Part 2 of series: Ash Wednesday: What? How? Why? Today, I want to reflect with you on the meaning of Ash Wednesday and how, I believe, it can enrich our lives and our faith. The denial of death . . . it’s all around us. When people die, they are often alone, sequestered in hospitals far away from the sad eyes of friends and family. If someone happens to die at home, the corpse is quickly sent away from the... Read more
Part 1 of series: Ash Wednesday: What? How? Why? In just under two weeks, Christians throughout the world will celebrate Ash Wednesday. It has been my tradition for many years to blog on the meaning of Ash Wednesday, putting up that post on the actual day of Ash Wednesday, which, this year, is February 22. But, it occurred to me that it might be helpful for some of my readers to think about Ash Wednesday a little in advance, especially... Read more
In yesterday’s post, I began thinking about contentment in light of the creation narratives in the Bible. Genesis 1 reveals that human beings were created by God in God’s own image. Thus, we are intrinsically to be involved in the creation, exercising the abilities God has given us in his world. This is made explicit when, after creating human beings, God tells them to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion. True contentment will come when we fulfill this divine vocation.... Read more
In yesterday’s post, I suggested that, for many of us, the paradigm of contentment would be the archetypal person-sitting-on-a-beach-drink-in-hand, someone with nothing to do but enjoy the pleasures of the moment. No worries. No responsibilities. No deadlines. I’ve sometimes heard a Christian version of this paradigm, one in which we find real contentment in life by contemplating God’s glory and basking in his love. Those who think in this way speak of being completely fulfilled through their relationship with God.... Read more
Adam Hamilton has me considering contentment. Last Friday, I wrote about a chapter in his book Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity (Abingdon, 2009/12). In “Cultivating Contentment” (ch. 3), Hamilton calls us to develop a sense of contentment in our lives, being satisfied with what we have rather than always striving for more stuff. He notes, however, that it is appropriate to be discontent about certain things, such as personal failing or social injustice. Thus, Hamilton has me wondering... Read more
What Might You Do If You Really Believed That God Was Here to Help You? Psalm 108:1-13 With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. Psalm 108:13 After I completed my coursework for graduate school, I served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. I began as the Director of College Ministries and ended up as the Associate Pastor for Educational Ministries. During my seven years on the staff of... Read more
Do you have enough? Are you always striving for more? What might truly satisfy you? Will you ever be content? These questions are addressed in a fine book called Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity (Abingdon, 2009/12). It was written by Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. This outstanding church, the largest in the United Methodist denomination, reflects the giftedness and wisdom of Hamilton, the church’s founder and teaching pastor.... Read more
Yesterday, I blogged on the subject: “Blogs vs. Term Papers: What Do You Think?” I was responding to an article in the New York Times that featured a writing professor at Duke who thinks it’s time to retire term papers and to have students blog instead. Today, I will offer a few of my thoughts on the subject as someone who has spent 5,000 hours writing term papers and 3,000 blogging. (This is a literal, conservative estimate.) First, I want... Read more
I’ve spent a fair amount of my life writing term papers and blog posts. I was a full-time college and grad student for eight years, and then spent nine years (on and off) writing my dissertation (a whopper of a term paper). I estimate that I’ve spend something like 5,000 hours writing papers and 3,000 hours blogging. So, when it comes to the question of blogs vs. term papers, my opinion is at least somewhat informed by my experience as... Read more
Mark D. Roberts
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Blogs vs. Term Papers: The Case for Term Papers
Recently, I have offering some thoughts on the relative value of blogs vs. term papers in higher education. I was inspired by an article in the New York Times: “Blogs vs. Term Papers.” This article describes the convictions of an English professor at Duke to abolish term papers in favor of blogs. As you might imagine, this has stirred up plenty of controversy among professors. In my last post, I put up the case for blogs in higher education. It’s... Read more