By Corey Farr Myth: Single people should be pitied or laughed at I have a confession to make. When I was in middle school, my science teacher’s name was Mr. Tarullo. Mr. T was in his mid-50’s, thin, bald, a bit quirky, and single. He was a loving man, a great teacher, and extremely dedicated to his work. He was always one of the first to get to the school in the morning and one of the last to leave... Read more

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. BCP Read more

There are a number of places in the Bible where apparently contradictory accounts are recorded. The crucifixion accounts in John (on Passover day when the lambs were sacrificed) and the Synoptics (the day after the Passover meal), the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, the withering fig tree in Matthew 21 and Mark 11,  the creation accounts in Genesis 1 and 2, Chronicles compared with Samuel-Kings, and this is only touches on the issues. In the face of these... Read more

In his major — and very post supersessionist — study of the temple in earliest Christianity, Eyal Regev moves from the historical Jesus to the Letter to the Hebrews. His Anchor Bible Reference Library book is called The Temple in Early Christianity. A very good, challenging, and academically helpful study of Temple in the grid of supersessionism and its various meanings. His argument is a kind of “Not so fast, folks. The text does not say the temple has been replaced... Read more

Today, no kidding, the last day of the year, IVP releases Steve Wilkens’ new wonderful full-of-fun but also full-of-insight book, What’s So Funny About God? A Theological Look at Humor. Gnostics and other dualists of a spiritual flavor degrade bodies and along with degrading bodies is the degrading of the common reality and value of humor. Those who think humor is out are those most in danger of degrading the embodiment of God in a human being, which is itself quite... Read more

By Corey Farr Myth: Singleness is a “special calling” Around the time I was 17-18(ish), I became convinced that I might be “called” to singleness and celibacy for life. I’m not sure what first stirred the idea in me, but I was zealous about it. I started wearing my purity ring (remember those?) on the ring finger on my left hand, where a wedding ring “should” go. When people asked if I was married, I would take share about my commitment to... Read more

By Ruth Tucker Here begins a three-part series on individuals—particularly historical figures—who have had a profound influence on me. Actually, this is a good exercise for all of us—to identify public figures who made a major difference in our lives. So I ask myself: What if A.B. Simpson (1843-1919) had continued his ministry as a very successful Canadian and American Presbyterian minister? What if? I often contemplate counterfactuals. Where would I be today without his conviction that his ministry must... Read more

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen (BCP) Read more

By Corey Farr There’s a big debate within church circles: complementarian or egalitarian? To summarize without nuance: do husbands and wives have God-given responsibilities to specific gender roles or not? For complementarians, these roles are clear: Husband: financial provider, primary “leader” of the home, who ultimately is responsible and accountable for all final decisions Wife: caretaker, nurturer, home-maker, and child-raiser In complementarianism, both roles are emphasized as equally important, equally God-given, and somehow “equally equal.” But for egalitarians, these roles... Read more

From WGNTV: Dear Tom, What is the difference between “partly sunny” and “partly cloudy” when used in weather forecasts? Jacquie Steuer, Waukegan Dear Jacquie, For starters, “partly sunny” is a daytime term and “partly cloudy” can be used either during the day or at night. Technically, “clear” and “sunny” refer to a sky that is absolutely cloud free or covered by no more than one tenth of clouds; “mostly sunny” refers to a sky condition when the sky is cloud-covered... Read more