Here’s the link to Tom Wright’s response to the The Episcopal Church (USA). Our friend David Neff, at Christianity Today, an Anglican, is saddened (by the American Episcopal’s church decision)[saw this on his twitter account]. Any thoughts here? Read more
Have you heard of the cackle around Derek Webb’s new album (Stockholm Syndrome) and the lyrics especially in “What Matters Most–re”? What are you hearing? Too explicit? Too sensitive? Too harsh? Sure, but needed? (more…) Read more
We are looking at the last passage in James, James 5:13-20. James urges the messianic community to summon elders to pray over the sick: Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. The word “sick” means just about what you and I think it does: sick. Probably sick enough though to stand out from ordinary sickness that humans both expect... Read more
RJS points us here to a major, major issue in the relationship of science and faith: the necessary distinction between “evidence” or “facts” and “interpretation.” Not all, including Richard Dawkins, are careful to distinguish the two and this post helps us. Where are you seeing this problem today? Chapter 13 of Alister McGrath’s book A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology poses some interesting questions about evolution and the language used to describe evolutionary mechanisms. (For... Read more
Joan Ball has a wonderful story to tell, and her memoir (Flirting with Faith) will be published early in 2010 — but she is writing a guest blog for us today on what it was like to enter the Christian world and discover the “Christian woman.” Joan blogs at Beliefnet at Flirting with Faith. This could be a fantastic topic for conversation today but we’ll need some folks to stick out their neck. Questions: What was it like for you... Read more
Regina Benjamin lives out her creed (and read the whole article). President Obama announced Monday his choice for surgeon general — Dr. Regina Benjamin, a 52-year-old family practice doctor who has spent most of her career tending to the needs of poor patients in a Gulf Coast clinic in Alabama. “When people couldn’t pay, she didn’t charge them,” Obama said. “When the clinic wasn’t making money, she didn’t take a salary for herself.” Read more
Nobody, and I mean nobody, makes coffee better than Intelligentsia. Never mind that this is pure Chicago, it’s a simple fact: nobody makes coffee better than Intelligentsia. Just grab a cup of latte and answer me one question: “Does anyone make a better coffee?” In the background: “Nobody.” (I feel bad for all the rest.) I’m drinking Black Cat Espresso, a gift from Laura and Mark for Father’s Day. The best. Read more
We turn to our last week on the book of James, which we have explored through the angle of it being the wisdom of Jesus’ brother. Our next study will be on the Book of Acts, and we will be exploring Acts through the lens of missional praxis and theology. To facilitate that discussion, I recommend you purchase and read Beverly Gaventa, The Acts of the Apostles (Abingdon New Testament Commentaries). Now back to James. Some folks think James finishes... Read more
In our last post in this series, John Piper has a chapter on singleness, and I didn’t know what to expect. I say this for two reasons: some leaders in recent years have made some incredibly insensitive remarks about singleness and because I’m aware of the struggles so many have who don’t want to be single. On top of this, culture has not made it a primary focus of our youth to pursue love and marriage. (More of that someday.)... Read more
How Old Is Evangelicalism? Andrew Tooley There is a dustup these days about the origins of evangelicalism: is it to be traced to the Reformation or to the 18th Century? (Never mind that many just say it goes back to the New Testament itself!) Andy Tooley, a friend of ours and this blog, is a student of David Bebbington, who is Britain’s leading light on the history of evangelicalism, and currently works for the Institute for the Study of American... Read more
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