The Ghost of Marcion: What Paul’s Letters Really Say

Daniel BotkinJanuary 201325 min readAwaiting author

If a person has a fair amount of exposure to Mainstream Christianity, and a familiarity with the Bible, he may notice that Mainstream Christianity often de-emphasizes the Old Testament and puts a disproportionate amount of emphasis on Paul’s epistles. I would hesitate to say that any part of the Scriptures can be overemphasized. However, if we give uncalled-for weight and emphasis to certain parts of the Bible, and neglect what

About the author

Daniel Botkin is a writer, teacher, artist, and musician and speaks at churches, Messianic congregations, and conferences across the nation. He has published the bimonthly Gates of Eden magazine since 1995 (please visit his website to request a copy). He and his wife Teresa live in East Peoria, IL and shepherd Gates of Eden Messianic Congregation. Daniel has a B.S. in Art from Illinois State University and a Doctorate in literature from the Evangelical Reformed Methodist Church. For more information on Dr. Botkin, or to support his ministry, please visit www.GatesOfEden.org.

gatesofeden.online

More from Daniel Botkin

Awaiting authorJanuary 2, 2019

Who Were the Judaizers?: The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15

“And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, and said, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved .” (Emphasis mine) The main question of the so-called Jerusalem Council was not “how should Gentiles behave?” The question was “what do Gentiles need to do in order to be saved?” Some of the believers from Judea said that if the Gentiles wanted

8 min read

Awaiting authorApril 20, 2015

The Lasting Influence of Gerhard Kittel, Nazi Theologian

Gerhard Kittel (1888-1948) Gerhard Kittel was a Christian professor who lived in Nazi Germany during the 1930s. His area of expertise was Judaism of New Testament times. Prior to 1933 Mr. Kittel published works in which he praised the Jewish people and the Talmud and emphasized the Jewish roots of Christianity. In 1933, however, Gerhard Kittel joined the Nazi party. This was the same year that the Protestant church of

6 min read

Awaiting authorJanuary 7, 2015

The Legalist, the Liberal, and the Faithful Disciple

The Legalist tries to obey by his own will and effort. He won’t get the field plowed in time to sow seed. The Liberal thinks obedience is unimportant because we’re justified by grace. He just demonstrates that faith without works is dead. The Faithful Disciple knows that obedience must be harnessed to and dependent on the grace of God.

1 min read