What the critics of Obama are not understanding is that he does get it, and what it means for him is “Stay the course.” Obama doesn’t think the election results means he has to change; it means he has to do better at what he believes in and is already doing. No backing down here at all. The one thing all should admire here is that Obama believes in what he is doing. It may well cost him the 2012... Read more
I came across this statement by David Ulin and thought it expressed the inner fabric of books and reading and pondering and imagining and finding truth and of the joy of being found. What do you think of his statement? From David Ulin, The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time: We posses the books we read, animating the waiting stillness of their language, but they posses us also, filling us with thoughts and observations, asking... Read more
This post is part 6 of a series The Fall and Sin After Darwin. We’ve been looking at the essays in a book Theology After Darwin centered around a simple question: What are the implications for Christian theology if Darwin was right? In conjunction with this we are also looking at three articles in the recent theme issue of the ASA Journal Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith (v. 62 no. 3 2010) Reading Genesis: The Historicity of Adam and... Read more
I’m not an economist, and not even all that interested in economic theory, but in living in the USA and listening to others, I’ve distilled our economy’s central drivers into three passions — three drivers. In our travels around the world and getting to know those who come from different economic systems, sometimes we are asked how Americans can be the way they are. Sometimes, frankly, we come off as heartless and driven workaholics. By and large, we’re neither. These... Read more
* My Christ! my Christ! my shield, my encircler, each day, each night, each light, each dark. * My Christ! my Christ! my shield, my encircler, each day, each night, each light, each dark. Be near me, uphold me, my treasure, my triumph. Circle me, Lord, keep protection near and danger afar. * Circle me, Lord, keep light near and darkness afar. * Circle me, Lord, keep peace within; keep evil out. The peace of all peace be mine this... Read more
This post is for those who learned Greek in college or seminary, have mostly abandoned it, feel bad about it, and want some encouragement. Constantine Campbell, an Aussie, has a new book just for you: short, clear, and full of zest. It’s called: Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People. Ten short chps, ten good ideas, and all designed to get you back into a Greek habit — so you can understand the Bible and so you can help others... Read more
The word “holy” or “holiness” don’t often appear these days in some of the most influential books on the Christian life. In fact, holiness seems to be a word that speaks language of a former era. There are reasons for the alienating impact of the word “holiness.” Too many used this word for restraining from alcohol or from smoking or from marijuana or from sex before marriage — so that the word gathered for itself only negative ideas. The positive... Read more
Since the 1980s evangelicalism has developed new legalisms. Before I go there, let me define what “legalism” means: it refers to anything that is added to the gospel in such a way that it diminishes the sufficiency of our acceptance before God in Christ or diminishes the power of the Spirit to guide us. Legalism is not a rule; it is not disciplined actions. It has to do with “subtraction by addition”: adding something to the center so much that... Read more
Robert Putnam and David Campbell, in their new book, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, examine American religion — but their concern is what has happened in the last 50 years or so. Fascinating study. Here’s a major thesis of this book; they see the last 50 years of American religion in three movements: The Shock was the 60s, and its major characteristics were sexual liberation (the big one in this study), drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, and the... Read more
* Christ without sin, Christ of wounds, I am placing my soul and my body under Thy guarding this night, Christ of the poor, Christ of tears. Thy cross be my shielding this night, O Thou Son of tears, of the wounds, of the piercing. I am going now into the sleep: O be it in Thy dear arm’s keep, O God of grace, that I shall awake. Read more
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