This is a paraphrase, designed for easy reading, not for serious study. Paraphrases are commentaries in disguise – people put their own ideas into the text. This is unavoidable – even a translation must make choices about the meaning of words. But in a paraphrase, we must often ask, What does this mean? We want to say the same thing, in the way that we might explain it to a child who lives in a city, not the agricultural world of first-century Judea. In this paraphrase, we explain theologi...

A brief introduction to major sections of the Bible, with a summary chapter explaining the larger story that ties it all together. Introductory chapters by the late John Halford; overview chapter by Michael D. Morrison, PhD, who also edited the book.

Christians sometimes wonder why the Old Testament and New Testament are different. Some theologians stress similarity, but others stress differences. In this book, we examine every biblical occurrence of the Hebrew and Greek words for covenant. We also look at related subjects: "the law of Moses," whether tithing is commanded for Christians, and the role of the Ten Commandments in Christian ethics

Some Christians think it is wrong to celebrate Christmas, since the date and some of the customs can be traced back to pagan holidays. Articles in this e-book examine the logic. The birth of Jesus is certainly an event worth celebrating, but is December 25 the "wrong" time to do it? The authors once thought Christmas was wrong, but have been persuaded by the evidence that it is wrong to forbid it. Articles about the incarnation and the birth of Jesus are in separate e-books.

In 2004, Grace Communion International began a thorough examination of women in church leadership positions, such as pastors. A careful study was done in Scripture, with special attention to certain key NT texts. Both complementarian and egalitarian scholars sometimes push the evidence further than is warranted. With a cautious approach, we concluded that women may serve as pastors.

When Christians read the Old Testament, they are often puzzled. They find many laws that seem to be part of Christianity, and yet they also find many laws that no one obeys. Laws of sacrifice, rituals and civil laws are mixed together with laws that tell people how to get along with others.How can a Christian know which laws to keep? Does the Bible tell us? This series of Bible studies explores this topic in detail. You will need to look up each of the scriptures you find listed, be...

Christians have different views of the millennium of Revelation 20. Some believe it is occurring now; some believe it will occur before Christ returns, and some believe it will happen after he returns. Equally sincere, equally Bible-believing Christians disagree. Is it necessary for us to disagree? What do we have in common?

In this lay-level commentary, Michael Morrison goes through the entire letter to the Romans, commenting on what it means for us today. The focus is on what we do know, not on controversies that have no resolution.

In this collection of articles, we present 10 basic doctrines of Christianity, with an explanation of the basic features of each biblical teaching. We follow each doctrinal article with two articles explaining how the doctrine makes a difference in our lives - how it encourages us to respond in a certain way. This series has been designed as a discipleship manual for new Christians, and was previously published with the title Discipleship 101. By Michael D. Morrison, PhD, and Joseph Tkach,...

In this lay-level commentary, we look at an overview of the book of Matthew, take a closer look at the Sermon on the Mount, parables about the kingdom of God, and several other notable parts of Matthew. Some chapters are by Tim Finlay and Jim Herst, Paul Kroll, and Joseph Tkach.

In 1999, Ministry magazine, an Adventist publication, published a two-part editorial titled "Why the Seventh Day?" It's a good question. Michael Morrison responded with a letter of his own, praising the author for some points and questioning others. After a reply from the author, Morrison responded with an outline of why he does not think that the seventh day is not commanded any longer. There is also an essay about whether the Sabbath is a moral law, as Adventists claim, or a ceremonial l...

Guilt is so thoroughly engrained in religious culture that many people cannot imagine the gospel without a focus on guilt. They present the gospel as a transaction: you will be forgiven IF you accept the gospel. But Jesus already paid for your sins and you are already forgiven. There is no IF. Sin is forgiven, but it still messes up relationships. The gospel needs to focus on our relationships.