That Friendly Moose Problem

Last updated on: December 4, 2016 at 2:53 pm By Scot McKnight

AP: SHELDON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont couple has chased off a moose that appeared to be bonding with their two cows on a Sheldon farm because they didn’t want it to get injured, stuck in their barn or damage their fences. Sharyn Abbott and her husband Tim returned to their home recently and found a female moose in the pasture with their two Belted Galloway cows, Precious and Primrose. The Abbotts told NECN (http://bit.ly/2gVTfMD) the moose, dubbed “Molly,” looked... Read more

Christ and Creation!

Last updated on: December 6, 2016 at 6:50 am By RJS

BioLogos is holding its second ever public conference this spring in Houston Texas, a beautiful place to visit in March. Building on the enthusiastic response to our first-ever public conference in 2015, we are pleased to invite you to our 2017 BioLogos Conference: Christ and Creation. Join us in Houston, TX from March 29-31, 2017, along with internationally recognized speakers and hundreds of fellow Christians in the BioLogos community, as we explore the rich harmony in Christ between modern science and biblical... Read more

Finding Our Identity (RJS)

Last updated on: December 6, 2016 at 6:53 am By RJS

The next section of Tim Keller’s new book Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical looks at identity – the ways in which we define who and what we are. Chapter six focuses on identity in our secular Western culture, while chapter seven digs into Christian definitions of identity. Today we will look at the first, and in the next post, we will discuss what Keller sees as the Christian source of identity. Identity – sense of self... Read more

Homosexuality: Affirming vs. Traditional

Last updated on: December 4, 2016 at 6:03 pm By Scot McKnight

Zondervan, under the fine guiding work of Preston Sprinkle, has published a book Two Views on Homosexuality, the Bible, and the Church in their popular Counterpoints series. The four authors in this volume, and each responds with gentle civility to the others, are William Loader, Megan K. DeFranza, Wesley Hill, and Stephen R. Holmes. The first two are called “affirming” and the second two “traditional,” neither of which term fits but the authors and editors and publishers have found no terms... Read more

Seminary President: Calvinsts Be Gone!

Last updated on: December 3, 2016 at 1:23 pm By Scot McKnight

Bob Allen: A Southern Baptist seminary president said Nov. 29 that Baptists who adopt Calvinistic theology and practice ought to consider joining another denomination. “I know there are a fair number of you who think you are a Calvinist, but understand there is a denomination which represents that view,” Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said at the close of Tuesday’s chapel service. “It’s called Presbyterian.” “I have great respect for them,” Patterson said. “Many of them, the... Read more

“Thank You for Your Service” at Church

Last updated on: December 5, 2016 at 5:43 am By Scot McKnight

How “Thank You For Your Service” May Fall Short At Church, By Michelle Van Loon and www.MomentsAndDays.org and www.MichelleVanLoon.com Popular speaker and author Jen Hatmaker’s recent interview with Jonathan Merritt affirming same-sex relationships led Lifeway to stop carrying her books. The uproar surrounding both this interview and Lifeway’s decision kicked off a helpful conversation in the blogosphere about, among other things, the way in which conference events have served to outsource women’s ministry from the local church. Jesus Creed-reading women, I’d love to hear... Read more

Second Sunday of Advent

Last updated on: November 24, 2016 at 7:07 am By Scot McKnight

Merciful God, Who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP Read more

Saving the Bible from Ourselves

Last updated on: December 1, 2016 at 9:03 pm By Scot McKnight

SAVING THE BIBLE FROM OURSELVES Glenn Paauw is a founding Director at the Institute for Bible Reading. Historian Mark Noll and Old Testament (or as Glenn likes to say First Testament) scholar, Walter Brueggemann, offer praise for Paauw’s book. David George Moore conducted this interview with Paauw. Dave blogs at www.twocities.org and his videos can be found at www.mooreengaging.com. Moore: Give us a bit of the backstory that motivated you to write Saving the Bible from Ourselves. Paauw: I learned... Read more

Cancer is Funny — No, Really (with Jason Micheli)

Last updated on: November 24, 2016 at 9:48 am By Scot McKnight

Many of you will be familiar with Jason Micheli, whose sermons — slightly irreverent at times, always insightful, full of narrative art and at times colorful language — sometimes appear on this blog. I have spoken in Jason’s church in Virginia a couple times, he’s a friend, and he’s got cancer — and he’s too young — and the book he’s written is everything I’ve expected of Jason and even better than that. Pastor Keeps the Faith, and Keeps It... Read more

Weekly Meanderings, 3 December 2016

Last updated on: December 2, 2016 at 3:55 pm By Scot McKnight

Wow, this is some crazy stuff: fake news generated so one can denounce those who like the fake news story! Tell me a little about why you started Disinfomedia? Late 2012, early 2013 I was spending a lot of time researching what is now being referred to as the alt-right. I identified a problem with the news that they were spreading and created Disinfomedia as a response to that. The whole idea from the start was to build a site... Read more