Featured Posts
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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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Spying Churches
I’m struck by the fear with which churches greet new ideas. No, I think I should make it more direct than that. I’m struck by the fear with which churches greet ideas. Any type of ideas. The type of people who manifest this sort of fear are generally those who are either unable to support…
I Want My Canine Chauffeur
Don’t believe me? Check here for video. (HT: Dave Black Online)
I Wish This Would Work
A naive suggestion. Unfortunately, there are enough people out there willing to be manipulated to make all the lying worthwhile.
10 Stupid Things Ministers Should Never Do
J. Lee Grady steps on some toes again. In general, these apply to any leader, especially the point about accountability. A lack of accountability undermines any other efforts.
Biblical Studies Carnival Posted
… at Dust. It’s quite a carnival. I’m pretty sure I won’t manage to read even decent percentage of the posts listed and classified. Great job!
Bible Gateway Adds RSV and NRSV
Bible Gateway has added the RSV and NRSV. This will be useful for me as these are my two favorite formal equivalent translations. This addition comes by agreement with the National Council of Churches.
Just in case we thought democrats were our friends …
More legal invasions of privacy, sponsored by a democrat.
Starting with the Local Congregation – or with Me
Dave Black responded to my previous post on the United Methodist Church by referring to some thoughts he has had on his own denomination. I want to quote them here, since Dave’s blog doesn’t make linking to a particular entry possible. 7:55 AM Noted Methodist blogger Henry Neufeld ponders the question, How to cure the…
Curing the United Methodist Church
No, not that type of curing. Fixing it. Making it healthy and productive. Practically every day I find in my inbox, or on one of the various feeds I follow, an article on how to fix the dying United Methodist Church. While there are many disagreements on details, generally everyone agrees that the church is,…
Sky McCracken on Change in the UMC
A great quote: We Americans aren’t very good at absolute authority, but we presently have the opposite of it in the UMC – we have an episcopacy shackled to lead, but convenient to blame. It’s a great system to play armchair quarterback in, but it doesn’t make disciples. Go read the rest. It’s thought provoking.
AG Superintendent Responds to Election
He recorded his statement before he knew who won so he wouldn’t be biased. It’s a good statement. About a minute and a half in, there’s this: Regardless of whether our president is Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, the mission of our fellowship is the same. Just so!
Over-the-Top Election Reactions
Out of the various feeds I follow, I found these: Eric Dondero thinks you should go so far as to divorce a wife who voted for Obama. “I strongly urge all other libertarians to do the same. Are you married to someone who voted for Obama, have a girlfriend who voted ‘O’. Divorce them. Break…
Is that Idiom Right?
We all use idioms, mostly unconsciously. There are a number that bother me that are in common usage, such as “I could care less” which developed from the more logical “I couldn’t care less.” But idioms often aren’t about logic. They’re about what people actually say, and what other people understand by what they say….
Reflection after the Election
This isn’t one of those “oh no the wrong guy(s) won” nor is it a “yay! the right guy(s) won” post. I wouldn’t be writing either of those if the results had been reversed. I’m interested in a few lessons about the way elections work. 1) Those who lead in the polls believe polls. Those…
Peter Enns on Inerrancy
Peter Enns (Inspiration and Incarnation) has an excellent post on inerrancy. On of my arguments in When People Speak for God is that we need to create our doctrine of inspiration primarily from observing scripture rather than by trying to extract theological statements about inspiration. The title of Dr. Enns’ post, I think someone forgot…
Voting Tomorrow
I’ve made a few snide remarks about friends who flood their Facebook timeline with political posts. I wouldn’t want anyone to think this is because I don’t care about politics. In fact, I read a great deal about politics and often research candidates’ positions in some detail if the information is available. I will be…
Military Spending and the Deficit
We should be considering these numbers when discussing the deficit. Some of these countries, at least, can afford to pay their own way.
Possibility of Addiction vs Chronic Pain
I wonder why we’re so much more concerned about the possibility of addiction to painkillers than about alleviating chronic pain.
Christian Attitude on Politics
… from my friend and Energion author Greg May. Copies of Greg’s new book, Crewed Awakening, are enroute from the printer. You can’t get “hotter off the press” than that!
Understanding Polls and Probabilities
Jonathan Last defends Nate Silver, but it’s really just explaining what “probability” means. HT: Dispatches.
The Hermeneutics of Love
Another great post on this by Rachel M. Stone. I’m glad I found her blog.
Morgan Guyton Reviews a Review
I will definitely be reading Rachel Held Evans’ new book A Year of Biblical Womanhood, but I haven’t done so yet, so I’m not commenting on that book. It’s always interesting to me, however, to see reviews of reviews before I’ve gotten my hands on a book. In this case the review getting reviewed is…
Bad Time of Year for a Black Cat
(HT: Why Evolution is True)
Hammering the Word SOON
I already mentioned that I’m in the final stages of publishing a new book Eschatology: A Participatory Study Guide by Edward W. H. Vick. One of the things that Dr. Vick emphasizes is the abuse of the word “soon” in Christian teaching and preaching. There is a problem with definitions if you repeatedly claim that…