Editor’s Note: This is the second in a weekly Lenten series on the body and blood of Christ by Church History Professor Kelly Pigott. Cecil B. Demille portrayed Moses receiving the law in a very dramatic way, with wind and fire and Charleton Heston overacting as Moses. When I imagine Moses receiving the law, I see it as a far more subdued affair, with Moses perched on a rock scribbling on papyrus or sheep’s skin. I’ve often wondered how much arguing actually went on between... Read more
Announcing: DEEPER LOVE Faithful Rhetoric for Progressive Social Change (more…) Read more
Roger Olson, a professor at Truett Theological Seminary and a blogger at Patheos Evangelical recently wrote a piece titled, A Word from a Founder to All My “Moderate Baptist” Friends. His basic argument is that the founder of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), Cecil Sherman, was a theological conservative/moderate who would be upset with Baptists who pose as “moderates” but are actually “liberal.” (For some reason Olson refuses to identify Baptists like myself as “progressives,” which I prefer, though I don’t... Read more
Georgia clergy just delivered 500 signatures of faith leaders and 40 boxes of names from around the world — calling for a stop to tonight’s execution of Kelly Gissendaner. And there are over 55,000 folks on the groundswell petition which launched just yesterday, and over 1,000 new names are coming in every hour. But some suggest it is like speaking into thin air – that there is no chance the Governor or the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole will... Read more
Only 15 women have been executed in the U.S. since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. For two death penalty cases involving women to make the news in the same week is unprecedented – but it’s happening. One is Jodi Arias, convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend in 2008, whose sentencing trial is this week. She could face the death penalty in Arizona. The other is a lesser-known case in Georgia — Kelly Gissendaner, convicted in a 1997 Atlanta... Read more
This post finds its origins in a tweet: “Theology is a technology.” – @IdeasDoneDaily /// Chewing on that. #newmediaproject #chsocm — David L Hansen (@rev_david) February 23, 2015 After a bit of reflection, I had a response: @expatminister @rev_david @IdeasDoneDaily Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and say that theology is NOT a technology. #newmediaproject #chsocm — Clint Schnekloth (@Schnekloth) February 23, 2015 However, the question has left me puzzling over the two terms. Even if equating theology with technology,... Read more
The other day I’m cruising down the highway listening to the “Frozen” soundtrack (don’t judge, just let it go) when I run over something hard and metallic, which, of course, blew out one of my front tires. This was not the first time this has happened since moving to Oklahoma, so my level of frustration was higher than it probably should have been as I maneuvered my poor car off the highway and over to the shoulder. After reassuring my... Read more
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a weekly Lenten series on the body and blood of Christ by Church History Professor Kelly Pigott. Unless one is referring to the Old Testament sacrificial system, or a place where wedding vows are made, it seems the word “altar” has fallen out of favor with many Protestants. Perhaps the reason dates back to the Reformation when a huge dispute arose over the doctrine known as the “Sacrifice of the Mass.” Essentially, in this, the Eucharist... Read more
Editor’s Note: This is a response by Paul Holloway to the post, “Paul Holloway’s Rant Against N. T. Wright’s Honorary Doctorate” at the Euangelion blog at Patheos. Newsweek has hailed N. T. Wright as one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars. A toned down version of that view was recently reaffirmed at Sewanee, the University of the South, which earlier this semester recognized Wright with an honorary doctorate in Theology. I am the professor of New Testament in the School of Theology... Read more
On the anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death and in the wake of continued calls for justice in Ferguson, Cleveland and other cities across America, white Americans are again asked to confront the fact that our history of racism is very much present, continuing to destroy families and communities. Many white Christians have reacted to protests around racism and police brutality defensively. Yet our faith calls us to listen and act with compassion. We all have personal stories that inform how we... Read more
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