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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Need a License to be Smart?
Apparently Kevin Lacy, chief traffic engineer for the North Carolina DOT thinks you do. When a citizens group challenged his decision on a couple of traffic lights, and provided substantiating data they collected and compiled themselves, he said it was “engineering-level work” and reported it to the state licensing board. This one speaks for itself,…
Hermeneutical Self-Awareness
Pete Enns has an interesting article on Cain and Abel on the BioLogos Science and the Sacred web site. As interesting as it is–and I commend the discussion–I was most struck by the final paragraph: Pondering these sorts of questions leads to “hermeneutical self-awareness.” Such self-awareness may not lead to the final word about a…
Nice Note on the Johannine Comma
This article by Daniel B. Wallace includes some nice material about how the groundwork for textual criticism is done.
Life Application Study Bible (NLT) Giveaway
I have had this on my Participatory Bible Study blog for a few days and so far there is only one entry. Contest ends Monday. Check it out!
Keeping Your Greek (or Not)
Via Dave Black, I came across this review of the book Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People. I’m going to try to get a copy of this book at some point, as I deal with many people who would like to keep some Greek but really haven’t. Dave comments: In the teaching world we…
Snow
No, not here in Florida. That’s our daughter and son-in-law’s front yard near Ft. Worth, Texas. Our granddaughters are enjoying themselves as school is closed.
On Cutting Spending and Investment
Mark at Pseudo-Polymath links to this post on Rand Paul’s ideas for cutting the budget, using the line: “Someone is forgetting that the left prefers social entitlements to science programs.” I think Mark has a good point, but not the best point. This illustrates one of the reasons I oppose across-the-board spending cuts. Some argue–and…
Sabre-Tooth Campaign Finance Laws
I think this is an excellent example of laws addressing problems that are out of date in ways that make little sense. (With due apologies to the book The Saber-Tooth Curriculum, which is old, but an excellent read.)
Should We Evangelize Uncontacted Indigenous Tribes?
I couldn’t think of a better headline than the one Allan Bevere used in his post asking this question. I think it’s a good question. I’m closing comments here. Comment there, or on your own blog with a link.
The Wrong Reason for Church Growth – Quote of the Day
From Allan Bevere: And one more thing– as long as the church wants to grow only in order to pay the bills; if we see new people not as persons made in the image of God who need God’s transforming grace as much as the rest of us; if we only see them as instruments…
Two Bible Reading Plans Compared
How’s that for a boring headline? I mentioned in an earlier post that I was trying a new reading plan by Robert Murray McCheyne. I don’t usually like Bible years, and I still have some problems with this one, but I still plan to use it through the year. I’ve made this my evening Bible…
More About Harder (to Read)!
Bible Gateway blog has picked up the topic of making the Bible harder to read. Join the discussion.
Biblioblog Top 50 and Carnival
The top 50 is up, and Jim West is hosting the carnival with his usual snark. I’m #25 in the former, and not present in the latter. Enjoy!
Michele Bachmann Wants to Cut Veterans Benefits
Just in case you thought liberals were the only ones who wanted programs, but didn’t want to pay for them, consider this story from the Air Force Times (HT: Dispatches) regarding Michele Bachmann‘s suggested budget cuts. What I mean by wanting a program, in this case, is wanting the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan,…
Troy Britain Tours Young Earth Creationist Dinosaur Park
He doesn’t like what he sees.
Grow a Scriptural Faith – For Your Kids
The joint blog through the book Almost Christian by John Meunier and his daughter continues with Parents Matter Most. I must recommend this series again, because both participants are making excellent points and being quite open about spirituality. You can follow the links in the various posts. A key takeaway line this time: Neither grows…
History of the Bible for 3rd Graders
I was surprised to be invited to teach a session on the history of the Bible to the third grade class at my home church. So what does one do with about a half an hour to talk about the history of the Bible with about 20 lively 3rd graders? I chose to create some…
The Multiple Personality Disorder of American Foreign Policy
A number of bloggers have been expressing their solidarity with the Egyptian people today. On that subject I’m going to suggest the words of two friends of mine, Allan Bevere and Bob Cornwall. Yet while I sympathize with the Egyptian people, I am going to comment on something else. Why is it that our moral…
How Liberal Christians Lose Credibility
This article interested me, if for no other reason than my tag line: Thoughts on Religion in the World from a passionate, moderate, liberal charismatic Christian. Now I should point out again that “liberal charismatic” was a tag bestowed on me by someone who didn’t like me, and my preference is “passionate moderate” as a…
Making It Hard to Read
Joel Watts suggests that we might need to make laypeople learn some of the more difficult theological terms, and he quotes an Economist study to support his contention. I would relate his comment to my own suggestion about the different ways of reading scripture. I don’t think we always want to read slowly and in…
Worship Worthy of Your Understanding of God
I started teaching a new Sunday School class today, or I should say it’s new to me. In our discussion one of the class members discussed who he understood God to be, and then commented that he couldn’t understand such a God requiring worship. His concept of God was rich and deep, so by this…
Life Application Study Bible Giveaway
For participation in a previous contest, Tyndale House has sent me a certificate for one free copy of the Life Application Study Bible (NLT), which they say is the #1-selling study Bible. I’m happy to be able to provide someone with a copy of an NLT. I’m going to do this a bit differently this…
Dave Black on Translations
I was thinking of quoting this comment from Dave Black myself, but Rod Decker beat me to it. We should give translators more respect!
The Value (or not) of the Spiritual Warfare Metaphor
My daily lectionary readings for the day included both Ephesians 6:10-24 and Mark 5:1-20. (I get my readings from The Voice.) It’s an interesting combination, because the Ephesians passage is the famous one about the armor of God and thus features in just about any discussion of spiritual warfare, while the passage in Mark, regarding…