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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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Periodic Diatribe on Moderation
It would be nice to have a different word for this that carried less baggage, but if you make up a word, who will understand? Besides I think moderation in general has gotten a bad name. I’ve encountered this recently with regard to the Lakeland Revival. In general I have taken little flack online, but…
Bentley and Lakeland on MSNBC
There’s an article here. Looks pretty neutral.
An Argument for Disestablishing the Major Parties
Watching the debate about the Michigan and Florida primaries has been instructive in many ways. I’ve previously noted that I come at it from two different angles. First, the states broke the rules and thus deserve to be penalized, though why this penalty should be complete elimination of the delegation I don’t know. Second, the…
In Niagara Falls, NY
I’m up in these parts, far from the sunny beaches, to be with my mother for her 90th birthday which is today. She is an amazing woman who is still lively, uses a cane but walks too quickly for many younger people, continues to volunteer in projects at church, helps tutor people who are willing…
Appearance of the Form of the Glory
In today’s Running Toward the Goal podcast, recorded on the road with apologies for the quality, I discuss Ezekiel 1:28. I thought that as additional reference I’d provide my discussion of these terms from my college paper originally written in 1979. This is unchanged from the original form. (This extract is an appendix to the…
Revival, Faith Healing, and Healing Prayer
Update (5/27/08): Before you conclude that I’m a deist and that I don’t believe in any miracles at all, please read the discussion in the comments, where, to put it briefly I affirm both healing miracles and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. These are things I accept by faith, however, whilst doubting one’s ability to…
Misplaced Grief
My wife has written a post about a family who is suing the wrong people in their grief.
Exceptional Church Service at 1st UMC Niagara Falls
Even when traveling I like to make it to church, and I especially like to visit new churches and see just what they’re doing. One often ends up in an annoying service, but I’ve also had some of my most encouraging moments with regard to the state of the church in attending services I picked…
In Niagara Falls, NY
I spent yesterday traveling, and thus no blogging. Well, I could have, but I didn’t! I’m in the Niagara Falls, NY area for my mother’s 90th birthday. She’s still very active and involved in church and service projects as she has been all her life. You can read more about her and her book that…
Hillary Clinton and the Black Knight
This video is pretty funny: HT: One Thing I Know.
Hunting Down the Holy Spirit
One interesting privilege I had during the Brownsville Revival here in Pensacola was meeting groups going to and from the revival. At the time I was a member of Pine Forest United Methodist Church, and groups would stay in the Family Life Center there in order to be in range to get to the revival…
Received: For the Life of the World
In some much earlier discussions on health care, which I never really completed in any satisfactory manner, I was discussing Alexander Schmemann’s book For the Life of the World with Mark Olson of Pseudo-Polymath. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a copy of the book so as to discuss it intelligently. I sent off for one via…
Yes, Race Influences my Vote
There! That should be provocative enough as a title. Actually this post will be more of a gathering of election thoughts at this point in the campaign. But first, to honor the title, I think that there are very few people in this country who can honestly claim that race has no influence on their…
Pelicans win 2nd Game in Series against Sports 4-0
. . . and our son’s friend Brandon Sing (also our house guest) hit a two run homer in the first. Story in the Pensacola News Journal.
Robert Reich on Gladiator Politics
I would suggest that everyone read this post. When Robert Reich was Secretary of Labor I didn’t like him that much, but he is truly expressing wisdom in this post.
Meditations on a Healing Service
Or perhaps I should call it thoughts resulting from meditations on a healing service. But that makes a long title. I’ve mentioned here before that my wife and I recently transferred our membership to First United Methodist Church in Pensacola. This past Sunday we had the opportunity to attend a healing service at our new…
Faithful Promises: Psalm 12
One of the long term projects I have for this blog is to take a brief look at the major passages of scripture that relate to inspiration or that are used in discussions about it. I’m taking these passages from various sources, including comments made on this blog, but also from personal conversations, books, letters,…
4 Posts on Scripture
A roundup at the Moderate Christian Blogroll blog.
Pelicans Back Home – Win 5-3
Update: The Pensacola News Journal now has a report here. After a depressing road trip and a delay filled return, the Pelicans got off to a late start against the Shreveport Sports. John Webb (my stepson, for those who haven’t realized it yet!) started for the Pelicans and went 6.2, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned….
Fairness vs. Fairness
With a hat tip to evangelical outpost, I present this quote from P. J. O’Rourke in the LA Times. The Bible is very clear about one thing: Using politics to create fairness is a sin. Observe the Tenth Commandment. The first nine commandments concern theological principles and social law: Thou shalt not make graven images,…
4 Posts
I’ve decided to start a series of irregular but hopefully frequent posts on the Moderate Christian Blogroll blog for the purpose of trying to increase interaction. You can read the explanation, or see the first entry, 4 Posts on Christian Apologetics.
Sermon Today on Genesis 1:1-2:4a
I want to recommend another sermon from the senior pastor at our new church, Pensacola First UMC, Dr. Wesley Wachob. I should note that they usually post audio from a different service than the one I attend, and he doesn’t follow a precise written text, so there may be some difference. There were two reasons…
A Remarkable Piece of Anti-Evolutionary Logic
Via Quintessence of Dust I found this post at Reasons to Believe, with the following interesting paragraph: The fundamental problem with evolution as a scientific theory is that it is neither predictive nor falsifiable. Embryologist and geneticist C. H. Waddington says, The theory of evolution is unfalsifiable
If an animal evolves one way, biologists have…
Does Science Education Lead to Atheism
Several discussions have led me to think about this question over the last few days. There is a significant group of scientists who think that the inevitable result of scientific knowledge is a loss of faith or a turn to atheism. On the other side of the line there is a significant group of fundamentalist…