Science and Christianity … Why Resurrection? (RJS)

Last updated on: June 11, 2012 at 9:20 pm By RJS

On my post last Tuesday, toward the end of the comments, the following question was asked (I edit slightly): Your ‘Noah’ versus ‘resurrection’ argument is interesting. … Moreover is the ‘resurrection’ as an event that important? Jesus was supposedly ‘resurrected’ physically in this reality, but went to heaven more or less right away anyway. The christian faith does not preach that a believer will be physically ‘resurrected’ in this reality like Jesus was but that they will live immortally in... Read more

Marriage and Divorce 4

Last updated on: January 19, 2010 at 12:06 am By Scot McKnight

One of the more interesting sources for information about divorce can be found in the prophets. What practices can be inferred from them? William F. Luck’s Divorce and Re-Marriage: Recovering the Biblical View examines this sort of question in chp 4. To begin with, though the Mosaic Law did say that adultery was to be punished with capital sentence, clearly by the time of the prophets [and I leave to the side the issue of critical dating of books and texts]... Read more

Responding to Brooks: A Reader’s Comment

Last updated on: January 18, 2010 at 2:53 pm By Scot McKnight

From one of the comments on David Brooks’ column, this one by Stephen Reichard: While some of what you say is true, you studiously avoid the very central role of the United States in the tragedy that is Haiti today. This is not simply limited to the myriad U.S. military occupations of Haiti or the support for the brutal dictatorships of the Duvaliers. It is the ongoing intervention into Haiti that has included the imposition of IMF rules that devastated... Read more

How to Help Haiti 1: David Brooks

Last updated on: January 18, 2010 at 2:35 pm By Scot McKnight

We are reposting for discussion here bits of David Brooks’ essay in the NYTimes. First point he makes: This is not a natural disaster story. This is a poverty story. It’s a story about poorly constructed buildings, bad infrastructure and terrible public services. On Thursday, President Obama told the people of Haiti: “You will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten.” If he is going to remain faithful to that vow then he is going to have to use... Read more

Acts and Mission 77

Last updated on: January 18, 2010 at 12:54 pm By Scot McKnight

Missional work in Ephesus (ruins to the right) involves plenty of unplanned-for work, namely ushering some disciples of John the Baptist into the fullness of the Pentecost era. 19:1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples there 19:2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 19:3 So Paul said, “Into what then were... Read more

Swaziland is Dying

Last updated on: January 18, 2010 at 6:37 am By Scot McKnight

Many of you know the Jesus Creed blog is working to support a poor village filled with orphans in Mabanteneni, in Swaziland. We are doing this through HopeChest, a Christian relief organization in Colorado Springs. Tom Davis, CEO of HopeChest, wrote this post for our blog… and we’re encouraging you to join Kris and me in sponsoring children. There is much need, and we are asking you to pray and consider sponsoring one of these children. Kris and I both... Read more

Souls in Transition 6

Last updated on: January 18, 2010 at 12:08 am By Scot McKnight

What do emerging adults think of religion? This next chp in Smith and Snell discovered in their fantastic new book: Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults will be of use to all pastors and churches. In fact, it may one of the most significant chps in the next decade of ministry because it maps what emerging adults think — and therefore it maps the audience of ministries today. So only one question, but a big one: What... Read more

Lengthening our Memory 1

Last updated on: January 17, 2010 at 6:11 pm By Scot McKnight

I met Professor Chris Hall at Eastern University a few years back and decided then and there that I’d read his stuff. A new book of his, Worshiping With the Church Fathers , is one I want to use for a series on worship — and his focus will be on what it was like to worship with the ancient fathers of the Church. This post is just a notice that we will do the series, but I want to... Read more

Liturgy of Espresso

Last updated on: January 17, 2010 at 3:33 pm By Scot McKnight

Billy Kangas, one of the seminary students at North Park and an official coffee expert, wrote this post and I want to pass it on. I’m drinking some Santo Domingo coffee from the Dominican Republic and it’s a fine espresso. Anyway, Billy, thanks for this… Billy: I am a huge coffee geek. I work with coffee, teach coffee, do coffee consulting. Heck I even have a coffee centered blog (If you haven’t seen it check out Mug Life). After many years... Read more

Spiritual Formation for Children

Last updated on: January 17, 2010 at 12:10 pm By Scot McKnight

Many of us today went to church; many of us, whether we paid attention or not, passed by children’s ministry in our churches. Many of these ministries are called Sunday School. There was a day when SS class was about going to church, sitting at a table with other little kids, getting a sheet of paper, coloring and writing and listening, hearing a lesson and going home. No one would dispute that such an approach to children’s ministry accomplished good... Read more