Sandra Stanley on Marriage Words

Last updated on: February 8, 2014 at 11:06 am By Scot McKnight

Sandra Stanley’s wise words about words: While nothing was dramatically wrong in their relationship, they realized what had begun as humor and innocuous teasing had slowly become a bad habit. The bad habit grew into something more significant, eroding the once-healthy respect and affection that had characterized their early marriage years…. A few thoughts to consider… It’s the little things that add up and become really big things. A marriage isn’t rocked to its core by affairs and addictions only.... Read more

A Young Pastor Responds to Donald Miller

Last updated on: February 12, 2014 at 8:13 am By Scot McKnight

This post is by Jonathan Storment, at Highland Church of Christ in Abilene TX (Follow Jonathan @stormented). Leaving Church: Jesus Has Friends “The Church is like Noah’s Ark. It stinks, but if you get out of it you will drown.” –Shane Claiborne So last week, Donald Miller wrote a couple of blog posts that started a firestorm across the interwebs by telling the world that he didn’t regularly go to a local church. As a pastor, I appreciated Donald Miller... Read more

The Anabaptists

Last updated on: February 11, 2014 at 10:29 pm By Scot McKnight

I am often asked “What is an Anabaptist?” and “Who are the Anabaptists?” If one listened to everyone who claimed an anabaptist connection, it would be easy to be confused. For many today a progressive politics is Anabaptist; for others it means being either Yoderian (John Howard Yoder) or Hauerwasian (Stanley Hauerwas); for others it refers to more conservative living and believing communitarian sorts! The rise of Anabaptist thinking in contemporary evangelicalism — like David Fitch and Greg Boyd and... Read more

Need a Nuzzle in Your Yard?

Last updated on: February 8, 2014 at 9:18 am By Scot McKnight

Check this out: Read more

It Starts With Genesis (RJS)

Last updated on: February 11, 2014 at 6:02 am By RJS

The Great Debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye last week was interesting. There is no scientific case for a young earth and Ken Ham did not really offer one. He drew a distinction between historical science and observational science and relegated all scientific evidence for an old earth to interpretation corrupted by a secular worldview. For origins “we have a book” – the inspired word of God revealed to Moses. Theology also comes into the mix, especially the issue... Read more

How to Keep Your Preaching Fresh

Last updated on: February 13, 2014 at 7:20 pm By Scot McKnight

From my friend Allan Bevere: I taught a Doctor of Ministry intensive last week on leadership in the 21st century at Ashland Theological Seminary. I had ten thoughtful students. One of them asked me on break, “How do you keep your preaching fresh year after year after serving thirty years in ministry?” I spent a little time pondering the question. After a day of thinking about the question, here was my response: First, read, read, read. Nothing keeps preaching fresh like reading.... Read more

Empire Criticism and NT Wright

Last updated on: February 8, 2014 at 9:28 pm By Scot McKnight

This is a repost on NT Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God, but I do so because I have now come to chapter 12 in our months-long series on Wright’s monster volume(s). So, here it is again: a look at what NT Wright says now about empire criticism. Empire and the Echo Chamber IBR Short Paper 22 Oct 2013 Baltimore Joe Modica and I are co-editors of Jesus is Lord, Caesar is Not, a book that evaluates how current New... Read more

If you fall through the ice, what to do…

Last updated on: February 8, 2014 at 9:14 am By Scot McKnight

From the Art of Manliness, where you can read a good discussion. Read more

What Jesus Thinks of (some) Pastors and Church Leaders

Last updated on: February 8, 2014 at 9:23 pm By Scot McKnight

The operative words here are status and honor, chased behind by the words power and authority, chased behind by theological discussions about the importance of leadership and pastoral authority. The problem, very quickly, is what Jesus thinks of (some) pastors and church leaders (including seminary professors!). He thinks they have gotten things upside down. A good look at this very issue is Joseph Hellerman, Embracing Shared Ministry: Power and Status in the Early Church and Why It Matters Today. The single-most... Read more

So, What (or Who) Are We?

Last updated on: February 8, 2014 at 9:20 pm By Scot McKnight

“According to Answers.com, a human being consists of the following elements: oxygen (65%), carbon (18%), hydrogen (10%), nitrogen (3%), calcium (1.5%), phosphorous (1.0%), potassium (0.35%), sulfur (0.25%), sodium (0.15%), magnesium (0.05%), along with copper, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, fluorine, chlorine, iodine, manganese, cobalt, iron (0.70%), plus trace amounts of lithium, strontium, aluminum, silicon, lead, vanadium, arsenic, and bromine. [There are more elements in Green Bay Packer fans, but that’s for another day.] In an atheistic conception of human beings, they are... Read more