Heart Warmer for July 4

Last updated on: June 25, 2013 at 7:34 am By Scot McKnight

By Marilyn Price-Mitchell: The 4th of July rarely passes without my remembering one of the most moving renditions of the Star Spangled Banner I’ve ever witnessed. It made me proud to live in small-town America and to be connected to something greater than myself. It also made me aware of how our coming together in community influences future generations and how one teachable moment can change the course of a child’s life. Whether we come together to celebrate our nation’s independence,... Read more

Mapping the Debate (RJS)

Last updated on: July 4, 2013 at 1:46 pm By RJS

A few months ago I received, compliments of the publisher, a book by Gerald Rau Mapping the Origins Debate: Six Models of the Beginning of Everything. Scot posted a brief introduction to the book, Origins and Models, shortly after it came out, but the book is worth a more extended engagement. Several of the scholars at the workshop on Evolution and Christian Faith referred to this book and the usefulness of Rau’s discussion of models in framing the discussion. The... Read more

A Psalm for America

Last updated on: July 2, 2013 at 1:38 pm By Scot McKnight

Psalm 72 Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor. May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. May he be... Read more

End of Lecture? Not So Fast

Last updated on: June 25, 2013 at 7:24 am By Scot McKnight

Jonathan Wolff: For as long as the lecture is regarded as better than internet-based learning, it will survive on a substantial scale. And wherein lies its superiority? An interesting question. It is live. It is real. It is put on with you in mind, even if you are one of a large crowd. You experience it with other people. And, perhaps the clincher: it takes place in a university, bursting with life and interesting people who will inspire you in... Read more

Reasons for Atheism

Last updated on: June 26, 2013 at 7:04 am By Scot McKnight

From Larry Alex Taunton, at The Atlantic (HT: TG): Someone with plenty of experience conversing with those who have left the faith for atheism, Taunton lists the results of some research on why folks walk away. Worth your read and response. It has been my privilege to address college students all over the world, usually as one defending the Christian worldview. These events typically attract large numbers of atheists. I like that. I find talking to people who disagree with... Read more

Gay Marriage and the Law, by David Opderbeck

Last updated on: July 1, 2013 at 3:24 pm By Scot McKnight

Gay Marriage and the Law By David W. Opderbeck. David Opderbeck is Professor of Law at Seton Hall University Law School and is a doctoral candidate in Philosophical Theology at the University of Nottingham. He blogs at Through a Glass Darkly. As everyone knows, the Supreme Court has finally announced its decisions in this term’s “gay marriage” cases, Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor. This is the first of five posts I will offer on these cases. In... Read more

What I Hear When You Say…

Last updated on: June 28, 2013 at 6:58 pm By Scot McKnight

Michelle van Loon, a messianic Jewish believer, offers a brief, clear, and compelling challenge for Christians to be careful how they describe the relationship of Israel and the Church: What does it mean that God’s calling for Israel is irrevocable (Romans 11:29), or that Gentiles are grafted into Israel? What does that mean for “church”? I understand that a few words on a blog rarely have the power to shift a core piece of someone’s theology. But I would like... Read more

1% of the 1%

Last updated on: June 25, 2013 at 7:20 am By Scot McKnight

Source: Here’s a statistic that should jolt you awake like black coffee with three shots of espresso dropped in: In the 2012 election cycle, 28 percent of all disclosed donations—that’s $1.68 billion—came from just 31,385 people. Think of them as the 1 percenters of the 1 percent, the elite of the elite, the wealthiest of the wealthy…. So what are we to make of the rise of the 1 percent of the 1 percent? Drutman makes a point similar to what I... Read more

Bias Revealed

Last updated on: June 27, 2013 at 7:54 am By Scot McKnight

An excellent infographic about how Western research skews results, from Best Psychology Degrees: Source: Best Psychology Degrees Read more

What Carter Said

Last updated on: October 11, 2023 at 8:48 am By Scot McKnight

From Jimmy Carter, on women, ordination, and the great religions: Well, religion can be, and I think there’s a slow, very slow, move around the world to give women equal rights in the eyes of God. What has been the case for many centuries is that the great religions, the major religions, have discriminated against women in a very abusive fashion and set an example for the rest of society to treat women as secondary citizens. In a marriage or... Read more