I recently did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Since it has been around for a while, I have seen some folks complain about the challenge, saying it is faddish (and done for fun rather than compassion) or that it is not generating money. I’m with those who say that it is better to give and try and make it better, rather than judge and complain.  So, give, give, give. Who cares if it is a fad? At the very least... Read more

I am a new faculty member at George Fox, but this is actually my sixth year of full-time teaching. I feel pretty comfortable being new and navigating carefully higher-ed politics, but I was directed recently to THIS EXCELLENT LITTLE ARTICLE FROM INSIDE HIGHER ED (“Advice for New Hires”). Read the whole article, but here are highlights that stuck out to me and served as very helpful reminders. 1. Don’t take anything personally, especially not at first. People will often treat you as... Read more

I wanted to post a quick reminder about our Spring (4.1) issue of Journal for the Study of Paul and his Letters. It was mailed out to subscribers a while back, but since I just moved, my copies arrived recently. This issue is a major review of N.T. Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God. We managed to line-up an excellent group of reviewers including Thomas Schreiner, Michael Gorman, David Starling, Martinus de Boer, Markus Bockmuehl, and Beverly Gaventa. While each reviewer offered... Read more

Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgement simply need not be believed–in such moments the stupid person even... Read more

I am finally getting around to reading Mark Allan Powell’s second edition of his Jesus as A Figure in History (WJK, 2013). I was intrigued by the statement he makes at the close of the introduction about his personal thoughts on the matter of the historical Jesus and the nature of the canonical gospels. The story [told of Jesus in the canonical gospels] is grounded in history, but, for me, the authenticity (or ‘truth’) of the story does not ultimately depend... Read more

In early 2014 I received a two-volume set from Eerdmans called Jesus Research (2009, edited by Charlesworth and Pokorny; 2014, edited by Charlesworth with B. Rhea and Pokorny). These two volumes come from the first and second “Princeton-Prague Symposium on Jesus Research” and boast essays by conference speakers such as Craig Evans, Klaus Haaker, Ulrich Luz, Stan Porter, Jens Schroeter, Gerd Theissen, Dale Allison, Richard Bauckham, Darrell Bock, Bruce Chilton, Kathy Ehrensperger, Peter Flint, Richard Horsley, Craig Keener, Werner Kelber, D.... Read more

Here are my picks for Sun Nov 23: Notes: (1) All are welcome to the IBR worship service – Mark Strauss is the preacher. (2) 9AM session – Pauline Soteriology or Paul and Bultmann??? I can’t decide! I will probably go to the former because the later is being published as a book. (3) 1PM session – I will be at the Gorman review session. But sad to miss hearing Wright in the Paul session. (4) 4PM session – Please... Read more

I am working my way through the SBL annual meeting program and flagging “Sessions of interest”. Here are my favs for Saturday Nov 22. Here are my quick-notes: So many attractive things to choose from for the morning. I will probably end up at the Ehrman session because it will just be fun! In the early afternoon, I probably cannot resist the GOCN topic and paper-titles. The early evening “Theological Interp of Script” session also looks very interesting. A good day... Read more

Today is my first day at my new office at George Fox Seminary. Very excited to be here! I was happy to see a stack of book packages waiting for me. I will say more about these later when I have properly read them or significant portions of them, but here are the basics. C. Marvin Pate, Apostle of the Last Days: The Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul (Kregel, 2013). I will be reviewing this for Expository Times, but just a... Read more

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