Evangelical scholars seek to discover if the church has misread the Bible.
A pastor steps up to the pulpit one Sunday morning and denounces the behavior of the apostle Peter in Acts 5. He says Peter abused his power by hurling threats upon Ananias and Sapphira for their sin, causing them to die on the spot as a result of the horror he inflicted. The pastor s message is that we should not abuse our power over our children, the poor, and our neighbors. While the pastor s message might grab attention, most would agree that it entirely misses the point of Acts 5. The same way anyone else would, says Moises Silva, general editor of Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation.