Should our interpretation of scripture, especially Old Testament texts be confined to the intent of the original author? Is it dangerous to see shades of later Christian understandings in the text? Late last fall I started a series of posts looking at the book of Job. The book of Job is a profound and often overlooked or misunderstood book. Two new commentaries – Job (The NIV Application Commentary) by John Walton and Job (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and... Read more
From a campus minister, and used with permission: Is the Jesus Creed bad news? Where are you seeing this interpretation of the demands of Jesus? Let me first say how much I have enjoyed reading your books, specifically The Jesus Creed, One Life, & The King Jesus Gospel. I am a Baptist campus minister in Georgia. Interestingly, I began working with campus ministry in the Chicago area … [and am now using] your book on prayer for a class I... Read more
How about this? Australian researchers have isolated an immune system cell in salamanders which helps it regenerate missing limbs and damaged organs — and they suspect the same thing could work in humans, too. Salamanders, or axolotls, are unique among vertebrates in that they’ve got remarkable regenerative powers. Adults can literally regrow and restore function to any part of the body, including the spinal cord and heart — even parts of the brain. Moreover, the regenerated tissue is scar free;... Read more
This is so importantly true: Social psychology research on attitudes toward sexual assault has demonstrated that individuals in our society hold many prejudices about and negative views of sexual assault victims. Thus, victims often suffer not only from the trauma of the assault itself but also from the effects of these negative stereotypes. The result is that victims feel socially derogated and blamed following their sexual assault, which can prolong, continue, and intensify the substantial psychological and emotional distress the victim experiences. It... Read more
It’s 45 AD and there is simply no New Testament, no collection of books that we now call the New Testament. There is not an authoritative set of documents to which you can go for determining what you believe, no texts that can be read in “public worship.” This Written Text dimension of our faith and our worship is central; in 45 AD it was non-existent. Yet, those Christians in 45 AD were Christians every bit as much as we... Read more
People make the goofiest claims about Jesus and often they do so in trying to saying something important. It is important for pastors — though not just pastors — to revisit early Christian heresies in 2-3 years. They are easy to forget but they are far more present among Christians than many recognize. Not long ago a local pastor, James Macdonald, had a public conversation with T.D. Jakes, and Jakes has been more than a few times connected with what... Read more
From BBC News: US officials are investigating the safety of caffeine in snacks and energy drinks, worried about the “cumulative impact” of the stimulant – which is added to a growing number of products. Is our tea and coffee-fuelled society too dependent on the world’s favourite drug? The bubbling kettle, the aroma from the mug, the first bitter mouthful of the morning. It’s a ritual without which the working day would be, for millions of people, frankly horrifying. Caffeine is, according... Read more
Megan Hodder: Last Easter, when I was just beginning to explore the possibility that, despite what I had previously believed and been brought up to believe, there might be something to the Catholic faith, I read Letters to a Young Catholic by George Weigel. One passage in particular struck me. Talking of the New Testament miracles and the meaning of faith, Weigel writes: “In the Catholic view of things, walking on water is an entirely sensible thing to do. It’s staying in the... Read more
A few months less than four years ago I wrote about taking my daughter off to college: Missional Campus Ministry 4. Coming full circle, this last weekend we attended her graduation – a great experience celebrating the achievements of the students. Because we live some 600+ miles away we haven’t gotten to visit the campus much during the last four years, but have remained impressed each time we get the chance. This time, at the reception after graduation, we had... Read more
Michelle van Loon carried out an extensive study, though not scientific, of the church attendance of 40+ folks, and his post draws from her last two posts (here and here): I’ve received more than 400 responses to date from those over 40 when I queried them about their relationship with the local church, I saw a trend among respondents away from the same level of involvement they’d had a decade earlier. I’ve reported on what I was hearing from people who took... Read more
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