?
Besides the Fundamentals, is there anything that all Fundamentalists agree on? The question is facetious … sort of. But somewhere in the tagline of most of our churches are three words: Baptist, Fundamental, and Independent. It’s the ramifications of that last one that this column addresses, especially the hermeneutical ramifications— that is, our differences in…
Read MoreHow Do Orthodox Jews Read Isaiah 53?
The short answer is that, as a rule, they don’t. Every year around September, they systematically avoid reading Isaiah 53. But that begs a little explanation. My good friend Craig Hartman (director of Shalom Ministries) describes an approach he likes to use with Orthodox Jews. He starts with a question: “As an Orthodox Jew you…
Read MoreGender Questions (Part 3)
Time to wrap up the series of gender questions emailed to me a while back. (For related issues previously discussed, see Part 1 and Part 2.) Q: Since man and woman are both image-bearers, should we look at them as equal halves of a single image, neither of which completely bears that image without the…
Read MoreGender Questions (Part 2)
More questions about gender issues from an emailer. (See Gender Questions Part 1 for backstory.) Q: Scripture quotes Eve saying that she ate because she was deceived (Gen 3:13). Was she just blame-shifting or do 2 Cor. 11:3 and 1 Tim 2:13 corroborate her statement? She was, indeed, deceived. However, her deception doesn’t automatically mean…
Read MoreGender Questions (Part 1)
I’ve said it before. I get some of my most thought-provoking questions from emails. This emailer raised a number of issues about how Scripture impacts our view of women; questions, she says, “that have baffled me all of my life.” They’re valid, sincere questions that deserve scripturally informed answers. If we don’t take the initiative…
Read MoreThe Neglected Stepchild of the Bible
Layton Talbert FrontLine • May/June 2003 This column has previously addressed the neglected stepchild of the New Testament, the diminutive but beautiful Book of Philemon. But to another volume belongs the dubious distinction of being perhaps the most misunderstood (and often abused) stepchild of the sacred library as a whole, both Old and New Testaments.…
Read MoreEsther, Part 2: Theology, Purpose, and Problems
Layton Talbert FrontLine • November/December 2007 At a Glance: Ezra Part 1 ♦ Ezra Part 2 ♦ Nehemiah Part 1 ♦ Nehemiah Part 2 ♦ Esther Part 1 The Book of Esther is a classic of dramatic narrative laced with practical and theological implications, all the more subtle and insightful due to the book’s most…
Read MoreEsther, Part 1: Setting, Structure, and Themes
Layton Talbert FrontLine • September/October 2007 At a Glance: Ezra Part 1 ♦ Ezra Part 2 ♦ Nehemiah Part 1 ♦ Nehemiah Part 2 The last four installments of this column have surveyed the late historical books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The chronological companion of those two records is the book of Esther. This column…
Read MoreNEHEMIAH, Part 2: Reforming Messiah ’s People
Layton Talbert FrontLine • July/August 2007 At a Glance: Ezra Part 1 ♦ Ezra Part 2 ♦ Nehemiah Part 1 Opposition and delays in the work of God are always frustrating. It is easy to overemphasize our timetables and overestimate our importance to the work of God. We are short on time and are frustrated…
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