Category: Religion

Biblical Theology 101

a man writing on a notebook while reading a bible
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Too often, Bible study seems unsatisfying and unproductive. Biblical Theology (BT) seeks to understand Scripture as a whole and in relation to every other part. BT helps readers see the forest and not only the trees.

The attached booklet covers Biblical Theology. It is drawn from a class on Biblical Theology of the New Testament that Dr. Harris taught at the Kyiv Theological Seminary from August to November 2025. The visuals communicate some of Dr. Harris’ most important sources and key concepts in the class.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Biblical Theology 101

Biblical Theology of the NT – visuals

Students can also use the crossword puzzles below to test and increase their understanding of Biblical Theology and how to use to improve life and ministry.

Biblical Theology 101 Crossword Puzzle – why study

Biblical Theology 101 Crossword Puzzle – topical

Biblical Theology 101 Crossword Puzzle – theology

Biblical Theology 101 Crossword Puzzle – methodology

Biblical Theology 101 Crossword Puzzle – history

Biblical Theology 101 Crossword Puzzle – global metanarratives

Biblical Theology 101 Crossword Puzzle – Exegesis

 

 

Does Theology Matter?

statue of jesus christ on mount in evening
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Does the study of God, who He is and what He wants, matter in how we live our day-to-day lives? It does.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

American conservative icon Charlie Kirk was slain by an assassin on 10 September 2025. Within hours, flaming rhetoric from both sides flooded the airwaves and social media. Many called Kirk a faithful Christian, husband, father, and rebuilder of America. Some called him a bigot and a sexist. Real harm results. Conservatives lost jobs for speech that the left considered unacceptable under Biden, and liberals are losing jobs for speech that the right considers unacceptable under Trump.

Our local Republican party wanted to honor Charlie’s legacy with a vigil for him at the local baseball stadium. The idea, in the minds of some, was to hold a vigil to pray for him, though he was dead. One woman mentioned that honoring Kirk for his life and work was appropriate, but praying for him, that is, praying for the dead, was not. A middle-aged politician replied, “Let’s not debate theology. We just want to get together and say a few prayers.”

The issue is not “should we pray for the dead?” The issue is “should we debate theology?” A related question is “does true theology, the opinion of God, matter?” God has an opinion on prayer for the dead, and is it worth our time to learn what that opinion is? It seems that our politician friend did not care to discover what is scripturally true, at least at that moment. We need to ask ourselves, “Does theology matter?”

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The Red Heifer and the End Times

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Many people point to the sacrifice of the red heifer, detailed in Numbers 19, as a key sign of the end times, the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, and the return of Christ. But the Temple Mount, the site of the Temple is currently occupied by the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, considered the third most holy place in Islam. There is no room for both.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Many Christians are concerned about or fascinated by the end times, which in the Bible is the time when Jesus Christ comes back to earth to perform the last judgment and usher in His final kingdom. For Muslims and Jews, the end times also involve the final judgment (the Day of the Lord) and the restoration of all things. Traditions about sacrificing cattle to usher in prosperity now and the end times to come exist in many cultures. In ancient Chinese religion, the emperor sacrificed a bull in an annual ceremony in the Temple of Heaven to give man the blessing of Shang Di, the creator god.[1]

This article will look at the red heifer ceremony from the perspective of the Christian Bible. In the Old Testament, Isaiah 2:12, Joel 2:31, Amos 5:18-20, Zephaniah 1:8, and Daniel 12:12 mention the Day of the Lord. In the New Testament, Matthew 24:29-31, Acts 2:20, 2 Corinthians 1:14, and 2 Peter 3:8-10 expand on the earlier revelation.

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Sikhism

Sikhism
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A small religion worldwide but a major force in India, Sikhism combines Muslim, Hindu, and other elements with temporal and spiritual power. Known for their skill in combat, Sikhs have established a major presence in the security industry worldwide.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

India has been a both a hotbed and a mixing pot of religious fervor for most of human history. Brahmanism flourished in the second millennium before Christ and grew into modern Hinduism over the centuries. Jainism and then Buddhism arose in the northeast in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. From the west of the Indus River, Zoroastrianism and the ancient Greek philosophies shaped the religious world from Sindh to Gujarat. Five hundred years later, in the first century, Christians came from the lands of the setting sun.

From AD 700 to 1100, another contender for the allegiance of man, Islam, swept into India. Naval raids gave way to land attacks which developed into armies and battles. The Indians finally collapsed and for the next 600 years, the standard of the Prophet was raised from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka. Over time, millions of Hindus adopted the religion of their conquerors.

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Judaism

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Small in size but huge in impact, the religion of the Jews has formed the historical and intellectual foundation for Christianity and Islam, the first and second largest religions in the world.  Discover Judaism.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Nearly 4,000 years ago, a wealthy Sumerian rancher and his family left Ur on the Persian Gulf and travelled to Haran in northern Mesopotamia. With him came a rejection of the prevalent polytheism of the time and an unshakeable conviction that there was only one God. Every civilization, from the Bantu to the Chinese, worshipped gods of the air, the sun, the storm, various animals, ancestors, and host of other “deities.” This man opposed them all. Later, he and his barren wife, along with servants and other household members, moved southwest to Canaan.

The man’s name was Abram, later Abraham (c. 1800 BC). His wife’s name was Sarai, later Sarah. Their belief in the one true God, and Him only, laid the foundation for the Hebrew people, the Old Testament, the Messiah, the New Testament, and the Church. Additionally, the Quran, the umma, and the Dar al Islam had strong Jewish and Christian influences.

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Jainism

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Jainism is the smallest major Indian religious, with about 4 million adherents. Nonetheless, they have a notable impact on the world around us. Join with me in discussing Jainism.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

As the Babylonians crashed through the walls of Jerusalem and the sun set on the Israelite monarchy (586 BC), Lao-tzu (604-521 BC) assembled the set of concepts known as Taoism in China, and the Classical Age (510-320 BC) stirred in Greece. Soon, Siddartha Gautama (560-480 BC) would introduce Buddhism from northeast India (modern Nepal). Farther south and west, another religion emerged from the mists of Indian spirituality, Jainism.

History

Jains claim that Jainism was founded 8.4 million years ago. Vardhamana (Mahavira, 599-527 BC) was a prince who, as legend has it, left his palace at age 30 to begin 12 years of rigorous asceticism. He achieved perfect enlightenment, attracted many followers, and starved himself to death at age 72. Emperor Ashoka (273-232 BC), grandson of Chandragupta (350-295 BC), led the Mauryan Empire and followed the Jain faith. As a tiny fish swimming in a Hindu (and to a lesser extent, Buddhist) pool, Jainism did not play a prominent role in ancient Indian history.

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