Upon hearing the news of the NSA phone records-breach-of-privacy-scandal, I was a bit surprised at my own reaction–or rather, lack of reaction. It seemed like just another step in the direction of the new normal, brought on technology and the ubiquity of social networks. Every day, it seems, we surrender more and more of our privacy to the gods of technology. We trade the commodity of our privacy for other goods: communication and expansion of personal networks, ease of purchasing,... Read more
Guest blogger Dawn Duncan Harrell is author of Ten Ways to Pray. You can find her at dawnduncanharrell.com. I thought zombies were dead. I can’t abide those movies. I can’t even watch the trailers. Three years ago, I saw one for The Crazies and it’s still messing with my adrenalin. So I presumed, without verification, that we’d passed zombies and moved into apocalypse until I nearly backed into this bumper sticker. I was so busy looking at “Zombie... Read more
Over at respectfulconversation.net, the second round of dialogue is now beginning. This month the topic is on evangelicalism and salvation (we theologians like to call it “soteriology”). These are some of the questions we are addressing: 1. Is Christianity “exclusive”? What does that mean? Is Christianity the one true faith? 2. Is there anything for evangelicals to learn from other faiths? 3. Are all people who do not believe in Christ in this life consigned to eternal separation from God... Read more
In the aftermath of another horrific natural disaster, I include a few comments from my book Nature’s Witness reflecting on the theological implications, with no intent to address the deep pastoral concerns for the people in Moore (for that see Rachel Held Evan’s recent tet-a-tet with John Piper). In fact, if you’re suffering in Moore, read this next year. Meteorologically speaking (this from meteorologist Paul Douglas in Minneapolis): In spite a warming Earth there’s no conclusive, scientific evidence that we’re seeing more... Read more
Friend and law professor Mark Osler wrote yesterday about the climate in Minnesota, both the meteorological and the political. As for the weather, it went from snow one week to 102 degrees the next. Today it’s back in the 50s. I don’t know what clothes to wear. As for the politics, Minnesota is now the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage, moving from the brink of a constitutional ban on gay marriage to a legal embrace in a few short months.... Read more
Over at Respectful Conversation, hosted by Harold Heie, an interesting conversation is underway regarding the place of evangelicalism within larger Christian traditions. What does it mean to be “evangelical” today? Does evangelicalism and evangelicals have a distinct, usable entity? What will be the future of the loose coalition (if it is that) or the “family resemblance” called evangelicalism? Primary contributors include Amos Yong, John Franke, Peter Enns, C. Ben Mitchell, Wendy Corbin Reuschling, Vincent Bacote, my Bethel colleague Jeannine Brown,... Read more
I may have been one of a handful of ministers who devoted his/her sermon this past Sunday to existentialism, but it was Soren Kierkegaard’s 200th birthday. Søren Kierkegaard is the ascribed father of modern existentialism, that philosophical theory which emphasizes the existence of the individual as a free and responsible agent acting in accordance with their own determination. After detecting how too many fellow philosophers tried to make the Christian life easier, Kierkegaard subsequently dedicated himself to making it harder... Read more
Mental illness is on our minds. Recently, Matthew Warren, son of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, took his own life after a long struggle with severe mental illness. This tragedy, directly impacting “America’s pastor,” has brought the discussion of mental illness to the forefront (and, predictably, has also given occasion for the ignorant, un-sympathetic mouthpieces of the ongoing stigma of mental illness). Amy Simpson in her recent book Troubled Minds, gives church leaders an invaluable resource for understanding and engaging the problem... Read more
Søren Kierkegaard was born on May 5, 1813. In honor of his bicentenary, my publisher is offering a 40% discount on my new book, Emerging Prophet: Kierkegaard and the Postmodern People of God. (The original list price is $20). To get the discount, just follow the link and enter the coupon code PROPHET in the shopping cart. Here is the book description: Kierkegaard was a prophet who critiqued “Christendom,” the perversion of authentic, New Testament Christianity into the institutionalized, materialistic, triumphalist, and flabby... Read more
Archaeologists excavating a trash pit at the Jamestown colony site in Virginia have found the first physical evidence of cannibalism among the desperate population, corroborating written accounts left behind by witnesses. Cut marks on the skull and skeleton of a 14-year-old girl show that her flesh and brain were removed, presumably to be eaten by the starving colonists during the harsh winter of 1609. —New York Times There are few limits to what people will do when desperate. Historically, to... Read more
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