Over the last several weeks we have had an extended conversation on intelligent design as we have discussed Stephen C. Meyer’s book, Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. One of the comments on the last post asked a question: As someone without a detailed scientific background I sometimes find these discussions a little obtuse. One side keeps making their points. And the other does the same; almost as if repeating the points (rather than actually... Read more
As if Tom Long hasn’t taken on board some major issues in his lectures on preaching, the last chapter in his new book, Preaching from Memory to Hope , examines preaching about eschatology. Here’s the big introduction idea, as he asks preachers in the mainline the questions: “What do you think about eschatology? I don’t know. What about a sermon on the last things? I’m not in the mood.” There you have it: preaching on the Second Coming — and it’s... Read more
Some good folks and friends of ours are working out exercises for families to participate in the Church calendar. Check it out… Here are some activities for the family and an individual for Lent. Read more
Yes, you guessed right if you said “video games.” Check out this report, and tell me what you see going on…. What are your suggestions? Is any church actually working on this issue with parents and kids? Suburban youth baseball and softball coaches can expect to find fewer players on the ball fields this summer, according to many league directors. And while the finger can be pointed at everything from the recession to competition from other sports, experts increasingly are... Read more
It’s a great story. The apostle Paul harrassed into persecution in the Temple by those who thought he was a trouble-making unobservant Jew divulges that he’s a Roman, and everything changes. Through a series of hearings Paul ends up in Caesarea before King Agrippa II and the whole of Acts 25 is worth reading. Paul’s mission begins and ends with the resurrection of Jesus: Paul Appeals to Caesar 25:1 Now three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up... Read more
Tom Long takes on the many, many American manifestations of the gnostic impulse in his new book, Preaching from Memory to Hope. Some will not like this as an example, but here it is: “The old American revival hymn wonders about Jesus, ‘You ask me how I know he lives?’ The hymn’s answer breathes the claustrophobic air of American piety, ‘He lives within my heart.’ [And Tom Long’s response is priceless:] A small space indeed for the Lord of all time... Read more
This post concludes our series with Chris Hall, author of Worshiping With the Church Fathers , a book that examines how the earliest fathers — theologians and pastors and leaders — understood spirituality. Eucharist and baptism, prayer, and withdrawal are Hall’s major themes. His last chp examines what the fathers learned when the withdrew into the desert, and it leads me to a set of questions: Have you ever had a period of withdrawal? What did you learn? What did you... Read more
Every serious Gospel scholar at some point has to sit down for a summer or so, underline every word in the Synoptics according a color-coded system, and come to a conclusion on the relationship of Matthew, Mark and Luke. I remember Jimmy Dunn suggesting I do this, and I went home and began … and some time later had the whole thing underlined. I carry that Synopsis with me often. Beside working hard on understanding the relationship of the Gospels,... Read more
There is a custom in many liturgical churches that looks like this: the worshiper walks forward to the altar, kneels on a kneeler, opens his or her hands, receives the bread, the liturgist then offers the cup to the worshiper, and the worshiper either dips the bread into the cup or, having ingested the bread, takes a sip from the cup. This might be called the posture of reception. Fr. Dajczer speaks of the disposition of faith, the disposition of... Read more
O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more
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