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…
Social Notes (see all)
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My Personality Type
I don’t actually get personal on this blog all that often, but what is more personal than a personality type? In any case, you can blame it all on that mastermind Joel, who published his type (INTJ), thus causing me to fall into temptation, and try to remember mine. I didn’t remember it until I…
Group Lists Donors to Others
… but not its own. Be sure to follow the links.
Voter Ignorance
A Kaiser poll (pdf) finds that 22% of respondents believe the health care reform bill has been repealed, and another 26% don’t know. (HT: Dispatches and The Daily Dish) Now I realize that the majority in the poll do realize, correctly, that the health care bill is still law. But consider that even the…
On a Virtual Seminary Education
Jason Byassee explains why he voted to allow up to 2/3 of seminary credits to be taken online in his United Methodist conference (HT: Joel Watts). Readers of this blog will already be aware that I believe it’s inevitable that the majority of education is delivered by virtual means. Not only that, I think this…
Proper and Rightful Role for Iowa Caucuses?
According to CNN, Iowa Republican Chairman Matt Strawn commented on those states that are trying to move their primaries earlier in the process: “I don’t think its any secret that Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina have historically worked together, and we are in communication, and we will do what is necessary to maintain our proper…
February Biblical Studies Carnival Posted
… at A Fistful of Farthings. It’s definitely a comprehensive one!
New Biblioblog: The Good Book
A group of 30 professors at the Talbot School of Theology have created a new blog, The Good Book Blog. Their about page describes it this way: The Good Book Blog is the faculty blog of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. Representing the diverse areas of specialty within the seminary, but bound by…
Dave Black on Philippians
Matt Capps has collected links to Dave Black’s online writings on Philippians. As one of Dave’s publishers, I’m glad to see the list.
Biblioblog Top 50 for February
… posted. I’ve climbed to #20.
Note: Naked Heat
I read this book, and the previous Nikki Heat volume, Heat Wave, because I found the concept of a book by a ghost writer, writing for a fictional author interesting. (OK, that sentence is too convoluted, but I’m not going to fix it.) I find the ABC show Castle entertaining in a non-intellectual sort of…
Note: The Hittite
I picked up this book because of the obvious historical connection. I found it a fairly interesting read if one didn’t expect excessive historical background. It’s build around the siege of Troy and provides an interesting idea for the famed “Trojan Horse.” The jacket description is a bit wild (it mentions bringing down the walls…
Two Science Links – Yellowstone Caldera and Ants
What do they have to do with one another? Actually, nothing, other than that both are about science and I thought they were interesting. I haven’t written anything on science for awhile and these stories were there! The first addresses concerns about the Yellowstone Caldera and whether it’s likely to erupt. The conclusion? It’s unlikely…
Allan Bevere on Methodist Identity
In a post related to John Meunier’s, which I linked earlier, Allan Bevere provides some additional form to the question of United Methodist identity.
Some Basic Linguistics
One of the great problems I find in teaching biblical languages, or in explaining Bible translation to lay audiences, is that people don’t understand meaning very well. They assume that words have fixed, narrow ranges of meaning, and that if you search carefully, you can find a word or phrase to precisely represent that word…
Morally Crude Blogging?
John Hobbins thinks Jim West’s blogging style is “morally crude.” I confess that I find Jim West’s style mildly annoying, such that I don’t usually bother to read the most popular and prolific biblioblogger except on rare occasions, but he does hit the nail on the head at times. I read somewhere that there are…
John Meunier Wants to be a Methodist
No, not just a member of a United Methodist congregation, but a Methodist. He has been reading Scott Kisker, and after his discussion he notes: I don’t want something more than they do. “More” is not the right word. I want something real. I want to be part of the movement that started in a fishing…
In Which I Make Two Intemperate Remarks
I was talking to a friend the other day. Our main topic was church and the way it was done. In the course of our conversation I discussed what I feel is the 1 Corinthians 14 church, you know, the one Paul was trying to correct. (I discuss what I think about it in my…
Why Millenials Leave the Church
… because they don’t need it for social networking, says Richard Beck, as quoted by Scot McKnight. So if we’re running a church that is basically just a social network, why would they go?
Dogma Tweets
OK, these are just too much fun. I understand some people have gotten offended. If you’re that easily offended you should read them–you deserve it! (HT: Dave Black Online.)
Persecution
I hear complaints from time to time that American Christians are persecuted. Usually this means some minor annoyance, such as being ridiculed for some belief or another. I’ve even heard the complaint when someone is challenged to provide a defense for their faith. One of the best ways to get our balance, and to realize…
My Dad Was a Fundamentalist
Labels are such tricky things, and any linguist is aware of the problems of saying that a word should mean some certain thing. So I’m going to resist that. But it would be nice to have a label for people who were very firm about the tenets of their faith, and yet was not also…
Cameras in Public Places
There are three issues I’ve been wanting to comment on, but because I see all three as related, I’ve been looking for the right moment. I think this story, about cops caught on speed and red light cameras, gives me the right opportunity. The three issues are: Videotaping (or otherwise recording) police performing their duties…
Life Application Bible Winner
… is Jay Silvas, who is also the sole qualified entry. Despite having only this one entry, I’m happy with my plan for selecting a winner, because I think the comment itself was rather good, given the passage I selected. So congratulations to Jay. Send me your address (or I’ll request it soon), and I’ll…
A Couple of Links on the Purpose of the Church
A few days ago I posted a quote on the purpose of the church, particularly church growth, and between the comments to that post, Twitter, and my RSS reader, I’ve found a few to add to it. First, Jimmy Davis, a former student (for one year of Hebrew) and now an associate pastor in…