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Fire – Lamentations 1:13
Discussing the symbolism of fire in scripture, highlighting its dual nature as both a sign of divine acceptance and judgment. It reflects on personal suffering and God’s sovereignty, emphasizing that while God’s fire can refine and cleanse, it often accompanies lament and discomfort, aligning with the broader pursuit of righteousness.
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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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Committed Christian Seeks Secular Society
Easter seems to be the time of the year for a strong Christian affirmation. It’s not a time when most Christians want to be thinking about secular topics, or considering difficulties with their faith. But as I am fond of reminding people, Easter morning followed Good Friday, and that year in Palestine Good Friday was…
Carrying the TNIV
I started carrying the TNIV recently. I had been using it only in electronic form to do some studying and comparison, but I decided to see how it would work as a “carrying” Bible. That means I take it to church, Sunday School, study groups, and I keep it at hand during my study time…
Continually Translating the Message
A post-Easter meditation. Translation it is that openeth the window, to let in the light; that breaketh the shell, that we may eat the kernel; that putteth aside the curtaine, that we may looke into the most Holy place; that remooveth the cover of the well, that wee may come by the water, even as…
Easter Blogging
I got home from the sunrise service at my church, and found some really nice easter messages on the RSS feed to the Moderate Christian Blogroll. What the Church Should be DoingEddie Arthur calls attention to a message by the Archbishop of York. Wiping Out the Easter Bunny . . . Jay Vorhees in a…
Just in time for Easter
Adrian Warnock has started another round of the atonement wars. Peter Kirk and Dave Warnock have responded, both with very constructive posts. Peter Kirk goes over some of the T4G language and also looks at a couple of folks that Adrian believes are not in accord with that doctrine. I know Peter accepts the doctrine…
Special Price on Not Ashamed of the Gospel
I have set up a special price of $9.00 per copy for my personal confession of faith, Not Ashamed of the Gospel for Easter. The price will continue in effect until April 21, 2007. You need to use the link above to go to our catalog site (Energion Publications Announcement). Anyone interested can feel free…
Collins on Faith and Science
This CNN article on Francis Collins also comes from a friend’s e-mail. I’m happy to call attention to it. Dr. Francis Collins is both an evangelical Christian and accepts the theory of evolution. His testimony is interesting. I will be commenting some more on the relationship between science and religion in the next few days…
Added John H Armstrong to my Blogroll
Based on some links passed to me by a friend in e-mail, I’m adding John H Armstrong to my blogroll. (Note that this is the blogroll for this site, not the Moderate Christian Blogroll. There were three posts that led to this: Trinity United Church of Christ: Obama’s Home ChurchThis post looks at some of…
Martyn on Historical Methods (Galatians)
I’m doing a run through J. Louis Martyn’s commentary on Galatians (Anchor Bible)Galatians (Anchor Bible), and enjoying it a great deal. He has a paragraph on historical methodology to which I want to call your attention: Convincing attempts to present a chronology of Paul’s travels and labors are based on a simple rule: Our first…
Similarities and Differences
I am continuing to study through Isaiah with Brevard Childs Isaiah from the Old Testament Library, and I found another quote I want to share with a very brief comment. In discussing the literary connections between chapter 34 and 2nd/3rd Isaiah, he says: . . . For example, are the vocabulary affinities between chapter 34…
Christian Reconciliation Blog Carnival #3
. . . has been posted, by yours truly, on the Pacesetters Bible School Newsletter site.
Review: Priscilla’s Letter
Hoppin, Ruth. Priscilla’s Letter. Fort Bragg, CA: Lost Coast Press, 1999. ISBN: 1-882897-50-1 In general when I write something I call a “review” I might better call it a set of notes. I don’t think my opinion about a book, positive or negative, is of much value in and of itself. But if I can…
Biblical Studies Carnival XVI
. . . has been posted.
Added to my Reading List: Christian Theologies of Scripture
This is obviously not a review as I’ve just added this book to my “really soon” reading list, but I thought I’d mention it. Amazon.com has “Search Inside the Book” available, so you should be able to get a taste of it. I’m extremely interested in inspiration, and am generally dissatisfied with what is written…
Unimpressed and Clueless
That seems to be a good description of the voters in response to the current Democratic congress. I’m amazed at these numbers–well, no, that’s a lie. I’m depressingly unsurprised by these numbers. From a CQPolitics report of a Pew poll: Yet the Pew survey, conducted before the budget action, found that American voters appear unimpressed…
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007
I received an e-mail alert from the Traditional Values Coalition regarding this bill, H. R. 1592. It took me a little bit of time to find the actual bill, because, silly me, I thought there would be a link to it on one or another press releases. However, you can find that link here. The…
Learning the Answer or How to Find It
Joe Carter provides some thoughtful suggestions on sex education. He suggests that it is more important to teach children how to make moral decisions than it is to indoctrinate them into the particular solution you want them to accept. If forced to choose I would be firmly on the abstinence only side. But I believe…
Isaiah 64:6 – Menstrual Cloth
I was planning to leave my comparisons with just Isaiah 63, as I believe that continued comparison charts will largely show the same thing. I’m still reading the translations side by side, and if something seems different I will bring it up. But today in reading Isaiah 64 in several translations I came across Isaiah…
When Adrian is Right He’s Really Right
. . . and on the subject of enjoying God, he’s really right. I don’t mean to throw more fuel on the fire of this “hearing God” thing. Personally I think John Piper’s original article should be much, much less controversial than it is. The main thing that seems to be happening is that people…
Using God as a Label for our Fears
Way back in the prehistory of this blog I posted an entry about fear and human-animal hybrids. Yesterday I got the latest edition of this type of fear in my Breaking Christian News e-mail. In it was a story headlined Prayer Alert: Ethical Outrage as Scientists Create “Human-Sheep”. Now I’m always mildly skeptical when I…
Translation Comparisons in Isaiah 63
Why Isaiah 63? Well, I was reading it in Hebrew for my devotional time this morning, and then I compared some modern versions purported to be readable, and I thought it would be valuable to provide a complete comparison. Note that I’m not attempting to provide a comprehensive list. I’m just comparing some poetic and…
Science Fiction gets Further Behind
It’s amazing to see things like this during my lifetime. New Mexico is considering a small local tax to develop a spaceport. More power to them if they can draw this strong new potential business to their region. I can still recall being taken to a neighbor’s house to watch the moon landings, and my…
A Response to The God Delusion
Bruce Alderman has a humorous response to The God Delusion. Check it out here. I’ll reserve further comment until I have finished reading the whole book myself.
New Conservative Group Challenges Expansion of Executive Power
The American Freedom Agenda sounds like a very interesting new group with a positive agenda, in my view. Many of the principals have fine, long-term credentials in American conservative politics. Their material is worth a look. HT: Dispatches from the Culture Wars.