Be sure to begin and end precisely at the time appointed. Sing no hymn of your own composing. Endeavour to be serious, weighty, and solemn in your whole deportment before the congregation. Choose the plainest texts you can. Take care not to ramble from your text, but to keep close to it, and make out what you undertake. Always suit your subject to your audience. Beware of allegorizing or spiritualizing too much. Take care of anything awkward or affected, either... Read more

Recently I was having lunch with an Anglican priest of a local parish with whom I’m developing a good friendship. Over an excellent brick oven pizza he mentioned a Latin phrase that captured a central element of spiritual formation we had been discussing (It was this that spurred my earlier post about Latin phrases). I’m sure this phrase is not new to many of our readers, but it was new to me. Lex Orandi, Lext Credendi” which translated literally means... Read more

Over at RBL is the longest and probably the most critical review I’ve even written.  It is Charles Freeman, A New History of Early Christianity (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009). Freeman is a general historian and not a church historian and he makes a few interesting points. Otherwise he piggy backs some of the same mantras and says some peculiar things like his explanation of the origin of the resurrection. Read more

I’m not one to use Latin phrases. For one I don’t know Latin. Now I’m not proud of this. As a quasi-academic in the Christian tradition, I wish I knew Latin. Alas, we only live one life and mine does not include Latin. If your young and academically interested, Latin is a good language to pick up along the way if you have the time and inclination. Continuing down this rabbit trail (this post was not suppose to be about... Read more

Eran Frankel has launched an interesting video blog about Jerusalem. Over the course of various video posts, Eran takes viewers on a tour of the modern city pointing out important religious sites. The first several posts are about the Via Dolorosa. The content is a bit of a mixed bag, but if you’ve never been to Jerusalem you will enjoy seeing the churches that commemorate key events in the final week of Jesus’ life. Check out the first installment. Read more

Shaye J.D. Cohen in his book From the Maccabees to the Mishnah locates early Christianity firmly within the world of Jewish sectarianism. However, he does not think it remained so beyond the first century. Cohen defines a sect this way: A sect is a small, organized group that separates itself from the larger religious body and asserts that it alone embodies the ideals of the larger group because it alone understands God’s will . . . In the final analysis,... Read more

Yesterday, January 25th, the Church celebrated Paul’s conversion. I find Paul to be such a compelling person. While Paul has been an intellectual preoccupation for 15 years, he also inspires me. His life compels me to be “all in” on what God has called me to do. This past year while sitting in the theater in Miletus with seventeen North Park students we reflected on Paul’s statement to the Ephesian elders recorded in Acts 20:24. I consider my life worth... Read more

I’m searching for a family devotional for Lent and Easter that I can do with my young family. Does anyone have a suggestion of devotional material that has worked well for you? Read more

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Messiah and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more

I am writing the final post on the blog tour for Daniel Kirk’s new book, Jesus Have I Loved, But Paul?. You can see all the posts on the tour here at the Blog Tour Hub. I will be engaging the final chapter of the book which is titled “Living Interpretations”. Let me say that I’m honored to read and engage Daniel’s book. I consider him a friend and, at times, it seems we’re living lives in parallel.   Summary... Read more