By Dr. Amos Yong This is the seventh installment of a series of posts by Dr. Yong on the theme of the “Holy Spirit and Mission in Canonical Perspective.” See all the posts here. Numbers 27:16-18 & Deuteronomy 34:9 There is only one reference to the divine wind in Deuteronomy: “Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses” (34:9). In what follows, I wish... Read more
This post is a part of the Patheos Book Club focus on Jesus Behaving Badly: The Puzzling Paradoxes of the Man from Galilee. See more here. Mark Strauss, professor New Testament of Bethel Seminary San Diego, has just had Jesus Behaving Badly: The Puzzling Paradoxes of the Man from Galilee published by IVP Press. The book focuses on some of the more difficult passages of the Gospels. What do we make of Jesus killing a herd of pigs in Luke 8?... Read more
by Jeanelle E. Austin, Director of Operations at the William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies This is an abbreviated version of a blog originally posted on Fuller Theological Seminary’s homepage. To read the whole story, click here. On Thursday, October 8, 2015, 25 young adults and a few facilitators gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, to wrestle with the topic of racial justice by engaging the people and space of Ferguson. We became pilgrims as part of the... Read more
Editor’s Note: This piece is part of a conversation Patheos is hosting on the new film The Armor of Light. Find more perspectives here. By Dr. Christopher B. Hays This essay was written for a forum relating to a documentary entitled “The Armor of Light,” which tells the story of a conservative evangelical pastor who comes to embrace gun control. As a professor of biblical studies at a theological seminary, I find hope in Rev. Rob Schenck’s story. It affirms... Read more
By Dr. Cameron Lee Recently, I did a memorial service for a man who took his own life after a long struggle with depression. It was the second such service I’d done in about two years. Both men were successful in their own way, competent at their professions. Both had friends and family who cared. But in the end, each died alone. Of all the psychiatric ailments, depression is the most common worldwide. Estimates of the prevalence of depression vary,... Read more
By Dr. Amos Yong This is the sixth installment of a series of posts by Dr. Yong on the theme of the “Holy Spirit and Mission in Canonical Perspective.” See all the posts here. “Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face towards the wilderness. Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God [ruach Elohim] came upon him, and he... Read more
By Dr. Mark Labberton Pope Francis inspires me to follow Jesus. That’s it. I follow what the Pope says and I am grateful for the sweep of his vision, the humility of his spirit, and the depth of his hope. I am moved by his simple gestures of compassion, and the primacy of the person in each embrace. His warm, unself-conscious purposefulness embodies the charisma of love, a love that he believes is fully and generously and indiscriminately poured out through... Read more
By Dr. Cameron Lee Let’s face it. Graduate school—even a graduate theological seminary—is to some extent a meritocracy in which people are graded according to various standards of excellence. Students in particular probably feel it most when it comes to applying for scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, internships—a whole fleet of “-ships” for which there is often stiff competition. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not about to propose any kind of radical reworking of the system. Academic excellence is a worthy goal... Read more
By Dr. Amos Yong This is the fifth installment of a series of posts by Dr. Yong on the theme of the “Holy Spirit and Mission in Canonical Perspective.” See all the posts here. Much has been made by modern Pentecostal interpreters of the Spirit’s filling of the Seventy in Numbers 11 as an Old Testament prototype of the Day of Pentecost event in Acts 2. There are certainly many observable parallels – i.e., of Moses as Spirit-filled leader of the people of God being a type... Read more
By Dr. Kurt Fredrickson Eugene Peterson once said: “Being a pastor, if called to it, is the best life there is.” And yet, it is often a difficult life for pastors. A challenge faced by many pastors is the conflicting expectations placed on them by their congregations. Some see the primary role of pastors as caring for the needs of the congregation. Others see the primary role of pastors as equipping the congregation to be sent outward in mission. People... Read more
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