Anthony Izaguirre: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Briarwood Presbyterian Church already has more than 4,000 members, two private schools and its own radio station. And if administrators have their way, the wealthy congregation could soon add something that no other American church has: its own police force. With a membership larger than many small towns, Briarwood has asked the state Legislature for permission to set up a private law enforcement department to watch over its flock and schools. The bill comes... Read more

From JKA Smith at WaPo: And in his much-anticipated book, “The Benedict Option,” blogger Rod Dreher has seen the apocalypse: “There are people alive today who may live to see the effective death of Christianity within our civilization. By God’s mercy, the faith may continue to flourish in the Global South and China, but barring a dramatic reversal of current trends, it will all but disappear entirely from Europe and North America. This may not be the end of the... Read more

By pastor, theologian, professor and author, Allan Bevere: The Shack: Theological Precision and Narrative Imagination [SMcK: if you want to read a truly great book about early Christian orthodoxy, it’s by Lewis Ayres: Nicaea and its Legacy.] Anyone who knows me knows that as a Christian I proudly stand in the Nicene-Chalcedonian tradition. Every time I confess the Nicene Creed in worship, I do so with deep conviction. I am unapologetically trinitarian and I resist any attempts at modern modalist reconfigurations... Read more

Burn It or Find God in It? (by John Frye) SMcK: John’s review is not so much a review of Paul Young’s theology, which waffles in more than one place. In fact, a number of solid theologians — including Roger Olson and John Mark Hicks — find redemptive elements, not least in depicting a God who “moves into the neighborhood in order to express divine love to us.” Critique of Young’s theology is appropriate, but one should not dismiss the redemptive... Read more

A new cohort for the DMin in New Testament Context is taking shape, and I could not be more excited about who is enrolling. Think about joining us… we begin July 10-14, 2017. This will be our second iteration of a new and innovative Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at Northern Seminary. Here’s our announcement: “The DMin in New Testament Context will give pastors the opportunity of a lifetime.  In my speaking and conversations with pastors, preachers, and lay folks,... Read more

https://soundcloud.com/lets-talk-with-mark/mark-interviews-scot-mcknight-march-8-2017 The Hum of Angels Read more

Methodological naturalism. For most scientists this is a foregone conclusion; a scientist studies nature and looks for natural cause and effect. Among Christians the term is often viewed as a cop-out,  giving away the farm by ruling divine action out of bounds. Many atheists view the term as indicative of a failure to face facts and admit that there is nothing but the natural world.  Which view is closest to yours? Jim Stump, in his recent book Science and Christianity:... Read more

Pastors often suffer when folks leave their church. Departures sometimes fracture friendships and the churches. This pastor reflects on church departures. Read more

Dangerous Gospel: Hating Your Family, by Jonathan Storment Of all the disturbing things that Jesus says, the top of the list for most Western people has got to be, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” This is obviously not the passage you preach on Easter. For the longest time, I was embarrassed by what seemed to be an... Read more