Every So Often Links

I often run across things I’d like to mention on this blog just to call folks’ attention to them, but I hate numerous, short blog entries in which my only contribution is to say, “Hey! Look at this!”

So I think that every so often I’ll provide a series of links to things that I find exceptionally interesting for some reason or another. I’ll try to keep these short and group them by topic so you can find anything you might be interested in quickly. I’m not sure how regularly I’ll do this, but we’ll see. This will also give me an opportunity to link to some of my own material on the more specialized blogs I contribute to without cluttering this one up with excessive numbers of posts.

Theology

Since I so regularly find things to dislike about William Dembski and his blog (Uncommon Descent), I should mention that I really enjoyed his recent article on theodicy, Christian Theodicy in the Light of Genesis and Modern Science. I disagree with him quite profoundly, but I found the article well-written. I hope to have time to write a response sometime soon. (I started with the first version, and my link is to a revision, but you might as well go to the most recent version.)

Methodism

Head on over to Locusts and Honey and get into the discussion on Changes to the UMC Candidacy Process. How important is doctrinal orthodoxy in your choice of pastor?

Nate Loucks has an interesting entry on Funding for the Poor which I found via the Wesley Daily.

Chris Morgan’s post Just Wondering, also found via Wesley Daily (whatever would I do without Shane Raynor?), set me to wondering why we don’t set about cleaning up the act on our own side of the political spectrum instead of complaining about the other side. But then Chris continued with a nice post along that very line, titled Bipartisan Corruption.

Bible Translation

Wayne Leman has started a new series over on the Better Bibles Blog, discussing some material by Wayne Grudem and Jerry Thacker, titled Key Issues Re: Bible Translation: critique #1. I enjoyed the first entry. Wayne is always very careful, and gentle but thorough in his critiques.

From My Specialized Blogs

On the Participatory Bible Study Blog, I’ve been discussing the priesthood as taught in the book of Hebrews, starting with What is a Priest?. The series is interrupted by some discussion of 1 Corinthians 1 and 2, Baptized Foolishness. I will be continuing my series there on the book of Hebrews, but interspersing it with a few comments on other scriptures.

On the Pacesetters Bible School Newsletter, I am doing a series on designing personal continuing education for pastors, starting here. Too frequently, continuing education is a matter of checking off the appropriate boxes on a form. What do you need to study?

I also just started The Jevlir Caravansary, a place to play with poetry and fiction. You won’t see any more posts here about my fiction reading. That will allow me to stick to religion and society issues with my focus on the religion side here, and have fun there.

Just Plain Funny

DaveScot’s posting of a known hoax over on Uncommon XXXX, and the great fun had by all in trashing him for it. It was the sort of fascination that keeps you watching a multi-car pileup on the interstated. You really don’t want to see another car crash, but you just can’t stop watching! Start with Ed Brayton over on Dispatches from the Culture Wars. I do have to add my two cents worth here. I’m a Christian who teaches on prayer and advocates prayer in your home and in your church. People can pray in the military. It’s fine, and they should pray, but you do nothing for prayer or the kingdom of God by perpetuating a well-known hoax. I would add that real spirituality isn’t helped by putting the force of the state behind it, which is why I am strongly in favor of separation of church and state.

Well, that’s it for the moment. I make no effort to produce a comprehensive list of anything. These are just things that caught my eye.