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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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The Role of Pastors
Dave Black writes about a book on 1 & 2 Timothy and notes that Timothy was not a pastor. Historically, this is quite accurate. I find it interesting the things that “church folks” think must be done by a pastor. At one conference where Jody and I were invited to teach, there was a call…
The Other Party
Too many people complain when the other party abuses power, few when their own does. Ed Brayton smacks both down. Good job!
Honoring Those Who Do Not Fight
It’s Memorial Day, which I enjoy. I’m a veteran, and I enjoy watching the war movies and the various patriotic shows. I’m going to annoy one set of friends by saying simply that I am proud to have served and that I would still make the same choice if I had it to do over…
Explaining Tragedy (Or Not)
There have been a large number of blog posts following John Piper’s pair of tweets regarding the tornadoes in Oklahoma. Examples include Rachel Held Evans, Chaplain Mike, and Energion author Joel Watts (From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls). (Energion is my company, so that’s my commercial plug for the day/week/etc.) I want…
The Federal Government Could Save Some Money
… by not doing this. Maybe some of those states’ rights advocates could apply some states’ rights to the issue.
Link: Why Anti-Authoritarians Are Diagnosed as Mentally Ill
I think this article is great, and quite accurate, from my non-expert perspective: Why Anti-Authoritarians Are Diagnosed as Mentally Ill
Reading the New Testament in Stereotypes
It was a small Bible study in a church I had joined recently, and we were reading from the gospels. I was kind of trying to keep quiet and get to know people before I made too many comments. But after our gospel reading, people started to discuss it, or mostly to discuss the people…
Renewing (Mainline) Congregations – Again
I want to call attention to a post I read this morning, Can a Dying Church Find Life? Six Radical Steps to “Yes” (HT: Allan Bevere). Then I want to call attention again to a series of responses to a set of interview questions given by some Energion Publications authors on renewing mainline congregations. The…
Link: The Gospel and Social Justice
T. E. Hanna (discovered via Facebook) has a guest post by Dana Bruxvoort titled Why the Gospel Without Justice Isn’t the Gospel. While the title caught my attention, phrases like “filling in the holes in my gospel” and “doing nothing was no longer an option.” Missions not optional? Let’s spread that idea far and wide!…
Another Note on Hebrews Outlines
Dave Black commented on my outline, linked in my previous post, thus: 1:28 PM Henry Neufeld, who has published a work on the epistle to the Hebrews, enters the discussion about the book’s outline/discourse structure. You can check out his soon-to-be-revised outline here. I love it! The only comment I might make concerns the title…
Site Problems
I had some site problems over the last couple of days, but they are finally fixed. If you have trouble accessing any pages, please let me know.
An Exegetical Outline of Hebrews
Via Dave Black I found Brian Small’s link to Nathan Brown’s outline of Hebrews. Here’s what Dave had to say: 6:48 PMBrian Small has just linked to An Exegetical Outline of Hebrews. The author naturally shies away from Pauline authorship even though new arguments are being made for that position today (or at least for…
Good and Bad Translation
Simon Cozens discusses good and bad translations (HT: Kouya) and concludes: So when it comes to Bible translations, I don’t really care, relatively speaking, about the methodology behind the translation. I don’t necessarily care if it’s literal or dynamic or whatever. The more important question is, is it a good translation or a bad translation?…
Quote of the Day: Dan R. Dick on Ecumenically Challenged
The fact is, we want to be bigger, and we really can’t be bothered with the health and well-being of other denominations — after all, their gain is our loss, right? He tells about how he got in trouble with his trustees … and fellow pastors. And I love it! Read the whole thing.
Of United Methodists and Beth Moore
From time to time various Methodists get very worked up about the idea that members of United Methodist congregations are using Beth Moore studies in their study groups and Sunday School classes. Via Facebook I encountered an older post regarding Methodists and Beth Moore. That article is actually quite restrained and gentle by comparison to…
Guest Post at AllanBevere.com
Allan is publishing a two-part post I wrote on blogger book reviews. Link is to the first part. Second part comes tomorrow.
Speaking of Dying Churches
What should a church that grows out of the New Testament witness look like? Dave Black posted a list of items on his blog today, and I, with his blanket permission, extracted the list to the Jesus Paradigm web site. (The site supports Dave’s book The Jesus Paradigm, which I publish.) I hope you will…
Is the UMC Dying?
I tried not to steal the headline from the article by Rev. Robert Rynders in UM-Insight, The Church Isn’t Dying, It’s Already Dead, but this post is largely to tell you to go read that post. After reading his article and thinking about the good things I’ve seen happening in some United Methodist churches —…
Prayers for Rick Warren
My profound sympathy and my prayers go to Rick Warren, whose 27-year-old son committed suicide. May God bring comfort and healing.
Dave Black: 13 Things Greek Teachers Won’t Tell You
Dave lists 13 things Greek teachers won’t tell you, but I must say that most of mine did. And Dave does admit that many Greek teachers do say these things. But do students listen? Do people in the pews and those who read books get the message? My experience is that many do not. Not…
The Scale of Things
Check out this scale view from quantum to the universe.
Convoluted Reasoning on Women Writing Commentaries
John Piper is asked in a podcast whether a man can read a commentary written by a woman, with a follow-up as to whether one could then quote the commentary from the pulpit (HT: Jesus Creed). I find his reasoning here very convoluted. There is a much better logical basis for reading 1 Timothy 2:12…
Only Inerrantists Read the Bible?
I responded to this post over at Jesus Creed because the graphic seems to suggest that only those who accept inerrancy take the Bible seriously. That is simply false. I’d actually suggest, as I do in my book, that those who accept that inerrancy describes the Bible poorly are taking the Bible more seriously. They…
Why We Don’t Teach Revelation Contextually
Lawrence Garcia asks why pastors in America don’t teach Revelation contextually. It’s a good question. He gives a good answer, concluding that the contextual message of Revelation is going to run head-on into our civil religion. We have divided loyalties, and if we see our idols—imperial power, perhaps?—condemned, we get tense. If our pastors started…