James Davison Hunter, in his new book, and I predict perhaps one of the more influential studies of this decade (To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World ), says evangelicals — both the James Dobson and the Jim Wallis style — have got it completely, or almost completely, wrong. Among others, he takes shots at Andy Crouch, Brian McLaren, Chuck Colson, and James Dobson.  His book is shaped by three themes:... Read more

Zondervan has taken Tom Wright’s well-received Surprised by Hope and made it usable for Study Groups. They’ve done this in two ways, and I want to pass this information on to you because so many would like to make Tom Wright more accessible to lay folks.  First, there’s a new study guide: Surprised by Hope Participant’s Guide: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church .  Second, there’s a DVD: Surprised by Hope . Who has used Wright’s... Read more

There is progress in Psalm 6 but the psalmist doesn’t spell out each step in the progress. Perhaps the psalmist has sinned; he doesn’t say so. He is opposed by enemies and they have driven David to his limit. He pleads with God to rescue him because, so the psalmist believes, God is faithful.  He then makes another plea on his behalf: “For no one remembers you in the realm of death, In Sheol who gives you thanks?” That is, because... Read more

Michael Bird, down in Australia, is watching from afar but he gets it: there’s something going on in Old Testament scholarship among Reformed evangelicals that has many people concerned, and it’s all lit up in the news — to the point that USA Today covered one of the stories. Here’s a clip from Michael Bird’s blog, and you can weigh in here (or at Michael Bird’s site). I want this conversation to be civil, and I would love it if... Read more

From Christianity Today, in an interview with Mark Moring: Seven years ago, while at the top of her game, Jennifer Knapp announced what seemed to many a sudden decision: She was stepping away from Christian music, taking an indefinite hiatus. Rumors began to swirl–she was burned out, she needed a rest, she was upset about something, she was gay. Turns out that all the rumors were true, as Knapp reveals in this rambling, exclusive interview withChristianity Today. The one-time Grammy... Read more

David, or the psalmist if it is not David, complains about his enemies often and pleads with God to do justice and shame them. But Psalm 6 (after the jump you can find the whole psalm) opens up with the humility necessary to be the sort of person who can pray for justice against enemies. Perhaps this psalm belongs with Ps 38 because the psalmist has something to confess. Nothing indicates that, though the tone of v. 1 could lead... Read more

David Opderbeck is known to all readers of this blog; he weighs in today on the soul-sort narrative I have done on Brian McLaren.   That Other Soul-Sort Narrative:  The Problem of People as Targets We’ve had some good and robust conversation about Brian McLaren’s “soul-sort” narrative.  Many of us resonate in some way with the problem Brian identifies, even though we can’t go down the road of his solution.    I say resonate “in some way” because I suspect that, for most of us,... Read more