Oliver T. Shepherd

Functional Faith

One question a week. Worth sitting with.

No spam. One question a week.

An oil lamp burning in a simple first-century house

We are not saved by the substance of the Messenger — but by our participation in the Mercy of his Message.

Core Thesis

Verse of the Week

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 · BSB

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New verse or scene every Monday

Featured

The Question

What If We've Been Asking the Wrong Question About Jesus?

In 325 AD a council of bishops gathered to answer a question Jesus never asked. The wrong question has been running the show ever since.

7 min read

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How to Read the Translation for Translators — and Why It Is Worth the Effort

The Translation for Translators looks strange at first. Gold brackets. Triangles. Abbreviations in the middle of sentences. Once you understand what they mean, it becomes one of the most honest translations available.

6 min read · Sep 6, 2026

The Question

The Name Above All Names: What We Call God and Why It Matters Less Than You Think

The debate over whether to say Yahweh or Jehovah has occupied scholars for centuries. But it rests on a misunderstanding of how names actually work — one that a linguist, a philosopher, and a traveller to Jordan could all correct.

10 min read · Aug 31, 2026

The Pioneer

What Did Jesus Die On? The Word the Church Translated and What It Actually Means

There is a word in the Greek New Testament that has been translated the same way for so long that most people assume the translation is the word itself. The word is stauros. It is worth asking what it actually means.

8 min read · Aug 15, 2026

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One question. Worth sitting with.

Outside the Walls

What the Person Who Left the Church Was Actually Looking For

They were not looking for permission to sin. They were not looking for a faith without demands. They were looking for the real thing. And they left because what was on offer was not it.

8 min read · Jul 27, 2026

Outside the Walls

You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out Before You Begin

The disciples were confused for most of the time they spent with Jesus. They misunderstood the parables. They fell asleep when he needed them. He commissioned them anyway.

5 min read · Jul 20, 2026

Outside the Walls

The Wall Jesus Never Built: A Conversation Worth Having

There is a wall between Christianity and Islam. Between Christianity and Judaism. Between the church and the skeptic. Jesus did not build these walls. He consistently moved toward the people on the other side of them.

6 min read · Jul 13, 2026

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Functional Faith

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What If We've Been Asking the Wrong Question About Jesus?

How to Read the Translation for Translators — and Why It Is Worth the Effort

The Name Above All Names: What We Call God and Why It Matters Less Than You Think

What Did Jesus Die On? The Word the Church Translated and What It Actually Means

Join the conversation. New article every week.

What the Person Who Left the Church Was Actually Looking For

You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out Before You Begin

The Wall Jesus Never Built: A Conversation Worth Having

Find Your Tradition

30 Days with the Pioneer

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