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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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It Was All God – Pride or Humility?
The gentleman came to me with a sheaf of papers after a meeting at which I was speaking. “I’d like you to read this,” he said, holding them out to me. Now this was before I had started publishing, not that I haven’t had related experiences since. But even so, this gentleman wanted me to…
Could You Use This Video about YOUR Church?
Though I think I might ask myself the next question. Will I grow spiritually after I get there? The atmosphere of grace is, I believe, most conducive to growth! (HT: Kouya Chronicle)
Christian Carnival CCLXXXVIII Posted
… at the Jevlir Caravansary, which is one of my blogs. It’s the “caravan route edition.” Enjoy!
The Espresso Book Machine
This is an announcement from my company, but the technology is very interesting. Books on demand has gone to a new level.
Media Heat or Light?
I’ve long thought that the major problem of the media was not so much bias (though bias is evidence) but shallowness. Today Allan Bevere said it much better.
Reflections on Church and The Jesus Paradigm
As a publisher I have the joy of spending a great deal of time with a book as it goes through the process of publication. I don’t expect you to read my thoughts on The Jesus Paradigm as anything like a review, but there are some special things about this book and the way it…
Incredibly Irresponsible YouTube Video
… and given the quality of some YouTube videos, that’s saying something. In this case the WorldNetDaily is also pushing the idea, though they give some weak lip service to responsibility by noting that there are other ideas out there, and being sure to credit it all to the anonymous producer. If you want to…
Scot McKnight on Walton on Genesis 1
Scot McKnight has started an 18 part discussion of John Walton’s book The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Even though I have not yet read Dr. Walton’s book, I can tell you that this is a very important discussion for Christians and that I expect much value just from…
Popular Exegesis – Cutting the Knot
David Ker at Lingamish has started a series in which he looks for ways to bypass the Grammatical-Historical approach to Bible study and look for ways that would allow more people to get involved in the study. To quote: … In fact, GHI [Grammatical-Historical Interpretation-HN] rather than illuminating the texts almost always results in muddying…
2 Corinthians – The Importance of the Story
I’m reading Frank J. Matera’s fine commentary on 2 Corinthians, and today was reading about Paul’s recitation of his history with the Corinthians as the basis for what he was about to teach them. I warn you that this post is only partially about 2 Corinthians. It is more broadly about the importance of seeing…
Biblical Studies Carnival Posted
… at and by Jim West (Funhouse Edition).
How to Accomplish God’s Will
This is my second thought today from John 6:24-35, the gospel passage from Proper 13B. It’s a tightly packed passage! In verses 28-29 Jesus says: 28They said to him, “What do we need to do to perform God’s works?” 29Jesus answered, “This is God’s work: That you put your trust [or believe] in the one…
Eating the Bread – Missing the Sign
Our gospel passage (John 6:24-35) for Proper 13B is pretty tightly packed, so I’m going to write a couple of short articles about it this morning. I’ve thought about many things as I was reading this passage, but I won’t have time to write about them all. First of all, as I read this morning,…
A Different Look at Seeker Sensitivity
Doug Rea says all churches should be seeker sensitive, but who is seeking?
A Look at Reader’s Version of Greek and Hebrew Bible
A few days ago I found the Reader’s Version of Greek and Hebrew Bible (HT: Tim Ricchuitti), and while I think it is a good tool, I greet such tools with mixed emotions and I would like to point out some excellent uses for it, as well as some not-so-excellent uses. Much too often students…
Steve Hill on 1 Samuel 12 (Pr 13B)
This is Steve Hill on David and Bathsheba, challenging us all …
Congratulations to Houston Baptist University
… on their new Master of Arts in Biblical Languages. In growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church I got used to the idea that in order to teach Bible or become a pastor one started studying theology/religion at the undergraduate level and then continued at the graduate level with the fundamentals out of the…
On Evangelizing Atheists
Caraleisa has reposted her essay Repost: Sick and Tired of God-stuff; an open letter to theists. This is something she first wrote several years ago and has reposted unchanged. I think every Christian should read it. Just as Caraleisa stuck with her original post, I’m just going to link to my previous response: Witness Without…
Why Not Study the Bible?
You may think that a strange title for a post on Bible study blog. Obviously if you read this blog you must in some sense be interested in studying the Bible. But I want to direct this question specifically to Christian education leaders in churches. This is the time of year when curriculum is chosen. …
Resource Links
Bible Reading Sites The Bible Through the Seasons Biblical Languages Resources Reader’s Greek and Hebrew Bible
Repentance and Servanthood (Pr 13B)
I like to look for common themes in the lectionary passages. If I can find a way to use all four together on one topic, that’s even better. Proper 13B uses 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a (I’ve already discussed why I dislike cutting this off before verse 14), Psalm 51:1-12 (and I’d prefer to read the entire…
Lectionary Notes
One of my devotional practices is to keep track of the weekly lectionary texts (not the daily and often not special days during the week), and read them through daily using different versions and different reference sources. I keep notes online when I have time. I haven’t publicized this very much because I have been…
Cutting out the Tough Stuff (2 Sam. 11:26-12:13a)
I’m returning to these notes after the busiest winter, spring, and half of summer that I have ever experienced. I wrote a couple of notes, getting back to them in fits and starts, but I haven’t been able to sustain the writing time. During this time my company released four books, one of them in…