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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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Of Cowboy Hats and Graduations
Well, I am fully aware of the irony of my posting this right after I write a post about getting more substantive, but I really can’t resist. Besides, the tip of my (floppy) hat goes to Eddie Arthur, so it’s really all his fault. It seems that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary wants to wear different…
Belarus Jails Cartoon Publisher
MSNBC has the story of a 3 year sentence in Belarus for publishing the Mohammed cartoons. There seems to be a lot of support for the notion that people have the right not to be offended. I’d suggest they grow up instead.
Quoting the Old Testament in the New – Psalm 40:6
Note: I will be using the English verse numbering throughout. Hebrew verse numbers are one greater in this chapter, thus this is Psalm 40:7 in Hebrew. In reading Psalm 40 several times, since it’s the lectionary passage for this week, I noticed a few things that I would have missed in just one pass. One…
Translating Psalm 40:7-8
Aside from numbering problems, Psalm 40:7-8 appears to be quite straightforward on first reading in Hebrew (where it is verse 8-9). The numbering problems include chapter numbering (39 in the LXX), and verse numbering (8-9 in Hebrew, 7-8 in English). Of course, we all know that verse numbering is not inspired; it is often positively…
Which Theologian Am I?
Always presuming, of course, that I’m not myself. I can’t resist these quizzes. This one is Peter Kirk’s fault. Which theologian are you?created with QuizFarm.com You scored as Paul Tillich Paul Tillich sought to express Christian truth in an existentialist way. Our primary problem is alienation from the ground of our being, so that our…
Apes, Lies, and Chick Tracts
There’s a propaganda piece that has been showing up in Florida, possibly as part of the fight against evolution in new proposed educational standards. It comes from a site with which I’m fairly well acquainted–Chick Publications. One sickening piece of propaganda from that organization is titled Apes, Lies, and Ms. Henn. It is obvious that…
Ross Perot Disses McCain
There may be something less significant than Perot’s opinion of McCain, but I can’t think what it would be. Still, I did give you a link to it! Such is the value of infamy.
Origen Censors Scripture Reading
In the prologue to his commentary on the Song of Songs, Origen recommends that certain portions of scripture, in particular the Song of Songs, should not be read by people who are not sufficiently mature: “But solid food is for the mature” and requires such people as listeners who “have their faculties trained by practice…
Factcheck.org Deconstructs the Democratic Debate
This comes via Newsweek. I’m really enjoying Factcheck.org. I hope to spend some time checking up on them, but thus far they seem rather even-handed. I’ll keep watching. This is the type of journalism I would like to see on the presidential campaigns.
Ambiguity in 2 Corinthians 2:5
This is a brief note expanding my query about ambiguous passages. I have discussed passage that are ambiguous in Greek, but where translating them ambiguously in English results in a different range of options from those a Greek reader would likely perceive. This passage seems to me to be a case in which one must…
Paying People to See EXPELLED
Given the advance publicity, and now reviews from some friends who have seen the movie, I have almost entirely negative expectations. That is not surprising, considering that I’ve sold out to the Darwinist ConspiracyTM, and no longer believe in God.* :-; However, it seems that the upright and theologically correct** folks who produced the movie,…
Bypass the Electoral College?
Wayward Fundamentalist Christian has a post about a movement by some states to bypass the Electoral College. This would be accomplished by a simple expedient that I had never thought of–state laws awarding their electoral college delegates to the winner of the national popular vote. (Here’s a NYT reference for those who may prefer that…
Freedom Not to Invite
I think the Nevada Supreme Court got this one right. Freedom of the press must include full freedom to invite or not to invite. I often support candidates with very low ratings at the polls, but there is no legal basis to force their inclusion in any televised debate.
Politician Images Don’t Interest Me
Politicians want to reach independents? OK: This and this are a waste of time. You won’t attract my vote with image ads or arguing about inadvertent statements. This is a bit better. Puncture the image. It also led me to factcheck.org, which I will be visiting frequently. Analyzing policy statements and proposals would be better….
Suffering and Perfection (St. John Chrysostom Again)
Those who believe in the doctrine of Christian perfection (on which I’m a bit wobbly myself) might consider this: “He learned,” he saith, to obey God. Here again he shows how great is the gain of sufferings. “And having been made perfect,” he says, “He became the Author of salvation to them that obey Him.”…
St. John Chrysostom on Hebrews 4:11-13
I think a few modern evangelicals might regard this as heretical, being contrary to the pure penal substitutionary atonement or forensic justification. But he sure does seem to have a finger on precisely what Hebrews has to say. [1.] Faith is indeed great and bringeth salvation, and without it, it is not possible ever to…
Ezra Levant and Cartoon Publication
I was planning to write something on this, because I believe this kind of censorship is an egregious violation of human rights, but it appears the man himself can tell his own story just fine. (HT: Pursuing Holiness.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzVJTHIvqw8. Just so.
Blogroll: Quality of Christian Apologetics
I really wasn’t going to blog about my blogroll today, but An Evangelical Dialogue on Evolution had such a good post that I wanted to link to it, and at the same time I can check off another blog from my blogroll for this round of linking. He also links to a post on Through…
Textual Emendation in Isaiah 49:7
The JPS Tanakh of Isaiah 49:7 reads, in part: Thus said the LORD, The Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, b-To the despised one, To the abhorred nations,-b . . . Note b reads: Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “Whose being is despised / Whose body is detested”; cf. 51.23. I noticed this first…
Why do you Believe . . .
. . . the things that you do believe? I’m not talking here about religious faith, though this could impact some aspects of faith. I’m talking about just about any topic on which you choose to believe one source over another. I’ve seen a number of cases recently on blogs, in the mainstream media, in…
Tools: A Reader’s Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament
I have blogged previously just a little bit about the A Reader’s Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament, and also made some negative comments about the use of interlinears, especially for Greek or Hebrew students. I recommend this lexicon for use in reading rapidly in order to encounter a large body of text in Biblical…
Updating my Bible Version Info
I still have my Bible version selection tool active, and I’ve just added a directory of recent blog entries on the various versions to my Bible version detail pages. This substantially expands the amount of information available on each version page.
Making the World Make Itself
PamBG quotes a letter that using some wonderful phraseology with regard to the process of creation, but also related to theodicy. I can’t access the letter itself due to a subscription requirement, but the part Pam quotes is quite good. I like these two sentences particularly well: Suppose instead that he made the world make…
For Us to Fulfill All Righteouness
I noticed something in my reading time this morning that has presumably been staring me in the face through many readings of the passage. In fact, this is the 14th morning in a row that I’ve read this as part of this week’s lectionary, so I’ve had plenty of opportunity. The passage is Matthew 3:13-17,…