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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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John Webb, PCL Pitcher of the Week
We interrupt the usual flow of commentary on this blog for something both baseball and personal . . . My stepson John Webb is pitcher of the week for the PCL, according to this MiLB.com story. John allowed only three hits in 8 shutout innings while earning the win against the then-division leading Nashville Sounds….
Condescension on Creationism
A recent comment by seeker accuses me of condescension: It would be hard for us to have a conversation on this, because your condescension is so thick it would be like climbing uphill through dirty axle grease. What interests me is that if a moderate or liberal remains quiet or speaks tolerantly of another position,…
Links on Biblical Inspiration
A discussion of my book When People Speak for God is taking place on the Compuserve Religion Forum. At the same time, Amazon.com has dropped the price to $12.23 ($17.99 suggested retail). I have also just written some notes on Justin Holcomb’s book Christian Theologies of Scripture over on my Participatory Bible Study blog. While…
Notes on Mark 9:30-42
The following notes and references expand on the material I presented in today’s Bible Pacesetter podcast on this same passage, Discipleship the Hard Way. This includes my working translation (not to be mistaken for a polished and final one), some notes, and some additional quotations and references. Translation and Notes: Teaching about the Cross 30When…
New Bible Format
The IBS is producing a new Bible, available in August, 2007, which will reorganize the books of the Bible, removing verse and chapter numbers. This is intended to provide a new and more original feel in reading the Bible. I suspect that such a format will annoy some people, but I’ll say bluntly they should…
Book: Christian Theologies of Scripture
Note: This is a repost due to the database crash. I believe this is the only post that was not part of the restored backup, so we should now have all entries. Having just turned from a book which I did not find very helpful, I’m happy to present one which I consider an exceptional…
Book: God’s Secretaries
If you’re looking for a history of the KJV, you are likely to be disappointed by this book. There is a history, and considering the very sparse information on the topic, it’s a pretty good one, but it is concealed in the incredibly wordy prose of this ponderous document. Considering my own propensity for long…
Database Problems
I had some database problems and I’m temporarily on a backup. This backup is missing two posts from June 22, but I will be able to restore them soon. Please bear with me as I work on it.
Quotes on Imputed Righteousness
The translator’s difficulty with this passage arises from the lack of a single English verb to express both “do right” and “be right with God”; of a noun that means both “righteousness” and “acceptance with God as righteous”; and of an adjective to describe the man who is both “righteous” and “accepted as righteous,” or…
Transformed Daily
I’m adding another site to my blogroll, Transformed Daily. I got an e-mail from blogger Eric Jones on this one, thinking there might be some synergy, and after reading a bit, I think there is. A couple of entries that really caught my eye: ARE YOU A TRAINED FLEA CHRISTIAN OR ARE YOU A FREE…
Two Cows
I think I first saw this thing about two cows several years ago, but there have been several more instances added in this version. Some of the new ones are even funnier than the earlier ones. It looks like people have just been tacking examples on the end. (HT: 42)
Exclusion and Inclusion and Vague Boundaries
A community must have some sort of definition in order to exist. This may seem fairly obvious, but often in discussions of religion we lose sight of that fact in efforts to be inclusive. It’s important to remember that there is a difference between saying somebody is a bad person and saying that they don’t…
Expressing the Multifaceted Nature of the Atonement
Peter Kirk has a post, The personal relevance of the atonement, that expresses what I have been trying to say about the atonement much more precisely than I have managed to do it. I commend it strongly. At the same time, Adrian has posted again regarding a review of Pierced for Our Transgressions. Since I…
Added to my Blogroll
Every so often in wandering around the blogosphere I notice a blog that makes me say, “Why haven’t I noticed this before?” I found one today, The Christian Cynic, and I wanted to call attention to his post dealing with formal issues of an argument from ignorance. I think I’ll have fun keeping up with…
Media Interviews, With Scientists or Anyone
There has been some discussion amongst the science blogs about dealing with interview requests, in this case specifically for scientists. I had thought about saying something from my non-scientist perspective, but hadn’t really come up with anything. Then this morning, going through my Technorati favorites, I saw this story from Carl Zimmer. Now since I…
Richardson Misunderstands Diplomacy
This story and video shows why Richardson really doesn’t understand how diplomacy actually works. He’s going to withdraw all the troops and then he’s going to go seriously into diplomacy. Let’s not make a mistake about this. When we withdraw from Iraq, we’re going to lose most of our ability to impact the country diplomatically….
Salman Rushdie Knighted / Violent Reaction in Muslim World
Update: Or really, just a better reference. I think this story from MSNBC covers the ground better in a single article. I believe very strongly that we need to distinguish between radicals who want to kill us, and the very large number of Muslims who are peaceful people. But with the reaction to the knighting…
Excessively Large Tent = Crash
I have written a few times before on the need for a core of essential beliefs that provide a basis for community along with a broader set of non-essentials on which people can agree. Probably my most comprehensive discussion of the issue is in Unity, Diversity, and Confusion. Over the last few days I’ve been…
Moral Absolutes
Most of the time I read the evangelical outpost to keep me up to date on intelligent conservative thinking. I can disagree with Joe Carter, and often do, but I never call him stupid. Today, however, he hit on an important topic–absolute truth. Now I’m all in favor of humility about our personal knowledge about…
A Singular Lack of Imagination in ID
A post today dealing with junk DNA led me to some thinking about just how the nature of a designer might impact the nature of the things designed. It seems to me that no matter where we are looking for design, whether in the form of alien artifacts on a distant planet (in our imaginations)…
Ephesians 5:21-33: A Short Lesson in Focus
It often amazes me to notice the difference in what I get from the scriptures when I approach a book or a passage simply asking what message God has for me in that passage as opposed to when I search out various passages of scripture in order to answer a particular theological question. That second…
The Duke Lacrosse Players and Prejudice
According to this MSNBC commentary, Mike Nifong has received a severe penalty but it is precisely what he deserves: Lawyers usually try to understand a fellow practitioners blunders and usually reprimand their colleague without issuing the ultimate penalty, the death penalty for a lawyer: disbarment. While it is public disgrace indeed, it also says you…
Moderate Christian Blogroll Issue
For those who don’t regularly read the home blog of the Moderate Christian Blogroll, I want to call your attention to this post which explains a recent run of links that result apparently from a single post on a former blogroll member’s blog. Please comment there.
Evolutionary vs. Scientific Thinking
In a comment to my earlier post Why Talk About Evolution in Church, seeker said: You might enjoy criticizing my article Is creationism a barrier to faith. But I also think your assessment of creation science is too steeped in evolutionary, rather than scientific thinking. Well, you asked for it, so here it is. What…