One of my very favorite series of texts dealing with original sources that illuminate the NT is the series now published by Eerdmans entitled New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity. It is a series originating out of the ancient history department at Macquarrie University in Sydney Aus. and is loaded with all sorts of inscriptions, many of them unpublished before now that helps us understand the linguistic and social context of the NT. Below is a helpful review of Vol. 10... Read more

Here, in Coleridge, was the house, a parsonage, that Ann and I and Christy moved into in 1980, with a lot of help from parishoners. I remember Charles Teague saying— “he sure does have a lot of books”. He was right about that— several thousand. This was the first home in America for both Christy and when he was born in 1982, David. It was also Ann’s first home in the South. It was an adjustment— as they say. It... Read more

In the middle of North Carolina, in about a 50 square mile radius are dozens and dozens of potters all fired up to give you beautiful pots, plates, jars, cups, and much more, made out of the indigenous clay that undergirds the region. The Seagrove region includes little places like Why Not and the appropriately named Jugtown, and it is to the last of these we go first, because it’s my favorite of all the pottery shops in the area,... Read more

I was invited by Jeff Sugg, a lawyer in Asheboro N.C.,representing the committee for the 200 anniversary celebration (yes you heard right) of Mt. Olivet Church (founded by a Rev. Spinks, one of Asbury’s own circuit riders) to come back to where my ministry really began on the Coleridge Charge in Randolph County N.C. in the middle of August, and preach their anniversary sermon (and enjoy the vituals thereafter). Now Randolph County is the county next to Guilford County in... Read more

There is a featured exhibit at the High Point Museum about John Coltrane, which includes: 1) his piano; 2) some of his sheet music, and 3) pictures of where he lived on Underhill St., where he went to school and learned to play woodwinds and etc. It’s a nice exhibit but could use some expanding. I am including by way of pictures here some of the images and items. Coltrane actually went to the same elementary school I did for... Read more

Sometimes your angle of incidence, the position from which you view things, makes all the difference in the world (see the picture above). Take for instance the popular phrase ‘the baptism of the Holy Spirit’. Now as a noun phrase, it does not occur at all, in the New Testament. It is a later label used to refer to some things which are mentioned or discussed in the New Testament, but the question is whether the label actually fits the... Read more

Went back to the hometown, High Point N.C., while doing an event in Randolph county last month. Had some ‘cue– see picture above (for you non divine swine eaters, that’s short for southern barbecue which is hickory smoked pork— accept no substitutes). My real mission however was not to stop at Kepley’s but to finally: 1) find the Coltrane statue downtown, and 2) visit the High Point museum’s Coltrane wing (see the next post). Here’s the statue and it’s explanation—... Read more

(a classroom in Rwanda). I was listening to a lengthy presentation on the future of education as we know it. It was depressing. Very depressing. The presentation was on the changing face of education, but really it should have been called the growing facelessness of education– education without classrooms, without teachers, without personal interaction, without any incarnational qualities. Just a data transfer by computer and tests, endless small tests. And oh yes—- cheap cost, and sometimes it’s even free. Americans... Read more

(Here is a recent five star review of my Invitation to the NT, on the Dubious Disciple blog). You can find a link to the book on right side of this page. Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2013 in Book Reviews | 0 comments by Ben Witherington III ★★★★★ This is a beautiful, full-color university text, complete with Further Reading and Study Questions at the end of each section. It’s very well written in Witherington’s usual fascinating prose, though I... Read more