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Good Friday Timeline

March 31, 2021 // 34 Comments

You probably know that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. What you may not know was that Good Friday was one of the busiest days in Jesus’s life. As far as I can tell, no other day in the Bible receives more attention. To help you appreciate this, I drafted a timeline of the key events of the first Good [...]

Introducing The Grace Commentary

March 23, 2021 // 42 Comments

Hi friends, For years readers having been telling me, “Paul, why don’t you write a commentary?” You’re wish is granted. Check out my brand new grace-based Bible commentary at: www.thegracecommentary.com This is a new project and there is a ton of work to do. But hopefully there is enough material on the [...]

How Sexist is your Bible?

March 18, 2021 // 15 Comments

In my research for The Silent Queen, I was often amazed at how a single word in the Bible could be translated different ways leading to radically different conclusions. Here’s a simple example from 2 Timothy 2:2: The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to [...]

What does the Bible say about Women Pastors?

March 7, 2021 // 4 Comments

Can women pastor? Feed this question into Google, and you’ll be led to a bunch of websites that say no, women cannot pastor or lead churches. Which goes to show you that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. (Yes, I appreciate the irony.) Under the old covenant, only men could be priests, [...]

What a Difference a Word Can Make

February 18, 2021 // 23 Comments

We Christians are very good at drawing bad conclusions from good scriptures. This happens when we read a verse out of context. Sometimes it can happen because we miss one single word. Misread the Bible and you’ll end up with all sorts of screwy ideas. You’ll think we cleanse ourselves by confessing sins or [...]

Equality is not the Goal

February 13, 2021 // 27 Comments

You probably know that I have written a book about women. You may be wondering about my agenda. “What are Paul’s views on gender roles? Is he a complementarian or an egalitarian? Does he support traditional arrangements where the man is in charge or does he promote equality?” Full disclosure: I believe in [...]

It’s E2R’s 11th Birthday – Here’s Your Gift!

February 5, 2021 // 14 Comments

To celebrate Escape to Reality’s 11th anniversary and Chinese New Year and the invention of a vaccine and whatever else is worth celebrating in this wonderful days of hope, we’re repeating last year’s huge giveaway. For the next three days you can get one, two, or seven of my books for a special [...]

What is the Baptism that Saves?

February 2, 2021 // 21 Comments

If you wish to start an argument among a group of Christians, all you need to do is ask this question: “Is water baptism essential for salvation?” Baptism has historically been one of the more controversial issues debated in the church. Is baptism essential? The scriptures are clear: You are saved by grace [...]

Why do Good People fall for Bad Teaching?

January 19, 2021 // 13 Comments

We live in an age of conspiracy theories and fake news. We all know rational, reasonable people who seem to be duped by the dumbest ideas, even in the church. How does this happen? In truth, this is nothing new. It happened before in one of the Revelation churches. In Thyatira, a group of believers fell for the [...]

Do you have a Biblical View of Women?

January 13, 2021 // 15 Comments

In the church, you will encounter two views about women. There is the traditional view (women should be meek, stay-at-home-mothers) and the so-called progressive view (women can do anything men can do). Which view is Biblical? I suspect most people would say the traditional view. Many churchgoers believe that the [...]

Who is Alive but Dead?

January 6, 2021 // 14 Comments

If you want Christians to work harder, there are two scriptures you can trot out to boost productivity. The first is the one about being lukewarm; the second is this one from the letter to Sardis: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (Rev. 3:1) This passage is usually [...]

The Three Nights of Christmas

December 18, 2020 // 28 Comments

It’s that time of the year where we gather with friends and family to celebrate Christmas and to tie a bow on the year that was. 2020 has been an interesting year, as the Chinese would say, and few will be sad to see it end. But even though this was a challenging year, 2020 was not without its highlights: Many [...]