Andy Unedited – Page 4 – Exploring Books, Life, and Writing

Bible Myth #17: Who Rejoices in Heaven?

January 8, 2019 by Andy Le Peau

Who rejoices over one sinner who repents? We all know the answer. Or do we?

When the Pharisees complained about Jesus hanging out with irreputable tax collectors and sinners, he told them three stories. First, the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to find the one that’s lost. Then the woman with ten coins who searches for one. Finally, the father and his two sons.

At the end of the second story, after the woman finds her coin, she asks all her neighbors to celebrate with her. Jesus concludes, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

So who is rejoicing?
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Christmas Eve 1968

December 18, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

Fifty years ago next week, a manned spacecraft for the first time entered orbit around another celestial body–the moon.

The year 1968 had been a harrowing one for the country and the world. It began with the devastating Tet Offensive in Vietnam and was followed by the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The “Prague Spring” was crushed by Soviet tanks in August with the tumultuous Democratic National Convention a week later.

Weary and worn, we were ready for some good news. That night, Christmas Eve, the crew of Apollo 8 sent a message to everyone on earth in what has been called the most watched television broadcast in history. Here is what they said:
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Persuading People Who Don’t Want to Be Persuaded

December 12, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

Persuading anyone is hard. Persuading people who have already made up their minds is even harder.
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The Christmas Story You Never Heard

December 4, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

You mean you never heard the story of the red, seven-headed Christmas Dragon? You know, the one so powerful that its tale swept billions of stars from the sky and flung them to earth in a fury. That’s the dragon that showed up Christmas morning, determined to kill the baby boy destined to rule the nations as soon as it was born.

Right. That dragon!
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Background Check

November 28, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

If we do not make use of historical background to the New Testament, we are in danger of misreading these books and letters with 21st-century eyes. Reading Mark in Context introduces us to important historical and religious writings from the Second Temple Period (roughly from the Jewish return from Babylonian exile in 516 BC to the destruction of the temple by Rome in AD 70). These range from the works of Josephus to the Dead Sea Scrolls to the apocrypha to Rabbinic writings, and more.
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When Eugene Peterson Was Unknown

October 24, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

As we grieve the recent passing of Eugene Peterson, we remember the first encounter IVP had with him. When Peterson was an unknown Presbyterian pastor in Maryland, he sent IVP an unsolicited manuscript. Here is an excerpt from Heart. Soul. Mind. Strength. that tells what happened behind the scenes that led to the publication in 1980 of one of his most influential books.
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The Popularity of Teen Dystopias

October 9, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

How many times can bestselling dystopias have plots about a dictatorial, caste-like society in which a group of teens are forced into a contained area where they must fight and kill each other as a prelude to overthrowing the harsh regime? Apparently a lot. Most similar to The Hunger Games, Pierce Brown’s Red Rising also shares major plot arcs with The Maze Runner, Divergent, and the grandmother of the them all, The Giver.

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Mark Through Roman Eyes

October 1, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

Commonly in biblical studies, as in other academic disciplines, a scholar arrives at a genuine insight and proceeds to interpret everything through that lens, seeing it as the key to the whole. The problem is that such ancient texts defy easy modern categorization or simple unifying themes. Adam Winn admirably avoids this trap.
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An American Story

September 26, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

Freedom of religion seems like it has always been foundational to America. As Brandon O’Brien tells in Demanding Liberty, however, this was long in doubt and has regularly needed defense even since it was enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
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Giving Voice

September 19, 2018 by Andy Le Peau

The sad reality is that often certain groups of people in society have been silenced or muffled. What they have to say has been sidelined because they came from a certain place, looked a certain way, grew up in a certain culture, did a certain kind of work, or just didn’t have enough money.
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