Scot made a rather sobering comment on one of his posts last week – Douthat, Bass and Christianity’s Culture Wars: Here’s an interesting one: a pastor called me the other day, we got into a conversation about “gospel” and what churches are preaching, discipleship came up, and he said, “Who preaches the cost of discipleship anymore? I talk to pastors constantly and not one of them can preach that message without getting in trouble.” What evangelicalism mostly preaches is the... Read more
Paul gets bashed a bit these days as more and more Christians realize the anchor of their faith is Jesus. But all orthodox Christian faith is at the same time rooted in the biblical witness and not just historical methods. Biblical faith deals with Paul because Paul’s letters — thirteen of them in traditional counting — not only take up lots of pages in your New Testament but his mission and message shaped 1st Century Christianity at deep levels. Which... Read more
This is a fascinating scenario for pondering Christian ethics and American law and rights. Stephen Coll, at The New Yorker, is on the side of those who think the President has extended his power too much and sets a precedent for further instances. What do you think? Legal? Constitutional? Right? On September 30, 2011, in a northern province of Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen and a senior figure in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, finished his breakfast and... Read more
Robin Gallaher Branch, in Biblical Archaeology Review, has an article about Judith, whom I consider a friend of Junia — a woman of enormous capacity who is largely unknown. I clip the beginning of the article, then Robin’s eleven points, but you will have to go to the BAR site or magazine to get the details for each point. The Book of Judith—considered canonical by Roman Catholics, Apocrypha Literature by Protestants, and non-canon by Jews—tells the story of the ignominious... Read more
If you are a Christian, and by that I mean if you “believe” in King Jesus and you follow him, apologetics will be unavoidable at two levels. The first level is in your own head as you seek to make sense of your Christian faith, and this “in your head” level of apologetics is a life-long process. The second level is “in the cafe” where someone asks you about what you believe and you realize you are being asked in... Read more
James Atwood admits he has been waiting for 36 years, but that wait (for all of us who have been waiting) is now over: Atwood himself wrote the book. What’s he been waiting for? After he buried one Herb Hunter who was killed by a reckless use of an easily-purchased handgun, he’s been waiting for someone to write a book that theologically reflects on guns in America. 30,000 gun deaths per year in the USA. 30,000. More than the population... Read more
By Frida Ghitis: (CNN) — If you’ve been mesmerized by the drama, like millions of other viewers watching coverage of the Olympic Games, you have heard the most heroic, inspirational stories of athletes reaching the pinnacle of international competition. Or, at least you think you have. The truth is American viewers are missing out on the best of the Games. Coverage of the Olympics in the United States understandably focuses on American athletes. That is as it should be, but not... Read more
As we are pondering our Tour through the lands and places of Jesus in Galilee and Paul and the apostles in Asia Minor, I would like to announce that it will be during our time in Asia Minor that I will be teaching through my next book — a book about Paul — his life and vision for the Christian life in the Roman Empire as a Jewish follower of Jesus as Messiah. Think about joining Kris and me next... Read more
Many Americans are concerned about what students and teachers wear to school — clothing exacerbates social inequities, expresses power, becomes an opportunity for a lack of moral discretion, and … is becoming annoying. So some schools are doing something about it, including Wichita: What’s going on in your community? The Wichita School District is just one of a growing number in the nation cracking down on teacher apparel. Jeans are banned in at least one elementary school in New York City.... Read more
What’s it like to be a person who has never been to church, never been around Christian culture or Christians much, and then begin to experience Churchland? That’s the experience and story of Dan Kimball in his wondrously innocent tale of experiencing the church first hand, made a little more unique because he was (and is) a rockabilly drummer. What were some of the odd impressions or experiences you had when you first encountered Christians and the church? Once he... Read more
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