In a number of worship services that I’ve attended lately, I have been looking for a word to describe what I experience. Unfortunately, I think I have found that word–pale. (I’ll get to the “horse” thing later!) I don’t intend this as a criticism of any particular church or worship service, nor of any particular…
There’s a quote that often ends discussion of Biblical interpretation. One party to the discussion will announce: “That’s just your interpretation.” Debate is supposed to stop. Everyone is supposed to realize that their view really has no advantage over anyone else’s, and just let the discussion die. One person with whom I correspond occasionally online…
One of the ways I use to check material that is written outside of my own field of expertise is to look at how the author(s) handle material that is within my field. This can come dangerously close to ad hominem, but I believe it is a valid approach used carefully. If an author misuses…
I heard an outstanding sermon yesterday at Gonzalez United Methodist Church. I really enjoy the opportunity to report positive things from churches that I visit. This one is only about five minutes from my home. The key quote that I wrote down in my bulletin was this: The heart of any church is seen in…
I want to recommend a story from MSNBC that illustrates how many officials and private individuals managed to respond to Hurricane Katrina. The key element in their response was thinking outside the box, or to use the term I used in my previous post, they were architects of the spaces. The article is Surviving the…
Note: This sermon was presented on September 11, 2005 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola. Readings for meditation were Mending Wall, by Robert Frost, The Holy Qur’an 49:13a, and The Picket Fence by Christian Morgenstern, translated by Max Knight (links are to places on the web where the reading can be found). It was…
I just got in my e-mail an article by Don Gaetz, superintending of Okaloosa County schools. You can find the article at A Port in the Storm on Gulf1 web site. Now before I get to my point, let me first say that I am fully in support of what Don Gaetz said about the…
There is considerable debate in Biblical studies about what elements should be taken literally, and what should be taken figuratively. Several things tend to confuse this debate, including the perception that if one takes something any way other than literally, one is taking it less seriously. For many people, literal is equivalent to true or…
What is the best forum in which to debate scientific topics? How should advocates for science, specifically evolutionary science, determine how to approach such debates? There is currently a report of such a debate on the Citizens for Science web site (Friday night debate in Colorado Springs), in which Steven Mahone and Sam Milazzo debated…
A group of people are gathered study the Bible. Various opinions are exchanged. “I wouldn’t take that literally,” someone says finally. Often, that is the moment that people move on. Not taking it literally is very often the excuse not to bother to figure out what a Bible passage has to say at all. Now…
