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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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From My Editing Work: Discipleship Is Costly and Liberating
From Reframing a Relevant Faith, forthcoming by C. Drew Smith: When Jesus comes upon these fishermen they are doing what they normally do on any given day; they are fishing. Indeed, this was their life; this was their existence. Fishing was what was routine and comfortable for them. While their occupation as fishermen was hard…
When Fear Drives
Recently the topic of risk and danger has come up in several discussions of Christian Ministry. Shauna Hyde, who I interviewed along with Chris Surber, has spent the night in tent town with homeless folks and earned the informal title “vicar of tent town.” People have told her she’s crazy. But she manages to live…
From My Editing Work: Our Global Kingdom Citizenship
Two paragraphs from Rendering unto Caesar: The most obvious conflict with the fusion of Christian and American identity is that it denies the universal nature of the Kingdom of God. When our allegiances are too strongly aligned with any kingdom of this world, be it the relatively benevolent kingdom of America or a malevolent kingdom…
From My Editing Work: Claim Your Identity as a Theologian
From the forthcoming book Finding God in Suffering: A Journey with Job by Bruce G. Epperly. The book of Job invites us to claim our identity as theologians. Job shouts out to us, “You are a theologian” because we have experienced the pain of the world and are trying to make sense of it. Job…
The Potential Arrogance of Moderation
Before you continue, look at the tag line for this blog. I self identify as a moderate, though I have a somewhat eccentric view of being moderate. My view of moderation doesn’t really solve the problem, however. As a moderate, I believe I should examine the whole spectrum of views on any issue before trying…
Author Interview: Christopher J. Freet on Hospitality as a Key to Missions
Tonight in our Tuesday night hangout series, I will be interviewing Christopher J. Freet, author of the newly released book A New Look at Hospitality as a Key to Missions in the Areopagus Critical Christian Issues series regarding the topic of hospitality. We are open to audience questions. You can view this event on the…
Some Thoughts on Ecclesiology from Someone Utterly Unqualified
Several things I’ve written lately lead to thoughts on ecclesiology, though that is hardly one of my subjects. People do sometimes make assumptions because I’m a member of a United Methodist congregation. So I’m going to make this personal, first saying why I am in a United Methodist congregation and second saying what I see…
How and Why Ezekiel, Hebrews, and Leviticus Shaped My Theology (Briefly!)
In a comment, Steve Kindle asks: … in regards to your formative books, Hebrews, Ezekiel, and Leviticus, is it because you see Hebrews as teaching substitutionary atonement that springs from Leviticus? And Ezekiel foresees a renewed covenant that Hebrews embellishes? Just wondering. The briefest answer would be “no.” But leaving it at that would be…
Yet More Hebrews and Old Testament-New Testament Continuity
One of the things I love about both blogging and publishing is the number of interesting and capable people I get to interact with. It’s something I’ve missed since graduate school days—the opportunity to run my ideas up against people who can really challenge them. Dave Black has written some commentary on this matter of…
Hebrews Backgrounds
Since I’m revising my Hebrews study guide, and have been for more than a year, I can bring up complaints against the old one. One of the most common complaints was that people had a hard time connecting the background reading to the current passage. I included three reading lists: 1) Minimum reading, 2) Extra…
For Veterans Day
Watch this:
@ChicagoRabbi on Responses to Bad Things Happening to Good People
I’m always interested in answers to the question of why bad things happen to good people, though a pastor I know always says this is the wrong question. He says a better question would be why good things ever happen to anybody! Somebody else recently pointed out to me that in Christian theology there are…
Quick Follow-up on Hebrews 2:6-8
I commented earlier on the difficult choices involved in translating an Old Testament reference that does not match the Old Testament passage in your own translation. Here’s an example from the NIV1984. First, Psalm 8:4-6 – what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You…
Through Sacrifice, Not Domination
Author Chris Surber shared some good material in his column for the Suffolk News-Herald today. It’s unfortunate that Chris can’t be at our Hangout this Tuesday. I’m going to be his replacement, and I don’t think I have quite these words: If the King of Kings came into this world to die on a cross…
Change to Election Response Hangout – Playing Substitute
Due to a schedule conflict for Chris Surber, I will be substituting in the discussion on the aftermath of the election. Host will still be Elgin Hushbeck, Jr. and Joel Watts will still be a guest. I’m not sure I have that much to say about the election, but it was a bit late to…
Link: Using SBL NT on Bible Gateway and NA28 on Nestle-Aland.com from Android
I give the fix for using both of these on my tech blog. I like to be able to access them from anywhere.
A Gender Neutral Example – Hebrews 2:6-8
A couple of days ago I discussed gender-neutral language in a post dealing with both inerrancy and Bible translation issues. Today, as I was doing some reading about Hebrews, I encountered a vigorous comment against such language in a passage in Hebrews. The passage in question is Hebrews 2:6-8, and it quotes from Psalm 8:4-6….
CHWRIS or CHARITI in Hebrews 2:9
I chose to do some reading from Hebrews this morning, but instead of using my NA27 or my UBSIV text, I went to Bible Gateway and read from the SBL text. There I encountered (again) the reading chwris rather than chariti. (I checked out NA28 online and I see it still reads chariti. I tend…
Some Thoughts on the Christ of Faith after Reading Hebrews
As most of my readers know, I’ve been working on revising my study guide to Hebrews. At least I keep mentioning it. I’m only about two years overdue on the project. When one deadline or another must be missed I tend to miss mine and work on other people’s stuff. So today I was reading…
Discussion on Grief During the Holidays
Last night Bob LaRochelle hosted a discussion with my wife (and author) Jody Neufeld and author Ron Higdon. This was a Google Hangout on Air and the video is now available. This is unedited with no titles as yet. I think there were many valuable points made in the discussion.
What About the Election?
I’m both unsurprised and unconcerned. Why do I say that when I urged people to vote? I believe in participation. I believe in doing our best with the political system we have available to us. I don’t believe in getting worried about it. In addition, by following good polling data, and avoiding partisan inflation of…
Keeping Up Greek for Exegesis
Dave Black posted today about keeping up Greek and its importance for exegesis. I’ve extracted that post to the JesusParadigm.com site so as to have a specific link. Everything he said could apply to Hebrew as well. I turned to his passage, though I was confident I would be able to read it. I’ve read…
Craig Blomberg, Reviewed by Louis Markos, Commented by Mike Licona
… or On the Meaning of Words, Particularly Inerrancy There’s a post on First Things titled Ehrman Errant. Now criticizing Ehrman is apparently great sport, and Blomberg has replied to some of the types of criticisms Ehrman presents in a book, which Louis Markos reviews. The reason I mention Mike Licona, a colleague of Markos,…
Grief and the Holidays
There are three critical things I’ve learned about grief: 1) It gets worse at certain times. 2) It’s different for everyone. 3) To help, you have to listen and observe, and act on what you learn. I’m not the expert on grief. My wife knows a great deal more. In September we passed the 10th…