THE NEWSLETTER OF IBTM
with Douglas Jacoby
31 May 2026
I’m en route to the Antioch Seminar (some 1100 km away), during which we will (literally) trace the route of Saul and Barnabas on the First Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14). This event occurs every even year. Perhaps you will join us in 2028? I also preached in Athens this evening. (See photo of Theo and Maria, Athens church leaders.)
In the meantime, I’m in Athens, looking up at the Parthenon, a Greek temple—atop the Acropolis—in honor of Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom and war, among other things. (Parthénos is the Greek word for virgin—hence the Parthenon.) Indeed, the Greeks have long looked for wisdom (1 Cor 1:22). Think Socrates, Plato, Aristotle.
Speaking of wisdom… As many of you know, the motto of our website is “Think about faith.” I appreciate a brother from New Jersey who agrees, though with a corollary: “If you don't learn to think for yourself, someone else will do it for you.” How true! Yet on the one hand, we need others to teach us—and that requires humility. On the other hand, we are called to learn on our own—and that requires diligence (Heb 5:11-14).
My prayer is that our bulletins stimulate and nudge us in that direction. Thank you for reading it, and special thanks to our financial supporters, who make this ministry possible.
She Memorized the Book of Job—in Hebrew!
from Tyndale House
Dr. Ellie Paley—known for memorizing the entire book of Job in Hebrew—joins us for a remarkable conversation on the profound questions Job raises about God and suffering, along with the obvious question: How on earth did she memorize 1070 verses in Hebrew?
Even if you know Job well, this conversation is packed with insights that may surprise you and deepen your appreciation for one of Scripture's most compelling books. Enjoy listening!
Click the image to watch the interview.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?
by Greg Koukl, Stand to Reason (Rapid Fire, 5/1/2026)
This guideline was popularized by the late astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan. A version of this view was also shared by empiricist philosopher David Hume. The dictum is repeated frequently by skeptics to summarily disqualify foundational claims of Christianity—specifically, belief in the God of the Bible and the miracles recorded in the text, especially Jesus’ miraculous resurrection.
The chief flaw here is that no clarity is given to what “extraordinary” in either sense—claims or evidence—actually means.
Sagan was a naturalist whose self-professed agnosticism bordered on functional atheism. For him, empirical science was the final measure of truth, and the question of God was the kind of question naturalistic methods couldn’t directly assess, ergo his intractable skepticism on the issue. KEEP READING
Precisely Nothing
by Roland Earnst
From Does God Exist? Q1 2026. Used with permission from John Clayton of DoesGodExist.org.
What is “precisely nothing”? Theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss used that phrase in the preface of his 2012 New York Times best-selling book titled A Universe from Nothing. Krauss, at that time, was a professor at Arizona State University and head of the Origins Project there. He later lost that position due to “moral failure,” and he is now an anti-theist blogger. An anti-theist is more than just an atheist; he does not believe in God but also actively opposes faith in a Creator. Like other anti-theists, he believes that faith in God is not only wrong but also harmful to society. CONTINUE READING
Question & Answer
We continue to add to the bank of Q&As—which in a few years should reach 2000. Here are most of the latest.
Q 1757—What is the Ascension—and why is it significant?
The bodily return of Christ to heaven is mentioned in a number of New Testament passages (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50–53; John 20:17; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 3:16—and alluded to in a few others. This crucial event takes place on the Mount of Olives, near (though not in) Bethany (Acts 1:12; Luke 24:50).
Only now does Jesus return to heaven, whence he came (John 3:13). This must take place in order for him to accede to the throne (Acts 2:30) and give the Spirit (2:33). See John 7:39. So unless he had ascended, we would not have the Spirit dwelling in our hearts. READ THE FULL ANSWER
Q 1758—Where was Legion exorcised? Gerasa, Gadara, or Gergesa?
Where did Jesus heal Legion, the demoniac? Was it in Gerasa, Gadara, or Gergesa? The gospels seem to give different locations. Are these maybe just different names for the same place?
Actually these are three separate places. While I don’t doubt that the original manuscripts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were correct, some later copyists, perhaps unfamiliar with the geography, were confused. READ THE FULL ANSWER
Q 1759—The wrath of God was satisfied?
There is a song I really, like. It is Stuart Townend’s “In Christ Alone.” But one verse troubles me—where the lyrics include the line “The wrath of God was satisfied.” Was the Father actually angry at the Son?
I confess that my sentiments are the same. I love the song—every verse—except for that one line, which unpleasantly reminds me of the famous Jonathan Edwards sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741). READ THE FULL ANSWER
Q 1760—Soul sleep? Are the dead conscious, or not?
Do our souls sleep between death and the return of Christ?
In the New Testament, sleep is frequently used as a metaphor for death Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Cor 7:39; 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thess 4:13, 14, 15; 2 Pet 3:4. A similar thought may be found in Ps 17:15 and Dan 12:2.
There are several reasons not to take sleep as literal unconsciousness, or oblivion. READ THE FULL ANSWER
Verbal Cyanide
by Kent Hughes
This article appeared in Crossway on 6 May 2026. The author is R. Kent Hughes.
James’s principal concern in the third chapter of his epistle is with the destructive power of the tongue, and this produces a most provocative statement: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:5–6).
The tongue has awesome potential for harm, as the forest fire analogy suggests. As the story goes, on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, poor Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over the lantern as she was being milked, starting the Great Chicago Fire. That disaster blackened three and one-half miles of the city, destroying over 17,000 buildings before it was checked by gunpowder explosions on the south line of the fire. The fire lasted two days and cost over 250 lives.
But ironically, that was not the greatest inferno in the Midwest that year. Historians tell us that on the same day that dry autumn a spark ignited a raging fire in the North Woods of Wisconsin, a blaze that burned for an entire month, taking more lives than the Chicago Fire. A veritable firestorm destroyed billions of yards of precious timber—all from one spark! KEEP READING
Personal Notes
It’s been a great month for Christian fellowship and meeting new people, both in our new congregation and in the neighborhood. In the neighborhood I’ve been asked to lead a (women's) group Bible study, and with church, to lead a summer “connect group.” I’m doing it on The Second Mountain, the excellent David Brooks book.
Speaking of excellent reads, check out The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, by Alan Kreider. It’s about how the church of the earliest centuries grew—and it’s not what you think. (Prepare for some surprises.)
The Atlanta Braves front office men’s Bible study is going swimmingly. Our next mini-series will be on salvation (the Sinner’s Prayer, baptism, and more). Prayers appreciated. I’ve also recorded the first few video sermons (of 66) in a new iFaith series, “Against the Flow.” These will become available soon. Yesterday I preached in Athens, a group I’ve often spoken for through the years.
I’m healing well from the surgeries, Vicki and I are enjoying our new puppy, and doing the ministry together, which is a joy. Last, thanks for your prayers and support.
The puppy approaches 30lbs
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