Featured Posts
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What Is Biblical Literacy?
We complain about it, write about it, claim it’s important or even critical, design programs to create it, but what is it? I don’t mean that none of us know what we mean when we say “biblically literate” or “biblically illiterate,” but do we all mean the same thing? I don’t think we do, and…
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Fences: Mending or Rending
The following is a sermon I presented at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Pensacola on September 11,2005 and originally posted here on September 13, 2005. I’m reposting it because when I went to look for it, I found that the original post had somehow been truncated, and also because there is a one word at a…
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Experiencing the (Baptism of the) Holy Spirit
This is a topic where I tend to make just about everyone uncomfortable. Long time readers may recall a previous discussion of speaking in tongues, and my own experience of it. Those who expect me to be intellectually oriented and rational are uncomfortable with mystical experiences, and many who are comfortable with the mystical experiences…
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Great Days but Bad Quarters
Rossini said of Wagner that he had great moments but bad quarter hours. I’m paraphrasing this as a short post-mortem on President George W. Bush. I think that several times during his presidency, George Bush showed the potential for greatness, but only for a moment. The way in which he has handled the transition, for…
Quote of the Day 1-20-09
From Bruce Alderman: To be honest, I think the ugliest thing about Christianity is the pervasiveness of preachers and apologists who try to scare people into the faith, and who seek to reduce their flocks’ exposure to other viewpoints. … The entire post is worth reading. There’s a great deal of good material in the…
Is Tomorrow a Down Payment on the Dream?
On Meet the Press on Sunday Tavis Smiley made a comment that stuck with me. I have to extract this from a longer statement, and you can find the whole thing here. He said: … I think, though, it’s important to state that Obama’s election is a down payment on King’s dream, it is not…
Some More Well-Considered(?) Legislation
In pursuing the laudable goal of keeping lead out of children’s it looks like congress may have been just as thoughtful as usual. More on evangelical outpost.
Mounce on What the Greek Says
Bill Mounce, author of the wonderful Basics of Biblical Greek, which I have used in teaching, has a post at Koinonia titled <em>Matthew 7:26-Is a moros a moron</em>, with the very proper answer–NO! There are two things I’d like to call attention to in this post. The first is an excellent illustration of the false…
Design Language and Evolution
Charles Jones has a post a Power of Suggestion in which he notes the following: But evolution cant allow things, because its unguided. And it cant make any mistakes, because it makes no decisions. Take note: whenever people try to explain how something happens through evolution, they always resort to the language of design. Now…
Series on Chauvinistic Passages in the Bible
Christopher Smith has written a three part series on chauvinistic passages in the Bible. The passages are: 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 1 Timothy 2:11-15 In general I agree with what he writes, though I think the balance of evidence is slightly in favor of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. I tended the other way on…
Before Going to Theology School
… or as soon afterward as practicable, read this. (HT: Pseudo-Polymath.)
Quote of the Day 1-19-09
From Only Wonder Understands: This week, in working on a sermon on transforming discipleship (drawing on some materials by Trevor Hudson) I was reminded that Jesus always values people over efficiency and effectiveness. One might also remember that what is efficient will depend on what one’s goal is. And yes, I think it’s a good…
Lecture on 1 Corinthians 6
I’m including audio of my lecture on 1 Corinthians 6 from 2003. This is more than 20 minutes of audio, so be prepared for the download times. {audio}03_1_Cor_6.mp3{/audio}
Epiphany 2B – Thoughts and Themes
The texts are 1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20), Psalm 139:1-6,13-18, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, and John 1:43-51. The common theme that stuck in my mind was on receiving God’s word. We frequently focus on how God gives his word, how reliable it is, how reliable God is, and how we must trust what God says. But how often…
And Now, Prayers from Everybody
… or almost, that is. According to this Christian Post story, quite a variety of clergy have joined in the various services that will be involved in the inauguration. So if people want to bash Rev. Rick Warren or Bishop Gene Robinson, they should at least consider the broader range of targets available. Before anyone…
New Display Option for Moderate Christian Blogroll
I write about it here.
Who’s Afraid of the Old Testament God?
When I teach people about how to study the Bible, and especially when I talk to them about handling difficult passages, there is one category of passage that dominates: Violent and sometimes difficult to understand passages from the Old Testament. How can a God of love command the slaughter of thousands, even women and children?…
Christian Carnival CCLIX Posted
. . . at Parableman. Check it out!
Proving the Virgin Birth
. . . or not. Bruce Alderman has a good post about Tipler’s efforts in this regard. (Peter Kirk has also discussed this, and both articles are well worth reading. Physicists seem to look at the world a bit differently than I do, and I often don’t understand what they’re up to, but for me…
Now Rick Warren is in REAL Trouble
According to OneNewsNow, an organization only slightly less paranoid than WorldNetDaily, Rick Warren is praising President-Elect Obama for inviting Bishop Gene Robinson to pray at the inauguration as well. After supporting Proposition 8 in California and then accepting the President-Elect’s invitation, it’s possible that nobody will be happy with Rick Warren any more. They note…
Christian Carnival CCLIX Posted
. . . at Parableman. Check it out! My post this week was not from this blog, but this one from my Threads blog.
Interpreting the Bible IV – Scientific Statements
In my daily reading I encounter many different types of literature, each of which relates to the science I know in a different way. For example, I might read a newspaper, in which case the question is just what is an article about. Is it about art? I will look at it through one set…
Bill Arnold on the Composition of Genesis
I have written quite a bit about this topic on this blog, and am also doing a series related to it on my Threads blog, so I was glad to see another summary article (HT: Dr. Platypus). Most lay people are not well acquainted with critical theories about the Pentateuch, as they get the briefest…
Some Thoughts on a Methodist Experiment
Kevin Watson has provided an update on his social media experiment with a YouTube video, which I posted here, and frankly I’m a bit disappointed. Now I know that many of us in the blogosphere, and similarly in the methoblogosphere, are wary of getting roped in to publicize something, such as Kevin Watson’s book. I…
Let Them Pray Together
Bruce Alderman has a wonderful suggestion for Bishop Gene Robinson and Rev. Rick Warren: Personally, what I’d like to see is for Robinson and Warren to sit down and say a prayer together. This issue shouldn’t tear the church apart, regardless of who is right. If nothing else, we could call it loving enemies and…
Interpreting the Bible III – The Impact of Inerrancy
Update (1/15/09): For those in the habit of reading posts and skipping comments, I want to note that there is an important and substantial exchange of comments between Peter Kirk (Gentle Wisdom), Jeremy Pierce (Parableman), and myself that helps clarify this issue substantially. In my first post in this series, I made the following comment…
Cleaning Blogroll
One more administrative post for the day–I’m cleaning my blogroll. I am removing many links that are duplicated with the external blogrolls I display (Moderate Christian Blogroll, Unright Christian Blogs, Philophronos Blogroll, and the Methoblog). I am also removing defunct blogs. If your blog disappeared from the roll completely, and it’s not defunct, please let…