There have been a number of interesting posts on the Biologos blog recently; a series of three posts by Ard Louis on Miracles and Science (Part 3 here) extracted from his scholarly essay, and a post just yesterday by Pete Enns, Jesus and the Sea. No matter how we look at it the question of miracles is a key one as we consider faith, worldview and science. Certainly I have been asked many times on this blog how I can... Read more
Stephen Prothero’s newest book, God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World–and Why Their Differences Matter, seeks to educate us all on the world’s great religions. One of his more important points is method: How do we analyze another religion? The fundamental problem is that we tend to analyze it through the lens of our own religion or beliefs. So, even calling other religions “religion” at times creates a problem. Which is the case with Confucianism.... Read more
From Jonah Goldberg … a proposal that the internet have a safe .kids domain. Here is one proposal. Right now, there are many “top-level domains” — .com, .org, .biz, .gov, .edu., etc. We propose the creation of a .kids domain that would be strictly reserved for material appropriate for minors 18 years and under. Most sites would probably be able to mirror themselves on a .kids domain with little to no extra effort. Most corporations, schools, and other organizations have... Read more
Psalm 22 is a struggle, a struggle of the psalmist with his enemies, with himself, with his faith, and with his God. But the psalmist keeps going forward, and I think part of it is shaped by reminding himself of the truth he believes. We enter now into the depths of the psalmist’s experience. As always we are using John Goldingay [Psalms 1]. We are concerned with how he uses the word “abandoned” (v. 1) for his experience of God’s not answering... Read more
Do Christians behave like Christians? Are they any different? What do you think? If you run up and down your neighborhood, what observable differences do you see in those who say they are Christians? Tell the truth. Do empirical studies reveal anything to help us sort these kinds of questions out? This is the question Brad Wright asks and probes in the 5th chap of his excellent new book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites…and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist... Read more
So just how do you define an evangelical? Do you go with David Bebbington’s four-fold breakdown: Bible, Cross, Conversion and Active Christian living? Steve Wilkens and Don Thorsen, both profs at Azusa Pacific, have a new book that takes on misperceptions of evangelicals. I like the title: Everything You Know about Evangelicals Is Wrong (Well, Almost Everything): An Insider’s Look at Myths and Realities . While appreciating Bebbington’s focus on the central beliefs, including belief in being behavioral, Wilkens and... Read more
From David Brooks, a good essay worth reading carefully… [Recent] studies feed into the debate that is now surrounding Nicholas Carr’s book, “The Shallows.” Carr argues that the Internet is leading to a short-attention-span culture. He cites a pile of research showing that the multidistraction, hyperlink world degrades people’s abilities to engage in deep thought or serious contemplation……. But there was one interesting observation made by a philanthropist who gives books to disadvantaged kids. It’s not the physical presence of the... Read more
As John Goldingay [Psalms 1] puts it, Psalm 22 weaves in and out of despair and praise. After two verses of the most memorable expressions of a sense of despair and abandonment, the psalmist turns toward his faith and affirms what he believes to be true: 3 Yet you are [enthroned as the] holy one, the great praise of Israel. 4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried, and were saved; in you... Read more
We had a couple of good conversations last week centered on the difficulties introduced into our faith by the scientific evidence for evolution and the age of the earth. (Posts here: Houston, We’ve Had a Problem and Houston, We Still Have a Problem.) There are several aspects of the situation to be discussed, authority, exegesis, anthropology, science… theology. To think about this in a little more detail, I want to return to Dr. Mohler’s speech. After discussing various ways to... Read more
Stephen Prothero’s newest book, God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World–and Why Their Differences Matter ., seeks to educate his audience on the basics of the major world religions. After his sketch of Islam, upon which I’m no expert, he turns to Christianity. If this chp represents his work, I’d say he gets a B. While he has a handle on some topics — like the diversity of Christianity in the world — there are... Read more
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