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Sorrow Like My Sorrow – Lamentations 1:12
Can we really understand the suffering of another person or they ours?
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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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Papers from the Pericope of the Adulteress Conference
They are announced, publication in April 2016 by T&T Clark.
Another Note on the Eucharist Celebrated Weekly
… at least. Bob Cornwall shares a bit on this topic, including, of course, a link to his book in Energion’s Topical Line Drives series. I often don’t like John Calvin, but I do like this view of the Eucharist. I don’t see the need for some kind of physical description, but I do believe…
Last Night on the Tuesday Night Energion Hangout: Stewardship
Pastors and church leaders cringe at the “s” word, because so many members don’t want to hear about it. Sometimes they blame the members for not wanting to dedicate their wallets to the Lord. But is that precisely what we should be asking church members to do? I think the resources to carry out the…
Talking about Getting Published
Tonight on our Tuesday night Energion hangout, Jody and I will be talking about how to get published, particularly by Energion Publications, but also with some general ideas. Join us at 7:00 pm central time tonight, July 21, 2015. Go to our Google+ Event Page for more information or watch using the YouTube embed below….
According to Mark with Drew Smith
I had a great time yesterday interviewing Drew Smith for my study on the gospel of John. I wanted to talk to him about how one “does” biblical thelogy and do some comparisons between John and Mark. Drew is very knowledgeable, having written his dissertation on a narrative critical reading of the gospel of Mark…
According to John: Interview with Drew Smith
We had lots of audio problems last time we tried, so we’re trying again! Tonight (7/16/15), Drew Smith will be my guest on my study of the gospel according to John. Drew got his PhD in New Testament from the University of Edinburgh, and wrote his dissertation on the gospel according to Mark. Tonight we’ll…
Choosing Pastors and Church Continuity
Last week I encounter two posts that got me wanting to say something about the same topic: pastoral leadership and church mission and continuity. The first was The United Methodist Church Should Give Up Its Game of Musical Chairs, and the second was not obviously related, 5 Reasons Why the Sunday Sermon Is Boring (both…
And There It Is!
I’ve been fascinated by Pluto since I found out it existed way, way back in prehistoric times. So here it is. I’m looking forward to closer images after the flyby. SNEAK PEEK of gorgeous Pluto! The dwarf planet has sent a love note back to Earth via our New Horizons spacecraft, which has traveled…
Guest Post: Thoughts on the SDA General Conference Decision about Ordination of Women
I thought about commenting on the recent vote by the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference on allowing it’s divisions to choose whether to ordain women. As an ex-SDA, however, and one who works with people on both sides of this issue, I thought it might be a bit rude. I just received the post that follows…
According to John: Jesus Wept
I’ll be discussing this tonight at 7:00 pm via Google Hangouts on Air. You can find out more on the Google+ Event Page. You can also view using the YouTube viewer below:
Finding Boundaries: Confessional Schools and Exploration Related to Publishing
At least I’m going to relate it to publishing. Which, if you think about it, is what I do to almost everything. J. R. Daniel Kirk has announced he will be leaving Fuller (James McGrath comments here). You can get a feel for Dr. Kirk’s comments in Homosexuality Under the Reign of Christ on the…
Notes on Allan Bevere on Worship
Allan Bevere posts on worship, calling for it to be well-crafted, authentic, and substantive. I quite agree. But … Two additional points: 1) One of the most authentic worship services I ever attended occurred when the praise band failed to show up and one individual put a transparency on the projector (yes, it was THAT…
According to John: United by Love
This is a late announcement, but I will be doing my According to John study tonight. The Google+ Event page has details. The YouTube viewer is embedded below. I’ll be working from Chapter 20 of Herold Weiss’s book Meditations on According to John.
Scheduled Interview with Dr. C. Drew Smith
Drew has agreed to a retake of his interview. We had significant audio problems. The content was so good, however, that I was hoping to ask him some of those questions and get a clearer result. The interview will be on July 16, 2015, and will be via Google Hangout on Air. To get the…
Preaching from the Old Testament
No, I’m not going to do it, but I’m going to ask Dr. Bob Cornwall some questions about it. He’s currently preaching a series in his church from 1st & 2nd Samuel. Bob is one of my Energion authors (see his book list here), and is editor of the two book series we publish in…
Getting Literal, Eschatological, Apocalyptic, Even!
Well, last night my discussion of According to John covered a lot of other ground. In particular, I was looking at the eschatological use of “hour” and “now,” and I suggested that John has a fairly simple eschatology to go with his fairly simple soteriology. I’m not going to rehash all of this. The foundation…
According to John: We Must Work while It Is Day
Well, that and some additional news … Tonight (Thursday, June 25, 2015) via Google Hangout on Air I’ll be talking about chapter 19 of Dr. Herold Weiss’s book Meditations on According to John, title “We Must Work while It Is Day.” There’s a great deal of interesting material in this chapter, and I keep adding…
A Note on Sacraments and Sacramental Acts
I’ve generated a bit of surprise by my agreement with Dr. Herold Weiss (Meditations on According to John, chapter 18) in last Thursday’s video study from the gospel according to John (not to mention my Sunday School class), that the gospel is not attempting to institute or to teach sacraments. As a foundation to this…
How My Business – and My Marriage – Work
When Jody and I began our courtship we were treated to quite a lot of advice. One of the things we heard quite frequently was that we were too different to make a good couple. Just what those differences were, well, differed according to the observer. Underlying this type of advice was the assumption that…
From My Editing Work: The Cross and Resurrection
From Galations: A Participatory Study Guide, p. 9: Paul’s words gave the Galatians hope for transformation and they are hopeful to us, too. Jesus Christ frees us from bondage. The external world may not immediately change, but the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ frees us from guilt, fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. God acts in…
From My Editing Work: The Bible Comes Alive
From page xvii of Galatians: A Participatory Study Guide by Bruce Epperly — When we encounter scripture with heart, mind, and hands, the Bible comes alive and changes our lives and communities. We become the Galatians of our time, reveling in Christian freedom and living in the Spirit. We discover that God’s liberating Word, incarnate…
Doing Something
I’ve been trying to think of something useful to say about the nine people killed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston and failing miserably. My wife beat me to it. What she said.
According to John: Clean by the Word
Again, I’m announcing this late, but you can get more information on the Google+ event page, and you can watch using the viewer below. Note that the Q&A app will be active and you can ask questions or make comments.
Would You Like a World that Was Perfectly Square?
Not sure? Tonight you can find out! On the Energion Hangout tonight I’ll be interviewing my friend Dr. Dolly Berthelot, author of PERFECTLY SQUARE: A Fantasy Fable for All Ages, and an all around great person. Let’s get the commercial part out of the way first. This book was first published in 1994, and its…