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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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Watching The Book of Daniel (NBC)
A couple of days ago I wrote a blog entry about the campaign to get NBC affiliate stations to refuse to air the new NBC program, The Book of Daniel. At the time, I said that stations should air the program, and that I would decide whether I like the program after I had seen…
Testing Prophets
For the last few weeks I’ve been talking about inspiration, whether that relates to written scripture, or to someone claiming to be speaking for God. Today I’m going to start discussing the tests of a prophet, which might be equated to tests for inspiration, that are used in Christianity. These find their source somewhere in…
Community and Inspiration
I’m continuing a fairly long series of essays on inspiration. Some of this material will be included in my new book, When People Speak for God, though I haven’t scheduled a time yet when I’ll complete that manuscript. In my previous entry, The Heart of Inspiration, I said that inspiration starts from any experience of…
NBC: The Book of Daniel
Yesterday I received an e-mail from the American Family Association urging me to write my local NBC affiliate and asking them to refuse to air the program The Book of Daniel. I’m told that the program is anti-Christian, and must be stopped, even though it hasn’t aired yet. Somehow, I’m never supposed to watch this…
More on Military Chaplains
As a follow-up to my prior comments on military chaplains, I’d like to call attention to the following article. I want to note as well that I found this link on the American Family Association web site, and I want to thank them for providing this link to balancing information. In this article, Navy rebuts…
The Heart of Inspiration
I’ve been talking about inspiration and canonization in several posts, and I’m finally ready to get down to talking about inspiration. First, I’d like to remind you of my existing essays on inspiration, Inspiration, Biblical Authority, and Inerrancy, which goes into some detail on the topic of Biblical inspiration. But now I want to look…
REAL Christians and the Military
I’m going to make this a short note, because what I suggest is that you read the two stories (and even search for other sources) on this story and consider the issues for yourself. First, in the Washington Post: Military Wrestles With Disharmony Among Chaplains. According to this story there are definitely some issues to…
Inside and Outside
Note: I wrote the following for my wife’s devotional list, but I thought some might be interested on this blog as well. I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
Redeeming Time
It’s a new year. Resolutions have been made. Best wishes have been passed on to friends and loved ones. We even added in a leap second into last year to even out time very precisely. We care quite a lot about time. We like to measure it carefully, divide it into various bits and pieces,…
Education and Funding in Escambia County
I apologize to any readers outside of this area, but the following blog entry deals with the politics of Escambia County, and to a lesser extent to Florida politics in a more general way. I know that others do have similar problems in their counties and states, so you might be interested in this just…
Child of God Living
Note: I wrote this for my wife’s devotional list for today’s (12/30/05) entry. Jody puts out an e-mail devotional every weekday, and has also created a collection for her book, Daily Devotions of Ordinary People – Extraordinary God. I’ve included an ad (Amazon.com) for the book and a link to subscribe to the e-mail list….
Inspiration and Canon
I’m back to thinking about inspiration today. Many people think about the terms “inspired” and “canonical” as nearly synonymous. Generally they are not. The term “canon” relates to idea of canon law, in other words a book is canonical when canon laws defines it as authoritative. Now the edges have become blurred over the years,…
Eschatological Living
I’ve been doing some discussion of the prophecies of the book of Daniel recently on the Compuserve Christian Fellowship Forum. The discussion there is about the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the investigative judgment and the time prophecy of Daniel 8:14. But that is not what this post is about. As I reviewed the many related…
How Inspiration Works
There are quite a substantial number of theories about how God inspires people to write his message. Several people have suggested recently that I collect some of my own essays in order to provide a coherent discussion, not just about the results of inspiration, but also the process. I don’t think I’ve written enough about…
Medicine Cabinet Christianity
17So that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have gone, everything has become new. — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TFBV) For I did not choose to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. — 1 Corinthians 2:2 (TFBV) One morning as I approached the cabinet in…
Birth to Resurrection
Typically we talk about salvation around Good Friday and easter. We are saved by his death and his return to life. And there is certainly something to be said for that. But this constant focus on the sacrifice of Jesus being largely in his death sometimes obscures other meanings that the Jesus’ life, death, and…
Santorum Distancing Himself From Intelligent Design Law Firm
Fox News has a current story on Senator Rick Santorum and the intelligent design controversy: FOXNews.com – Politics – Santorum Distancing Himself From Intelligent Design Law Firm. The senator is quite right that the case provided a bad set of facts for the desired result. In fact, the facts of the case practically guaranteed that…
Ministry of Reconciliation
I’ve been kind of beating around the bush about the doctrine of the incarnation and what it means as a challenge to Christians. So let’s get down to business. The roots of my view here are in the two commands of Jesus–love for God and love for one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40). These commands are defined…
Metaphor of Incarnation
It’s unlikely that anyone has failed to notice that I have spent no time thus far in trying to demonstrate that the doctrine of the incarnation is true. I’ve just been playing with its meaning. In fact, I generally don’t find it appropriate to try to prove a mystery in the first place. Let’s just…
YOU Teach Your Children
There are plenty of comments on the Dover decision going around right now. I’d like to recommend just a couple of them, though these are only examples of many good comments. Both provide some good links to more information. Best Possible Result in Dover Caught in their own Wedge I believe that the result of…
What God Gets in the Incarnation
We’re so used to talking about what God gives in the incarnation that my title may almost seem sacreligious to some readers. God’s gift cannot have a selfish aspect, can it? Does the cord really have two ends in this case as well? First, at the simplest level, all relationships have more than one side…
The One-Ended Cord
Some years ago I worked for Radio Shack. One function of a salesman is to match the customer to just the right item or part. An elderly lady, clearly not too comfortable with technology, came in to buy a “telephone cord.” Now at the time, “telephone cord” could mean any of a number of things….
Your Unforced Choice
A few days ago my wife and I were showing books at a church craft show, when I was approached by a gentleman about my book What’s in a Version? “What was the right version to use?” he asked. Now when someone starts talking about the “right” version, rather than the best, I’m fairly certain…
Highway Memorial Crosses
In scanning through news today I watched a segment on Fox News about a lawsuit asking that crosses erected as memorials in Utah be removed from the roadside. I did not find the story on their web site immediately; perhaps it will be posted later. But I did find two other links that I think…