top of page

BLOG


Disaster Prayers
As fires rage in Los Angeles, I've been praying disaster prayers with rare authenticity.

Aaron Mead
Jan 163 min read


The Meaning of the Manger
Jesus, the penniless Messiah, is our sustenance.

Aaron Mead
Dec 28, 20245 min read


The Meaning of Easter
Christ's resurrection determines the meaning of Easter. But what is the significance of that resurrection?

Aaron Mead
Mar 29, 20246 min read


Baby Jesus Goes to War: A Christmas Reflection
The multitude of angels wasn't a choir. It was an army.

Aaron Mead
Dec 25, 20236 min read


Advent Waiting
What are we (Advent) waiting for?

Aaron Mead
Dec 13, 20235 min read


What's Your Rest Ethic?
A healthy work ethic requires a healthy rest ethic. But what exactly is rest, and what makes it good?

Aaron Mead
Jun 10, 20236 min read


Slavery in the New Testament, Part 3: Glimmers of Justice
Five problematic New Testament passages tell slaves to obey masters but also contain surprising glimmers of justice.

Aaron Mead
Feb 7, 20239 min read


Slavery in the New Testament, Part 2: Seeds of Abolition
Bible readers rightly worry over Paul's view of slavery. However, the emancipatory passages in his writings complicate the story.

Aaron Mead
Jan 20, 20237 min read


Backstory to Philemon: The Fugitive Slave Theory
What circumstance gave rise to the New Testament letter to Philemon? Was Onesimus a fugitive slave? Find answers here.

Aaron Mead
Nov 18, 202210 min read


Slavery in the New Testament, Part 1: Expect Liberation
Jesus's ministry of liberation is critical context for interpreting five problem passages on slavery in the New Testament.

Aaron Mead
Dec 28, 20215 min read


Mind the Gap: The Gospels and Oral Transmission
In recent posts (e.g., here and here), I’ve been writing about the authorship of the Gospels, and the degree to which Gospel content may...

Aaron Mead
Jan 20, 20195 min read


Advent and the Gospel
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what, exactly, the message of the gospel is. Of course, the term ‘gospel’ means “good news.” The puzzle...

Aaron Mead
Dec 2, 20186 min read


How to Write a Gospel: Borrow + Edit = Scripture
Do the four Gospels of the New Testament accurately represent the historical ministry of Jesus? The case that they do would seem more...

Aaron Mead
Jul 23, 20186 min read


Who Wrote the Gospel according to Mark?
According to the traditional view, the four Gospels in the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (the “canonical” Gospels)—were...

Aaron Mead
Jun 26, 20188 min read


The Historicity of the Gospels: Bart Ehrman’s Skeptical View
In Chapter 3 of How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman begins with a story from his days as a student at Moody Bible Institute in the 1970s....

Aaron Mead
May 29, 20184 min read


…and then the apostle Paul sent the slave back to his master
Why did Paul send Onesimus back to Philemon? He didn't support slavery. Instead, he wanted Onesimus freed and the two brothers reconciled.

Aaron Mead
Apr 22, 20188 min read


Pope Francis on the Lord’s Prayer: Leading Us into Temptation
Like the rest of the New Testament, the Lord’s Prayer was originally written in Koine Greek (though Jesus likely spoke it in Aramaic)....

Aaron Mead
Dec 12, 20178 min read


Aquinas on the Virtues: Wisdom
The book of Proverbs tells us, “Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice” (1:20). She cries out that people...

Aaron Mead
Oct 1, 20174 min read


Aquinas on the Virtues: Understanding
Today I begin a series of posts on Thomas Aquinas’s view of the virtues. Most of my focus in this series will be on what are often called...

Aaron Mead
Sep 24, 20174 min read
“Have to” or “Want to”?
At the beginning of last school year my daughter made a friend who has had an especially hard childhood. As the year wore on, she learned...

Aaron Mead
Aug 20, 20173 min read
bottom of page