We invite you to read our thoughts on diverse topics related to the Bible and spirituality. Most of these articles are posted as PDF (portable document format) files. To read them, you will need Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader. Please note: because these PDFs can be relatively large files, they may take up to several minutes to download, depending upon your modem speed.

Abolition

Apologetics

Archaeology

Audio Archive

Please go to this page to download our audio files.

Bible

The Beast At The Center Of The Earth.   A treatise on how the prophets and apostles understood the End Time geography, explaining why the mark of the beast will never come to the Americas, 21 pages (1Mb).

The Book Of Revelation.   What I most want my family and friends to know about the last book of the Bible.

Currently In Revision:
The Book of Job: Agony, Epiphany, Humility & Ministry.   An outline and commentary (972k).


Grandpa's Christian Catechism For Young Students
UPDATED! The special characteristics of this catechism are that it:

•    is written in 21st-century American,

•    includes some of the real questions children ask (not just the questions that they should ask),
•    allows topics to overlap rather than keeping material in strict systematic categories,
•    includes questions and answers about our eschatological destiny to point children toward a future more meaningful than “eternally playing a harp on a cloud,”
•    alludes to city (i.e., cultural) transformation as part of our calling,
•    and also on pages 42 and 50 includes blessings for sons and daughters that can be adapted by parents and grandparents to pronounce over their loved ones.

Roderick has written for an eight-year-old, but has not avoided technical matters. Some “big words” are explained in the catechism; others will provide an opportunity for the instructor to teach the student a new vocabulary term.

Please click HERE to see printing instructions for  Grandpa's Christian Catechism.

How To Unwrap A Biblical Proverb. This is a 20-page technical guide for beginning Hebrew students.

Updated!
Making The Invisible Visible: An Introduction to Distinguishing Characteristics of Hebraic Thought And Their Implications For Interpreting The Bible. This article presents a theory about how the Hebrew language and its underlying thought patterns evolved. More importantly, it presents key principles for interpreting Hebraic expressions in both the Old Testament and the New. This article is 17 pages long, and 690k.

Nazareth. Archaeological and historical perspective on the biblical city of Christ’s youth (4 pages, 384k).

Updated!
Polishing Our Hermeneutical Glasses.   Go to our books page for this introduction to biblical hermeneutics (interpreting the Bible). This study presents 21 principles for interpreting Scripture. The new edition contains additional material on interpreting apocalyptic symbols, as well as a complete index of biblical references cited in the body of the text. 82 pages (plus indices).

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes & The Meaning of Life.   Penetrating insight into what makes life fulfilling (516k).

The White Stone.   Precious promises and insights from The Revelation of Jesus Christ course (80k).

Why I Lost Interest In The Bible. A personal testimony (192k).

Christology

Christian Fiction

Tata Milagro. A moderin parable set in the Los Cabos region, English language, 22 pages.

City Transformation

Updated!
The Cityward Mind of God: A Manifesto For City Transformation: Our call to become the spiritual stewards of our cities (35 pages, 2.6mb). This is a large file with photographs; please be patient while it downloads. Click here for: optional glossy cover.

The Cityward Mind of God Missions Conference Discussion (mp3 audio).

To Transform A City
Visit Eric Swanson's blog and request a copy of this excellent 36-page primer on city transformation.

Class Notes

          Go to this archive for copies of class notes, handouts and syllabi from various courses.


Crossword Puzzles
 
           Go to this archive for original word puzzles with biblical and other themes. You may use these puzzles for your personal enjoyment and for student activities.


Eschatology

Español

Lo Que Aprendí de la Ouija:  Testimonio personal de Rodrigo Graciano (708k).Si prefiere HTML clik aquí .

Gospel, The

Reflections On The Gospel. Our November 2017 newsletter with ten key observations regarding the biblical gospel; revised October 2023.

Healing

The Prayer of Faith and Healing In James 5:   Applying healing prayer (220k).

History Lessons

Pudens’s Ring: One of the greatest triumphs of the early martyrs, based on the true story preserved in the writings of Tertullian, and retold by Roderick Graciano. (5 pages, 140k.) Read the original account in The Passion of Perpetua.




Homiletics

50 Tips For The Christian Teacher: A 34-page outline of principles for effectively teaching God’s truth, supplemented by pages on the Greek and Hebrew alphabets, and a form for evaluating a teaching or preaching presentation (550k).

Humor
A cheerful heart is good medicine. (Proverbs 17.22)

If Fish Could Paint...

Movie Hybrid:   What if Hollywood merged the biographies of Peter Pan and the great pacifist of India?

The Counseling Session: The transcript of Roderick’s experience as an observer in one of Pastor Steve’s marriage counseling sessions.

Pastors! Here’s a Special Page for you.


Philosophy

How We Know The Horse Is Real: A two-page essay about our debt to Descartes for his famous statement, "I think, therefore I am."

Prophecy, Gift of

The Church’s Hairbrush:   Prophecy in the contemporary church (128k). This article is currently in revision; thank you for your patience!

By Their Fruit:   Discerning between true and false prophecy (112k).

Spiritual Life

Kingdom Questions: An article about the priority issue in the gospels, 2 pages (1, double-sided), 48k.

Expanding The Kingdom: A Unified Theory of Mission: A second article about the priority issue in the gospels, 4 pages (2, double-sided), 56k.

Falling Through Time:   An amazing true story about winning against all odds (60k).

Gardener’s Priority: The Suffering of Job and Spiritual Fruitfulness.   Why would God allow the devil to kill Job’s children, alienate Job’s wife and cover Job’s body with boils? God wouldn’t let that happen to us, would He? (108k)

Hugging The Fire: Knowing the Living God as an intimate friend (3 pages, 136k).

The Secret of Joy:   Experiencing the abundant life by embracing God’s agenda (212k).

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes & The Meaning of Life:   Penetrating insight on what makes life fulfilling (516k).

Tracking Down Idols & Finding Joy:   Escaping the self-centered universe. (100k)

Why I Lost Interest In The Bible: A personal testimony. (192k)

Spiritual Warfare

What I Learned From The Ouija Board:   Roderick Graciano’s teenage brush with the occult. (76k).

Disarmed Deceivers: A primer on demonology that discusses the practical matters of "moral space," "binding and loosing" and more. 16 pages, (1.2mb).