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
Hebrews 1:5-14
I’m going back now to fill in some of the blanks in my blogging on the book of Hebrews. My series of classes is finished, and I’ll focus just a little bit more narrowly than I did in a series of thematic classes taken from the book. Following his introductory long sentence (1:1-4) our author…
Mixing up Symbol and Reality
It’s interesting that the following article, Burning Gods: Fear and Free Speech in America, is written by an atheist. The principle is so strongly applicable to Christian thinking as well. Carol’s article reminded me of the Ten Commandments flap in Alabama, which produced some interesting pictures of Christians bowing down in front of the ten…
Educating for Reality
This is good stuff! Kudos to North Carolina, not because they have succeeded, but because they are trying in a number of innovative ways to solve actual problems that students are observed having. You always have to try before you can succeed. The Newsweek story is here: The Future is in Their Hands. The key…
Wayne Leman on Translation Errors
Wayne Leman has written an excellent post on the Better Bibles Blog, in which he discusses what should or should not be called an error in Bible translation. He is looking for a list of genuine translation errors; not differences of opinion or ideology, but genuine errors. I’ll be watching with interest to see what…
Christian Violence?
A Christian game company is producing a game based on the Left Behind series. Their own advertising quotes the New York Times saying that the game “Combines Tom Clancy-like suspense with touches of romance, high-tech flash and Biblical references.” The game puts players in the position of either killing or converting their opponents and includes…
Unity, Diversity, and Confusion
Recently I wrote a couple of entries, first on diversity and liberalism, and then on the Together for the Gospel statement. The issues I discussed in those two posts raise quite a number of questions about truth, unity, and Christian fellowship. Many might decide from my comments thus far that I don’t care about truth…
Who’s Together for What?
A group of evangelical men has gotten together with the purpose of defending the gospel from, it would appear pretty much everyone. In their statement, T4G Affirmations and Denials, they say: We are brothers in Christ united in one great cause
Hebrews 11: Honor Roll of Faith
Hebrews 11 is one of those chapters that tends to get treated apart from its context. Many people who are largely unacquainted with the basic themes of book of Hebrews are nonetheless acquainted with this one chapter. But this chapter fulfills a specific purpose in the argument of the book as a whole. Without any…
Misrepresenting Science in God’s Name
The Smithsonian magazine online has an article Dinosaur Shocker, talking about the work of Mary Schweitzer who has found preserved soft tissues in fossilized dinosaur bones. The topic has been picked up by young earth creationists and used as an evidence for a young earth. This has already been discussed on the web, but if…
Good Point, Bad Exegesis
John the Methodist on Locusts and Honey has an excellent post on sexual ethics and the exegesis behind it. He discusses the misuse of the story of David and Bathsheba in order to make a point that was nonetheless a good one. When he encountered this in a small group discussion, John was silent on…
The Danger of Ineffective Intervention
In February of 2003, just before the invasion of Iraq, I wrote an essay entitled Revenge! in which I made some comments on the justification of violence. I think what I said then reflects well the situation in Iraq now. I’m not claiming special prophetic gifts here, but folks, I told you so! Sometimes that…
In and Around God
I found a wonderful post on the relationship to which God invites us over at connexions (via the the Methodist Blogs Weekly Roundup), titled Living in God. The author, Richard Hall, brings to us the word “perichoresis” used by early church fathers to describe the union of the human and divine in Jesus and then…
Some Links for Saturday
I’ve been doing some writing on many of the links I’ve found during the week, but I do want to list some of what I’ve been writing elsewhere and also a few assorted blog entries I’ve found that interested me. First, while perusing Wrong Words, I noticed the entry Child Abuse or Child Discipline, which…
Genesis 3: The Story of the Fall
I just completed drafting a translation of Genesis 3 for my Totally Free Bible Version project, which is simply where I make my personal translation work available free on the web for anyone who wants to use it within a very limited set of rules. I want to comment some on this story and its…
Life goes better without legislation
A citizens’ commission in Oregon thinks there is a need for rules against drunken legislating. In a story titled Resolved: Legislating goes better sober, MSNBC tells us that this commission would like to protect Oregon voters from the drinking habits of those they elect to their legislature. I kid you not, drunken legislating. They suggest…
Anything Can Happen in Baseball
11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and chance happen to them all. — Ecclesiastes 9:11 (The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version….
BibleAndReference.com: Study Tools and Links
I’m adding this resource from Christianity Today to my Bible Study Resources links. It provides Bible search in a number of versions (via Bible Gateway, and I tend to use Bible Gateway directly), and also a number of other resources and links to resources. One of the great things about the internet and Bible study…
ChristianBibleStudies.com: How to Lead a Good Discussion
I’m adding a couple of links from Christianity Today to this site, and I want to call particular attention to them. I try to keep the links, especially those near the top, as useful as possible. One of my key suggestions for Bible study is to look at different views in order to fill out…
Liberalism and Diversity
A couple of weeks ago while teaching I was asked about the title of my book Not Ashamed of the Gospel: Confessions of a Liberal Charismatic, and what I meant by “liberal charismatic.” Now this isn’t an ad for my book–no, really, it’s not!–but that title was not one I gave myself, but rather one…
e-Sword Bible Software
Sometimes I like to recommend various Bible study tools, and this is especially fun when the tools themselves are free and of good quality. Free software is often worth precisely the price you pay for it, but in the case of e-Sword, you will be pleasantly surprised. (Note: For other Bible study tools see my…
Isaiah 24-27 – Starting Form Criticism
Form Criticism involves identifying smaller units in a composition that might have been transmitted separately, especially orally, prior to being included in the composition you are studying. There are quite a number of sections in our selection (Isaiah 24-27) that can be examined in this way. Since I am writing this series to help people…
Jesus as Human and Divine Priest
There are three passages in Hebrews that are critical to the concept of Jesus as a priest who combines divine and human attributes. 17For this reason it was necessary for him to be like his brethren in all ways, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest concerning divine matters {matters dealing…
Bible Translation and Literary Style
One thing second or third year Greek students notice, at least those who manage to start actually reading the Greek New Testament, is that various books have different levels of Greek grammar and vocabulary, and different literary styles. There’s a reason why most early reading exercises from the New Testament are from John or Mark….
Dealing with White Collar Crime
I’m glad to see that people who have committed fraud are convicted. Such things should happen for free. Newsweek (via MSNBC) interviews Allan Sloan, editor of the Wall Street Journal on why the government succeeded in this case. I think he has some good points. Some of the accounting material in this case, and the…