Every Christmas season the good folks at Paraclete Press send Kris and me a little package — cinnamon raisin bread with Apple Pie Jam! We do our best to spread this out over a whole week of tasty snacks. It’s one of the highlights of the Christmas season for Kris and me, leading to a break and conversation in the day. Thank you Paraclete! Read more
Brad Brisco: This past week I posted a short excerpt from a Thom Rainer article where he discussed the disdain that many people have for the “Stand and Greet” time that is a part of many Sunday morning worship services. He argues that churches are actually driving “guests” away from Sunday services because of the practice. You may debate the conclusions of his research, but what I find fascinating is the apparent need that churches in the United States have for the... Read more
Little Town, Tiny King (by John Frye) Imperial power, unwitting accomplice Of ancient promises tucked in Jewish scrolls, Arranged the birth of the tiny King and Edict sealed its own imperial doom. Israel’s hope, tempered by shameful exile, Fragmented by competing causes to escort God’s curious kingdom home, Got lost in causes and missed the Christ. Rome, drunk with might, wielded the sword, Expanded its chest, rested in blood; While Israel argued and spat its way Toward whatever scrappy peace... Read more
Richard J. Mouw, former President at Fuller Seminary, has been one of the most versatile and insightful leaders of the 20th-21st Century for American evangelicalism. He helped shape the “moral minority” as a Calvin professor and then led Fuller in times of its becoming a leading — if not the leading — seminary in North America. (Yes, I say that as a professor at Northern Seminary.) Mouw is a committed Kuyperian and in his most recent book, Called to the Life of... Read more
Barbara Weibel: The longer I travel, the more I realize the truth of this statement. Prior to visiting Paris for the first time, I associated it with the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum. After three visits, the City of Light evoked the yeasty aroma of fresh-baked bread from the boulangerie and sipping espresso at sidewalk cafes. Mexico once meant the artificially created tourist island of Cancun. Four and a half months of wandering around the country made Mexico synonymous with... Read more
Evangelicals and Catholics are tilting left in economic theory: By and large, and for about four decades now, conservative Christians — though Evangelicals more than Catholics — have sided with the conservative critique of government and the neo-conservative defense of capitalism. They’ve asserted with convincing arguments and statistics the productive and liberating effect of the market and criticized the naïve recourse to government almost inevitably offered by groups like the National Council of Churches and the United States Conference of... Read more
The next two interviews in Science and Religion: 5 Questions are with William Lane Craig and William Dembski, both Christian philosophers. (See the post 5 Questions … And Some Answers for the questions posed in this book). William Lane Craig is trained in Philosophy (Ph.D. University of Birmingham) and Theology (D. Theol. University of Munich), while William Dembski is trained in Mathematics (Ph.D. University of Chicago) and Philosophy (Ph.D. Univ. of Illinois, Chicago) with an M.Div. from Princeton. Both William Craig... Read more
This post is by Bill Victor, pastor of Missio Dei Community Church at the University of Missouri and blogs here. My beliefs on women in ministry changed to a more egalitarian view not because of a reaction to modern society and seeking to synthesize the Bible’s view on women with a more moderating stance fitting our evolving society. It happened through the course of scholarly research. I was working on my dissertation at one of the Southern Baptists seminaries in the... Read more
A God More Interesting than Creationism June 9, 1993: The first date. My first date with the new girl on the swim team, who would eventually become my wife. 6/9/93: The opening date of Steven Spielberg’s first Jurassic Park film. The first movie in which Ali and I held hands. At the point in the movie when the guy who played Newman on Seinfeld gets his face eaten by a whatever-raptor- at that point in the movie on June 9,... Read more
Any kind of Christian ministry in North America requires both preparation and experience, so an increasing number of ministers are deeply involved in the experience dimension and finding it nearly impossible to attend seminary full-time. A seminary curriculum focuses on the scope of the minister’s calling, from biblical and theological to practical and homiletical studies, but not all ministers need as intense preparation for each facet of ministry. Some focus on teaching while others focus on the more personal and... Read more
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