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this is a
collection of essays

 Most of the articles that follow were previously published in national or international journals for biblical or devotional studies

written, collected and arranged
by
Gary D. Collier

January 2009

Table of Contents
and Essays are Below

readers

Dear Reader,

This online book is a collection of essays, most of which were previously published in numerous national and international journals on Biblical or devotional studies.  They are now brought together and grouped.  Each of the articles was written to specific situations and issues which are somewhat spelled out in the articles themselves.  Also, they vary widely in the type of writing:  some highly academic (e.g., "That we Might Not Crave Evil"), some more discussion oriented (e.g., "Praying with Jabez" or "Life Together").   Altogether, these articles address the topic of "Reading the Bible," both in theory and practice, and on a variety of levels.  These are more discussion oriented than devotional in nature.

gdc

Biblical Interpretation: In Theory

• "Bringing the Word to Life: An Assessment of the Hermeneutical Impasse in Churches of Christ"-originally published in Christian Studies 11:1 (1990) 18-40.

• "Scripture, Culture, and the Essentials" -originally written April 1994. E-published with minor revisions February 1998.

• September 1995. E-published with minor revisions February 1998;  expanded into a book

• How to Read the Bible Any Way You Want:  911 in the Bible.

Biblical Interpretation: Specific Texts

• "'That We Might Not Crave Evil': The Structure and Argument of 1 Corinthians 10:1-13" -originally published in Journal for the Study of the New Testament 55 (1994) 55-75.

• “The Problem of Deuteronomy: In Search of a Perspective.” Restoration Quarterly 26:4 (1983): 215-33.

• Praying with Jabez (1 Chron. 4:10) 

• "Angels: 1 Cor. 11:10"

Matthew

• Introduction Page

• Getting Serious About the Bible  Christian Matters (June 2003)

• Looking at the Gospels Christian Matters (July 2003)

• Matthew: A Fresh Reading Christian Matters (August 2003)

• Conflict & Understanding in Matt Christian Matters (September 2003)

Divorce

• "Rethinking Jesus on Divorce" -originally published in Restoration Quarterly 37:2 (1995) 80-96  Click on this link takes you to the RQ website for published article.

• "Joseph's World," Chapter 4 of Divorce and the Christ Community: A New Portrait Copyright by Gary D. Collier November 1996

• "Divorce, Abuse, and the Christ Community." Image 13:2 (1997) 11-14. An adaptation and abridgment of the Prelude to the book, Divorce and the Christ Community.

• A Note on the Translation of poieiÍ au)th\n moixeuqh=nai in Matthew 5:32   A look at the phrase "he causes her to commit adultery" in Matt. 5:32.

Church

• Rethinking Church:  Why “church as usual” might not make sense any more:  A reevaluation of what it means to "be" church.

• Life Together:  A look at Jesus' top concerns for disciples today.

Ministry

• A Word to Those with Ministries Everywhere (May 6, 2003/Revised 10-14-2003)

• Telling the Truth about Secret Rules (May 13, 2003):  A bit of a tongue-in-cheek look at some realities of professional ministry, but a serious challenge about motive and direction.

Bible as Canon

• Seven Levels of Canon Written June 2000 in a discussion on canon with Warren Lewis and Richard Davies at Martin University, Indianapolis, IN.

Other

• "To Build a Fire." Image 10:3-4 (May - August 1994 in two parts). 

• "Lagard Smith's 1994 Pepperdine Speech: A Review and Critique"-originally published in Dialogue 1:3 (1994) 40-47.

• "Do We Even Want to Have Dialogue?"-originally published in Dialogue 1:4 (1994) 49-50.

• Origins of Satan:  Some Notes -- never published

• A variety of topics (e.g., canon, hermeneutics, divorce, & more) on the Stone Campbell Archives.