You want drama?

Last updated on: April 7, 2011 at 5:59 pm By Scot McKnight

Ruben Navarette: San Diego, California (CNN) — A shutdown? Seriously? All the media and the politicians can talk about is the possibility that the federal government could shut down at the end of this week if a budget agreement isn’t struck, and who will get the blame if it does. A poll by the Pew Research Center suggests the parties will share the blame almost evenly. Thirty-nine percent of people would blame Republicans. Thirty-six percent would blame Democrats. Sixteen percent would... Read more

Issues in next Election

Last updated on: April 5, 2011 at 8:34 am By Scot McKnight

From Barna’s newest survey: Read more

What is the Purpose of Church? (RJS)

Last updated on: April 7, 2011 at 8:53 am By RJS

There have been three posts this last week that have been quite thought-provoking and have led me to a question that I would like to pose. The first was the post linking a CT article on Ministry Mulligans. Particularly telling here were the comments on competition and leadership…more collaboration, less competition and more pastor, less CEO. Frankly stoking some pastor’s ego is not a very compelling reason to attend church. The second was a post by T, Sola or Plura... Read more

King’s Cross 9

Last updated on: April 7, 2011 at 5:50 am By Scot McKnight

Tim Keller’s newest book, King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, examines big questions through the Gospel of Mark, and he knows that “The Turn” in Mark’s narrative happens when Jesus is confessed as Messiah — King — and Jesus reveals that, yes, he is King but as King he will die on the cross. That is “The Turn” and that is also the secret to life. The text is well-known, but perhaps we’ve forgotten.... Read more

Fasting, a story by Timothy Seitz-Brown

Last updated on: April 4, 2011 at 8:54 am By Scot McKnight

From Timothy Seitz-Brown and here’s Timothy’s blog: Fourth of July weekend, 2000… hot dogs, hamburgers, and BBQ chicken on the grill. Over by the pool, my oldest son, CJ, undergoes a metamorphosis, turning into a deathly pale ghost. We take his temperature, and it is in the triple digits–105 degrees. And now, pardon the image, he becomes a vomit factory in addition to a ghost. Ann, my wife, calls the doctor. We get an emergency on-call appointment with the physician.... Read more

Exploring Love Wins 3

Last updated on: April 13, 2011 at 2:40 pm By Scot McKnight

I will begin each post in this series on Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, with this prayer. I am asking that you pause quietly and slow down enough to pray this prayer as the way to approach this entire series: O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest... Read more

Lent 5: Seven Deadly Sins (Jeff Cook)

Last updated on: March 4, 2011 at 2:46 pm By Scot McKnight

Jeff Cook, author of Seven: The Deadly Sins and the Beatitudes , has offered some brief meditations for us to ponder during Lent this year. Sloth During Lent, we will meditate together on the Seven Deadly Sins and use this list as an aid in confession as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week, Good Friday and the Easter announcement of resurrection. Sloth is not restfulness. Sloth is escapism of the deadly sort. Sloth saps our time and emotions through a... Read more

Rob Bell Fallout

Last updated on: April 4, 2011 at 7:48 am By Scot McKnight

I received this note from a reader, and I’m tossing it out there to see if anyone is experiencing this. Some of you my have to write anonymously or pseudonymously to protect your job … Dear Scot, I know of a handful of folks who work at churches who have been asked to appear before their senior pastor and asked to give their view on Rob Bell’s new book. One pastor I know had a promotion taken away because of... Read more

belief … the problem of evil and suffering 1 (RJS)

Last updated on: April 5, 2011 at 9:54 am By RJS

Francis Collins, in the brief stretch between stints as head of the Human Genome Project at NIH and, now, Director of NIH, put together a book, Belief: Readings on the Reason for Faith, an anthology of readings he finds helpful in discussing rational reasons for belief in God. The anthology is, in some sense, a supplement to his book The Language of God. The essays and excerpts in this book will not provide a proof for the existence of God... Read more

The Art of Dying (Rob Moll)

Last updated on: April 5, 2011 at 5:55 am By Scot McKnight

This post is by Rob Moll, author of: The Art of Dying: Living Fully into the Life to Come. This post answers a letter question we received last week and posted. How should the Christian community respond when a member is told he or she has a terminal illness? This question is of greater importance than ever before, and often we must face it at a time when we are least prepared to answer. As I was researching my book,... Read more

Who became Moses' spokesperson to Pharaoh?