Featured Posts
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
Social Notes (see all)
All Posts
Theodicy Interview Series
Yesterday I interviewed Dr. Robert LaRochelle as the first in a series of interviews on theodicy. You can find more information on this series on the page titled, shockingly, Theodicy Interview Series, which also includes the questions that will be asked of each interviewee for this series.
Church Titles, Anyone?
I have frequently observed that if we were to understand the way authority works in the Kingdom of God, we would have less arguments about who gets what title. Maybe we’d drop as many titles as possible. Dave Black comments on this, and quotes Markus Barth today. I think he has a point.
Link: On the Participles of Hebrews 6:4-6
Via Dave Black, I found this post, which outlines the participles of this passage well. I have expressed my view on this passage previously, and it takes the participles into account and aligns with one of the positions suggested.
Why Digitize Manuscripts
An extremely brief rundown from the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts. I really appreciate the work of this group, though I rarely need to consult a manuscript directly, and then usually only to ooh and aah over some feature mentioned by an expert. But all the tools I use benefit from making…
Are the Pillars Choking Your Church?
I wrote this essay some time ago. I’m strongly in favor of caring for our long-term church members, those who keep the church going through thick and thin, and have been doing so for a long time. But as a member of the long-enduring group, I advocate every effort being made for the next generation,…
Book: The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism
In my business role as president of Energion Publications, I’ve just cleared the proofs for the release of the book The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism by Dr. Harry Sturz. This is a reproduction of the original book, released in 1984 and is produced under license from HarperCollins Christian Books. Note: This discussion…
Being with One Who Grieves
From my Twitter feed: When you sit with a griever, your work is to be with them where they are, not drag them out where you are more comfortable. — Diane Langberg, PhD (@DianeLangberg) April 28, 2022 Truly excellent advice!
Believing Impossible Things
In Alice in Wonderland, the queen says that sometimes she has believed six impossible things before breakfast. A fair number of years ago, someone told me that in response to points of my Christian faith. The aim was most likely to shock or offend me. How did I respond? I don’t recall what I said….
Using Greek from the Pulpit
David Alan Black, Greek professor and author of a number of books on languages, suggests you don’t use Greek from the pulpit. Speak emancipating truth in a way that all can understand, and we will thank you for it. Dave Black Online I agree, and add the fact that in most cases when I’ve heard…
A God Without Wrath
… a God without wrath does not plan to do much liberating. Indeed, that God’s anger is kindled when harm is done to the least among us not only gives us hope that earthly injustices don’t have the last word but also insight into God’s compassionate nature. Deanna Thompson, Deuteronomy (Belief: a Theological Cimmentary on…
Kierkegaard on Heresies
“The established church is far more dangerous to Christianity than any heresy or schism. We play at Christianity. We use all the orthodox Christian terminology — but everything, everything withour character …. There is something frightful in the fact that the most dangerous thing of all, playing at Christianity, is never included in the list…
Review: Grace & Truth Study Bible
This review is of a Bible I received as a #BibleGatewayPartner. When I set out to review a Bible, I find it difficult to determine precisely what I should discuss. There is the translation it is based on, the nature and extent of the notes, the theological positions that drive those notes, and elements of…
Suicide Recovery at Church
This video is my interview with Dr. Veronica Sites, author of the newly released book Love Me to Life: Suicide Recovery at Church. I was particularly pleased both to publish this book and to do this interview because suicide is often ignored or swept under the rug in the church. This results in harm to…
Inerrancy and Understanding
I’ve just added Understanding the Bible – With and Without Inerrancy to the Energion Publications YouTube channel. I am the interviewer for this video, and am talking with two very good friends, Alden Thompson, who was my undergraduate advisor, and Elgin Hushbeck, Jr., a friend since the mid-1990s when we met on the old CompuServer…
The Healing Hands of Jesus
My brother, Dr. Robert Neufeld, preserved a recording of our father preaching, something he did not do all that often. Dr. Raymond D. Neufeld spent his life in service as a doctor. He didn’t talk about it a great deal. He just kept doing what he believed was right. In this recording, the final 2…
The Importance of Being Questioned
When I’m having a discussion of something about which I have some expertise, say biblical languages, it’s quite easy to get impressed with myself. After all, unlike the “average person” (actually, I don’t believe in average people, hence, the quotes, but that’s another subject*), If I am in doubt of a translation in scripture, or…
A Vaccination Test
… symptomatic Covid-19 cases fell 80 percent, hospitalizations declined 86 percent and deaths plunged 95 percent. Statista Get vaccinated. You will find more infographics at Statista
Disinformation on Facebook
The chart below is produced by Statista, and gives a visual of where disinformation originates on Facebook. It is built on Facebook data. You can read more about it here. It is worth noting where these attacks come from, with Iran just a little bit behind Russia. You will find more infographics at Statista
Technical Discussion via Zoom for Amateur Radio Operators
My brother, Robert Neufeld, amateur radio operator N3AU, who also has pretty much every commercial radio license and is a lifetime electronics hobbyist, is going to host a zoom technical discussion each Thursday night at 8 pm eastern time. He plans to have it run around an hour +/- depending on what questions people have….
Link: Our Radicalized Republic
It’s definitely worth reading Our Radicalized Republic from FiveThirtyEight.com. Lots of data to consider even if you disagree with some of the analysis.
Who Was Paul? – Interview with Timothy Dwyer
For those eagerly waiting for me to continue my perspectives on Paul (and everyone else!), here’s my latest “Who Was Paul?” interview, this time with Dr. Timothy Dwyer, author of the book The Gospel in Colossians. The guy with the stupid smile is me. Dr. Dwyer looks much more sane!
Love Is All You Need
Starting on Martin Luther King’s birthday, we have seen a number of quotes advocating love. I intended to post something that day, but as I frequently do I got diverted. I wrote something about this long ago. It’s unfortunate that love has become a sort of cliche for a benevolent feeling combined with inaction. We…
And Yet Another Week
I’m delaying the restart of my studies on Paul for another week. This week was not conducive to getting ready. I will be starting by applying the study of the law that I presented before thanksgiving to Galatians 2 & 3, particularly chapter 3. How should we understand law as we read these chapters. I…
No Study Tonight (01-14-21)
There will be no study tonight. I will resume on 01/21/21 instead. I will be posting a new interview in the “Who Was Paul?” series tomorrow and will link it here.