John M.G. Barclay’s about-to-appear book on the apostle Paul (Paul and the Gift) is the next big Paul book, and it will undoubtedly become a major book for all Pauline scholars and all students who are in touch with the vanguard of scholarship, and I hope many pastors will read the book, too. Here’s why: GRACE is a term that everyone seems to think they understand but few have taken a careful study of the meaning of Grace as GIFT and John... Read more
Sarah Larimer: Here’s what happened, according to court documents. Back in February 2014, Andrea Cammelleri was cited for a violation when she left her pickup truck parked on a street in West Jefferson, Ohio. That was because an ordinance in the village stated it was illegal to park “any motor vehicle camper, trailer, farm implement and/or non-motorized vehicle” on a street for more than 24 hours. At a bench trial, Cammelleri argued that “the ordinance did not apply because the language... Read more
… Bison roam! By Ted Gregory: Once wild bison were reintroduced to an Illinois prairie after being absent from the region for nearly two centuries, the animals have been multiplying a bit like another more prevalent prairie mammal: rabbits. A total of 14 bison calves were born this past spring at Nachusa Grasslands, a prairie restoration project about 95 miles west of Chicago that is fostering the relationship between two fledgling entities — Illinois’ prairies and the iconic animals that... Read more
This post is by Jeff Cook, and I am committed to giving space to Jeff’s public ruminations because they are reasonable and give us space to think through challenging topics with rigor. Jeff Cook: I’ve become convinced this year that the traditional view of hell will not last as a dominant theory among scholars for much longer. The arguments for the traditional hell fail so spectacularly and their conclusions are so repugnant that the traditional view is only carried in the popular... Read more
In a few of his many writings Roger Scruton wags his finger at the deconstructionists, and he’s concerned especially with Foucault and Rorty and in some measure Derrida. He calls the concern oikophobia. (See his A Political Philosophy or The Need for Nations.) Oikophobia is a Greek term, composed of house/household and fear, and the term is thus used to describe rejection of all things local and home-ish, that is, that which is Western, traditional, the supposed hegemony of bourgeois culture, and what amounts to a... Read more
By Revd Dr Michael J. Lakey, Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford, UK. Michael Lakey’s own new book Academic Vocation in the Church and Academy Today (eds. Shaun C. Henson, Michael J. Lakey) is out later this year. For details visit the Ashgate website: http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781472460035 A review of Gary W. Burnett, The Gospel According to the Blues. One possible way in which race and religious history has featured in recent biblical and ethical debate can be seen in Richard Burridge’s, Imitating Jesus (2007). In this volume,... Read more
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. BCP Read more
Happy Fourth of July from the Cape [Image from public domain] Congratulations to Misty Copeland: (CNN)American ballerina Misty Copeland, a cultural phenomenon outside the dance world, has been promoted to the highest rank of the American Ballet Theatre, becoming the first African-American female principal dancer in the company’s 75-year history. The American Ballet Theatre announced the news Tuesday in a slew of promotions at one of the country’s top ballet companies. Stella Abrera, a 19-year veteran of the company, was promoted... Read more
Apparently when Jesus shed his blood in fulfilling his redemptive mission, his blood was red, white and blue. That’s my observation from watching and reading many Christian reactions to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Too many USAmerican Christians have fused (one version of) American history with some of their favorite Bible verses and with their real fears of living in an increasingly complex, pluralistic culture. Fear is the key factor. So many Christians are now doubling down on the... Read more
When we think about the question of "women's roles" in the church today, we are pressed to ask how the Scriptures portray and define the roles that women may and ought to exercise in the church. Read more
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