Baylor University Press is making the clothbound edition of Jesus and His Death available at 40% off plus free shipping. The intent of that book was both to investigate the Gospel evidence in historical context and to present a case for Jesus believing that his own death was atoning. In other words, this was a historical Jesus book — and it was offered in a context where many think anyone thinking their death is atoning is either impossible to demonstrate or... Read more
Noteworthy story by Kevin Williams — at the link you can find the whole article: “I know who I am and what I am. I may look white, my appearance is white, but my insides are not. I know I am not white,” Keiser said. He makes it a point to tell anyone who will listen about his black ancestry. “I tell everyone about it, whether they want to hear it or not. I am so proud of it.” The... Read more
Sherry Turkle: I’ve been studying the psychology of online connectivity for more than 30 years. For the past five, I’ve had a special focus: What has happened to face-to-face conversation in a world where so many people say they would rather text than talk? I’ve looked at families, friendships and romance. I’ve studied schools, universities and workplaces. When college students explain to me how dividing their attention plays out in the dining hall, some refer to a “rule of three.”... Read more
Over the last several years I have spent most of my commutes listening to Scripture read or performed in order to be immersed in and formed by the story of God’s work in the world. (Far better than spending the time immersed in talk radio (HT T)). Toward the end of what became a rather long post a few weeks ago I sketched my current thoughts on the sweep of Scripture (see the end of Human Evolution and the Bible). ... Read more
In this blog post “populace” refers to those who sit in the pews on Sundays and who pay the pastor’s salary and by “pandering” I mean that pastors and preachers teach a softer theology than either the Bible teaches or what that pastor believes but fears, if taught, he or she would get sacked. No one who reads the Bible carefully can believe that final salvation occurs without transformation. One way pastors pander to the populace is by radically distinguishing... Read more
Todd C. Frankel: Mexican cartels have overtaken the U.S. heroin trade, imposing an almost corporate discipline. They grow and process the drug themselves, increasingly replacing their traditional black tar with an innovative high-quality powder with mass market appeal: It can be smoked or snorted by newcomers as well as shot up by hard-core addicts. They have broadened distribution beyond the old big-city heroin centers like Chicago or New York to target unlikely places such as Dayton. The midsize Midwestern city... Read more
A blistering set of questions from Carlos Eire about Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba: So, why is it that he refrained from calling the Castro regime and other such failed experiments in materialist totalitarian communism “the dung of the devil”? Is communist materialism any less fiendish? Is communist political and economic repression any less reprehensible? Why didn’t he call Raúl and Fidel Castro to repentance? Why did he praise them instead? We’d like to know why. But who are “we,”... Read more
Tablets & Tables: Why You Need To Rethink Who You Follow (Sean Palmer) Your pastor is not as edgy and provocative as your favorite blogger or writer, and that’s a good thing. I’m the first guy to advocate Christian preachers and teachers have thoughtful, bold, and worthwhile words to say. I bristle when I hear speakers hunt and peck around important, yet touchy, topics for the sake of their own advancement, brand, pedigree, or future opportunities. I believe it a... Read more
In working on my Colossians commentary I was struck by what Paul said of music. Here are his words in Colossians 3:16: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. What struck me was that teaching and admonishing in all wisdom through the recitation/singing of psalms, through hymns, and through songs from the Spirit.... Read more
Kelley Holland: It’s not easy being a millennial these days. Sure, they may have piled up the trophies in their childhood, but millennials are now old enough to be attending college or embarking on careers. And they are doing so as they contend with a number of special challenges, from staggering levels of student debt to global job competition to anemic wage growth. The problem is, those challenges make it all too easy for millennials to put off developing savings... Read more
Jesus Creed
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In