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Dr TK Dunn on the Importance of the Old Testament
This is an extract from a longer interview, which I will also embed. I think Dr. Dunn has some valuable comments on the relationship of scripture and what it means for our study. And here’s the full interview from which that was extracted.
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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Myth of Galileo
Joe Carter is debunking the Galileo myth. And a pretty reasonable debunking it is. I’ve read quite a few debunkings of the myth before, and such things are rather important, considering some versions of the story. I’m pretty sure someone in elementary school told me that Galileo was condemned for saying that the earth was…
Is This Pastor Going to Hell?
According to an e-mail received by the Rev. John Shuck, he is. And what is the great sin for which he may already be damned? He has signed the Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science. Thus, according to the letter, he is teaching a “damning doctrine,” and may actually be reprobate. On the off-chance he’s…
Repentance and Rejoicing
I’ve written a pamphlet, which I provide free on my Participatory Study Series site, titled Repentance and Rejoicing. With the current lectionary including Psalm 32, I thought I’d reprint it. It is outlined around Psalm 51, but much the same material can be taught using Psalm 32. But if we confess our sins to God,…
Mississippi Legislator Wants to Play Nanny
His bill would require restaurants not to serve certain things to people who are obese. You know, those teenagers behind the counter at McDonalds would determine whether you are obese or not. More here at Junk Food Science with hat tips to The Agitator and Dispatches.
The Need for Church Politics
No, I’m not talking about the church getting involved in politics in general, nor about politicians speaking in church. I’m talking about the politics that goes into actually running the church. There’s a great deal of politics involved in the way churches are governed. But I’m not going to call for less–I’m going to call…
Book Meme
I’ve been tagged by C.Orthodoxy with the book meme. Here’s the meme: Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages). Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence. Post the next three sentences. Tag five people. I don’t usually do these, and this is going to be funny, because I happened…
Florida Science Standards Petition
The proposed new Florida standards give evolution its proper place in science education. The petition is posted here, and you can find further information on it on the Florida Citizens for Science blog. Whether you are in the state of Florida or not, please go and sign. We will give separate counts for the in-state…
An Evangelist for Evolution
The Rev. Michael Dowd is preaching a surprising message: Evolution is real and science points to the existence of God. (Source: .) Rev. Dowd also joins the growing group who acknowledge that accepting evolution does impact one’s theology in some ways. I find his specific take interesting. One theme that seems to get someone entry…
Republicans for Obama
There’s an interesting article in Newsweek on Republicans supporting Obama. These are not people who are angry that it appears the nomination will not go to someone who is regarded as soundly conservative. They are inspired by Barack Obama.
God is not that Vulnerable
I had a short conversation with a friend and client the other day and I thought I’d share the key point. This man is a professional with a substantial scientific education, and also a devout Christian. On his desk was the book The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. That got us chatting about evolution, and…
Dynamically Wrong? Exodus 24:12 (NLT)
Exodus 24:12 in the NLT reads: And the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there while I give you the tablets of stone that I have inscribed with my instructions and commands. Then you will teach the people from them. The phrase I’m interested in here is “stay there…
Moderate Christian Blogroll Additions
The following have joined the Moderate Christian Blogroll: Living with “God Vision”, if i were a bell, i’d ring, Seeking After, and Adventures in Revland. Learn more about the blogroll here.
Christian Carnival #209 Posted
. . . at Everyday Liturgy.
NY NOW Groupthink
Ed Brayton has a post on the NY chapter of NOW, which claims that Ted Kennedy betrayed feminists by endorsing Obama. I had this on my list of topics for posts, but Ed already said it better.
Numbers and Context
This is way out of my field, but I want to link to it because it illustrates the way in which numbers can be used deceptively. I still heartily recommend the book How to Lie with Statistics from which the title is derived. I’m no economist, but I remember a fine discussion in a class…
CT Interviews Barack Obama
He’s a Christian and has been for 20 years. This quote struck me: I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly,…
Being a Christian Witness
I wrote some more thoughts for my wife’s devotional list on the same topic as my post Silent Witness. We are works in progress. Imperfection is a fact, but it shouldn’t be an excuse.
Israel and United Methodist Whoredom
I’ve always regarded myself as substantially pro-Israel, and often resolutions by the United Methodist Church on this issue trouble me a bit. (For those who don’t know, I am a member of a United Methodist congregation–quite a fine congregation too!) But apparently some people are troubled a great deal more than “a bit,” and can…
Theme for the First Sunday of Lent
Not too surprisingly, it’s not hard to find a common theme through the lectionary passages for February 10. This makes a second week in a row, as the Transfiguration texts also displayed many common themes. The texts are: Genesis 2:15-17 (the command about the tree in the midst of the garden), 3:1-7 (Temptation and Fall)….
Speaking from God – 2 Peter 1:16-21
This passage in 2 Peter is one of the most commonly cited in discussions of Biblical inspiration, along with 2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12 and Psalm 12:6. One of the interesting things that I notice about them all is that they are often used as though they obviously say something that, on closer examination, they…
Silent Witness?
Laura at Pursuing Holiness is concerned with the idea of a “silent witness,” as accomplished by wearing cheesy buttons. No, she’s not talking about the need to shout, but rather the need to be clear and Biblical in the way in which one witnesses. Her particular target is the AFA’s program of Easter buttons which…
Witherington: What Have They Done with Jesus?
I have two books on my “to be read” shelf that I also intend to blog through. Since I just completed Random Designer, by Dr. Richard Colling, and I have Francis Collins, The Language of God which also deals with evolution, I decided to take Ben Witherington III, What Have They Done with Jesus? next….
Abuse of Authority or Church Discipline?
Someone on the Compuserve Religion Forum has posted a reference to an article about churches starting to try to discipline their congregations. I’m not going to try to summarize the article. Suffice it to say that the most extreme example involves a pastor calling the police to arrest a woman for trespassing. Her crime? She…
1 Corinthians 1:13-16 and Verbal Dictation
13Has Christ been divided? Surely it wasn’t Paul who was crucified for you, or into Paul’s name that you were baptized! 14I thank God that I didn’t baptize any of you except for Crispus and Gaius, 15So that nobody could say that you were baptized into my name. 16Well, I did baptize the household of…