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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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It’s Raining Books, Hallelujah!
I haven’t been blogging much for the last two weeks, as I’ve been pretty busy with other things. While I was too busy to get right two them, all four books that I had on interlibrary loan arrived at the same time, one of the unfortunate problems of requesting lists of books. Several of them…
A Forest of Signs and Waving People
I headed out to vote yesterday in the Florida primary. We had contests for a number of local offices. I’m registered with no party affiliation, but there was one non-partisan race that needed thinning out and one race that would be settled by the Republican primary. It was a fairly easy task to fill out…
Logos Blog is Back and Free Commentary Offer
I got an e-mail late yesterday telling me that the Logos Blog is back and advertising a free commentary volume. I find the Logos software to be an essential of my Bible study day, and though I know very little about the commentary series that is offered (Cornerstone), the names involved read like a who’s…
Numbers out of Context
Here’s a quick example from Metacatholic. See how the meaning changes?
Methodists and Evolution
I reported some time ago that the United Methodist General Conference had passed some resolutions in support of evolution and opposing teaching faith based ideas in the public school science classroom. There’s a story in the Fort Wayne, Indiana Journal-Gazette about how this happened and the role of a local church member. I have observed…
He Wouldn’t Be on my Long List
. . . but Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his running mate.
Added to Blogroll: Biblical Theology
The new Biblical Theology blog looks like a good new source of things to talk about from posts written by highly qualified contributors. (HT: awilum.com.)
Anchor Bible for Logos
In comments to my earlier post on the Anchor Bible for pastors, Kent notes that the Anchor Bible will soon be available. One of the best ways to avoid getting bogged down in details is to employ the search capabilities of an electronic version the ability to hyperlink from Scripture references to the Greek text…
Well-Placed Faith
I occasionally write something for my wife’s devotional list, and this morning she needed me to write. I had intended to post this one (Well-Placed Faith) here, but decided to use it as a devotional this morning. It’s some brief thoughts on faith, attitude, and commitment, from a Christian and devotional point of view.
All Comments Accidentally Closed
I’m not sure what happened, but on this blog and two others all comments were suddenly closed. The only common element between the three blogs was one plug-in, and I’m checking to see what may have happened. If anyone tried to comment but was unable to do so, it’s not because I have altered my…
Denominationalism – The Disease
Consider these situations: A Sunday School class for young adults is growing by leaps and bounds. Many young men and women who are not members of the church are showing up just for the class. The church leadership shuts the class down because it is not using denominationally approved curriculum. A speaker who is not…
NLT Study Bible – Initial Reaction
I intended to get started on my response to the NLT Study Bible (Bible Nlt) written a bit earlier, but several things have kept me from getting started. I’m going to write two posts today and tomorrow. This first one is simply a quick, preliminary reaction to this new study edition based on the NLT…
Georgia and Ossetia – Asking the Right Questions
I am not proposing answers at this point, because I haven’t had time to study the situation in any detail, but it seems to me the right time to point out some problems with the questions. It appears to me that almost everything I read about the situation with Georgia, Russia, and Ossetia involves ad…
Amateur Extra
No, not an extra in a movie, Amateur Radio Extra class license. This post should fall under the category of “personal” and “bragging”, but yesterday evening I took and passed the text for my Amateur Extra class license. What does this let me do? Well, pretty much nothing that I couldn’t do already, and wasn’t…
Todd Bentley’s Marriage
I had thought about writing something on this, but I think this post says most of what I would say, only better. Especially considering that there has been no marital infidelity reported, and folks have been upfront in with this, it doesn’t seem to me to provide any new basis to judge Bentley’s ministry. I…
How Incarnational?
Well, it seems to be my day for linking, which is not surprising. (For those who wonder why I’ve been blogging less, though I think I’m still blogging quite a lot, it’s because I have to file a form 990EZ for a non-profit with which I’m involved. It is really not that complex, but I’m…
John Hobbins on TUCC
When I wrote much earlier about Jeremiah Wright, I tried just a little bit to put it in context of the African American church as I’ve experienced it. That effort was weakened by the fact that I’ve never attended TUCC, and thus anyone could say I was reflecting a very different experience based on those…
Forgiving or Excusing
I’ve noticed in recent discussions both online and offline that there seems to be some fuzziness about the difference between these two concepts. I think that perhaps our human tendency is to either excuse or condemn. By “excusing” I mean either minimizing a transgression or perhaps even claiming it’s not a transgression at all. When…
Living Biblically
I could have told him this wouldn’t work: On the other hand, it appears to me that he learned a number of lessons that Christians would do well to learn, such as the fact that we all pick and choose. The question is really whether our criteria for choosing are appropriate.
Photo and Haiku at Quiet Paths
Every so often Christine’s photos and/or Haiku are so good that I just have to call your attention to them. Stairways is great.
Two Good Things from Church
My pastor (First United Methodist Church, Pensacola) today caught my attention in a special way two different times. The first was when he announced the reading for his sermon. We had already read the gospel lesson, and the Psalm was included in the call to worship. He then said that we needed to take the…
Edwards: Is Marital Fidelity Strictly Personal?
I have posted before on the sex scandals involving Larry Craig and David Vitter. Now with the admission of infidelity by John Edwards, we have yet another sex scandal. One response, as is often the case with marital infidelity, is to claim that this is strictly a personal issue, one between him and his wife….
Redistribution: Wealth and Responsibility
I blogged a couple of days ago about redistribution of wealth, and then I read this post at Pursuing Holiness that discusses responsibility. Putting the two together it occurred to me that both are cases of redistribution–one of responsibility and the other of money. In censorship, we take the responsibility for choosing away from the…
Christian Carnival CCXXXVI Posted
. . . at Brain Cramps for God. Lots of food for thought. Oh for more reading time!