Featured Posts
-
Sorrow Like My Sorrow – Lamentations 1:12
Can we really understand the suffering of another person or they ours?
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
Social Notes (see all)
All Posts
Joel Watts Quoting Edward Vick
Joel Watts is quoting from a book I publish, From Inspiration to Understanding. I’d like to get more involved, but for now, check out his quote. My company (Energion Publications) will be releasing a new book by Dr. Vick, Creation: The Christian Doctrine, taking the approach of systematic theology. This will be released some time…
1st Century Church?
My wife Jody is again writing about the first century church. She wonders if we want to just visit it for one hour per week. We have both previously written on this topic. To be honest, I don’t think that many people are really interested in a church like the first century church. I suspect…
Michael Bird on Studying the Gospels
Michael Bird has a really excellent post on critical and faithful study of the gospels. I’m not going to extract from it, though my hat tip goes to Darrell Pursiful who extracted an excellent quote. I was reminded of a book my company published recently, From Inspiration to Understanding: Reading the Bible Seriously and Faithfully….
March Abnormally Interesting Biblical Studies Carnival Posted
… at — you guessed it — Abnormal Interests!
Seasons of the Church Year
I grew up in a Christian group that did not follow the Christian liturgical calendar. There were many arguments presented for this, including the pagan backgrounds of some holidays. I’m not going to discuss that issue except to say that I care very little about the background of the day. What I care about is…
The Earliest Gospel of Mark Has NOT Been Found
I’m trying to correct some headlines. OK, my headline is wrong also, intentionally so. Here’s what happened: Dan Wallace said in a debate that a fragment of Mark has been found which one paleographer dated to the 1st century. There has been a good deal of discussion of this on the biblioblogs, for example, John…
What Disastrous Situation
… could possibly make Donald Trump a “great” candidate for president? It’s one of the worst comments on our political system that anyone even pretends to take him seriously.
Marks of a Unified Church
Walter Brueggemann suggests how we might avoid getting tangled up on secondary issues: (HT: Allan R. Bevere)
This Does NOT Represent Family Values
In a blog on the American Family Association web site, Bryan Fischer has named Jessica Ahlquist, the High School student in Rhode Island who was plaintiff in a case against a prayer banner in her school, to his “American Association of Religious Bigots.” In doing so he calls her a “little atheist bully” and a…
Repelling Young People
“So, in a spirit of Christian solidarity, I decided to help these churches expel young people once and for all.” This is too good! Read the rest.
Dutch Sheets and Dominionism
I have previously written about the term “dominionism,” one which I don’t find very helpful as a label for a political position. So I was very interested to hear Dutch Sheets, one of those called (by some) a dominionist, make reference to the term. I was invited as a Christian leader to hear Dutch Sheets…
Cooperative Missions
Dave Black wants us to do church planting cooperatively. We should!
February 15 Christian Carnival Posted
… at Bible Archive.
Pete Enns on the Historical Adam
He continues the discussion with Kevin DeYoung. I’m glad to see this discussion continue.
Would This Be Bibliolatry?
Red Letter Christians has a post titled “Is This Any Way to Treat a Bible?” which tells how a high school teacher, on seeing a student’s heavily marked Bible, held it up to the class and asked that question. The article that follows is excellent. I would think a more relevant question would be “Is…
Is Cessationism Another Gospel?
A guest contributor to The Jesus Creed asks this question. He comes at it from the angle of just how far such a teaching would be from what is implied in the gospels, from which our definition of “Gospel” should come. I’m not a cessationist, though I think it is important for people on the…
The Way Sunday School Class at FUMC Pensacola
My wife Jody and I have started a new Sunday School class at our home church, First United Methodist Church in Pensacola. The first meeting was the third Sunday in January this year. I’ve been meaning to post something here about it, but I have been a bit busy. (How many times have you read…
Of Evangelism, Missions and Other Bad Words
The tragedy of the American church is that we have the greatest resources ever in the history of Christianity and for the most part we’re sitting on them, doing nothing. When we are doing something, most of what we do is for ourselves. The question, I’m told, is what we should be doing and how…
February 8, 2012 Christian Carnival Posted
… at Other Food. Thanks to Violet for hosting the carnival!
Why Certain People Tend to Polarize
Scot McKnight asks why Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and Albert Mohler start a firestorm when they say certain things, while others, such as Tim Keller can believe and say those same things, but don’t get the same heated response. There’s an interesting discussion in the comments, which is worth reading. This whole topic led me…
Self-Quote of the Day
Is this a new high (or low) in narcissism? I’m always interested to see what others quote of what I say. I must confess that normally things I write that impress me don’t impress others (at least based on the number of views), while often something I bat off in a couple of minutes and…
Joel Watts on Theopneustos and Theosis
Joel Watts has started a discussion on the nature of inspiration, comparing the breathing of the Spirit into the text of scripture with the coming of the Holy Spirit into the church and the individual. Thus far he has gotten little discussion, and he think his ideas deserve some further discussion. This reminds me of…
It’s right for God to slaughter women and children anytime he pleases
The Christian Post has a portion of an interview with John Piper in response to the question: Why was it right for God to slaughter women and children in the Old Testament? How can that ever be right? And the first sentence of his answer is the title of this post. I can hardly tell…
On Joel Watts on Inspiration
I put a note on the web site for my book When People Speak for God.