Source: Dec. 1, 1955, was the day Rosa Parks became an icon for change. That was when the “Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement” refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Parks was arrested because segregation on buses was legal in Montgomery, Alabama, at the time. Parks, an NAACP member, wasn’t the first to refuse to give up a seat, but her action led to the Montgomery bus boycott. In 1956, the Supreme Court... Read more

This blog has given plenty of attention to the works of NT Wright, in part because his books are valued by our readers and in part because his books are accessible for the blog and in part because he’s in “my camp” (the new perspective on Paul). But with that comes challenges to NT Wright and to the new perspective, and the most recent is a full-scale study of NT Wright’s method. (There is a difference between methodology and method,... Read more

This was announced last week but I thought I’d let it settle down and then notify the readers that Kent Dobson is leaving Mars Hill, and here’s a news report from MLive. GRANDVILLE, MI – Rob Bell’s successor at Mars Hill Bible Church is stepping down, with no clear plan for what to do next. Kent Dobson announced Sunday, Nov. 22, he will leave his role as teaching pastor of the megachurch in the spring. There’s no “secret reason” for... Read more

From Geoff Surratt: At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City a rail-thin engineering student from Oregon State named Dick Fosbury stunned the world of track and field with his approach to the high jump competition. Rather than sprinting straight toward the bar like the other competitors, Fosbury stood to one side and ran toward the bar in a short loop. At the last-minute he turned his back and threw himself head first over the bar with his feet trailing... Read more

A clip is circulating of Robert Jeffress, pastor of FBC Dallas, using Romans 13 to argue that the Christian response to the Paris attacks is “borders and bombs.” It got me curious about Romans 13, so I went back to my trusty New Interpreter’s Bible to see what the trusty N.T. Wright has to say about it. Below is a summary of Wright’s commentary, with a few reflections on them and Jeffress’ comments in light of them. Wright argues that,... Read more

By Joshua Straub: Here are five fun ways to build your child’s brain each day: Take Time Each Day to Be a Kid Again Tell Family Stories Give Your Child the Gift of Boredom Ask Yourself One Question Whenever your kids are emotionally overwhelmed, ask yourself, “How can I respond in an emotionally safe way so my child knows he is loved?” Prioritize Eye Contact over iContact Parenting isn’t rocket science, it’s just brain surgery. Read more

From WaPo: President Obama, a diligent Small Business Saturday shopper, patronized Petworth’s Upshur Street Books for the first time this afternoon. The uber-local independent bookstore, which opened just over a year ago, highlights the city’s “past and present, and work from local authors from poets to politicians.” Obama, along with his daughters, Sasha and Malia, carried books in their arms as the president chatted with the store’s manager Anna Thorn…. The first family purchased nine books, according to White House officials The list of... Read more