is anyone getting tired of this yet? (yes): Bryan College “takes a stand” on creationism

Last updated on: March 3, 2014 at 12:51 am By Peter Enns

Whatever. Here’s the article. Another college feels it needs to take a “stand” on the Bible–meaning recommitting themselves to a view of the Bible that is inexcusable for an institution granting academic degrees, whether in Bible, the sciences, Christian thought, or anything else. Professors at Bryan College are understandably worried about their jobs. They will now be required to educate students while at the same time holding to views that are very difficult for educated people to hold. They will... Read more

was David really a king? two recent books explore his life

Last updated on: March 1, 2014 at 5:36 pm By Peter Enns

I’m reading together two recent books that explore the live of King David: Joel Baden’s The Historical David: The Real Life of an Invented Hero and Jacob L. Wright’s King David and His Reign Revisited. The latter is available now in iBooks and will soon be available from Cambridge University Press. Neither book is for raw beginners, meaning those who are not used to thinking of biblical figures within the parameters of historical critical scholarship. But neither are these books academic tomes... Read more

genealogies of the Hebrew Patriarchs (Canadian Lamoureux on genealogies part 4)

Last updated on: February 24, 2014 at 7:52 pm By Peter Enns

Today we continue with part 4 of a 6-part audio-slide series by Denis Lamoureux on biblical genealogies. Before we begin, however, I need to say how much I hate Denis at this very moment, seeing that he sent me a rather gloating email concerning the Canadian hockey team’s unexpected–some might even say questionable–win over the American team in the Olympics. Would that we had heeded Dave Barry’s advice of several years ago to declare war on Canada for toilet smuggling. If only. We would not be in this... Read more

creationists talking about creation (or, on theological mass re-education)

Last updated on: February 22, 2014 at 9:14 am By Peter Enns

A friend sent me this short video from the HBO documentary Questioning Darwin. I didn’t see it because I refuse to pay Verizon for premium cable. This short video brought back some thoughts that began brewing while I was working at BioLogos, the science/faith think tank started by Francis Collins in 2009. I was hired to be senior fellow in biblical studies, i.e., someone to see over the Bible side of the Christianity/evolution discussion. It dawned on me rather quickly just how... Read more

everybody…put the camel bones down and step away before someone gets hurt

Last updated on: February 19, 2014 at 3:15 pm By Peter Enns

Camel bones and the Bible have made the news lately, as in this online article, which is pretty sober and worth reading. The scholarly article that started all this recent hubbub can be found here, which sports the perfectly boring scholarly title “The Introduction of Domestic Camels into the Southern Levant: Evidence from the Aravah Valley.” Some media outlets, however, have (surprise) gone for the jolt factor, claiming that this is a “new” discovery that reveals that the Bible is... Read more

are the Genesis flood genealogies literal? (Lamoureux on genealogies part 3)

Last updated on: February 17, 2014 at 9:03 pm By Peter Enns

Today we continue with part 3 of a 6-part audio-slide series by Denis Lamoureux on biblical genealogies. The Sumerian King List has long been understood to offer insight into the long lifespans of the the pre- and post-flood characters in Genesis 5 and 11. Here, Lamoureux lays it all out in about a dozen slides and 9 minutes. The audio-slide show can be accessed here and the accompanying handout here. Lamoureux holds three earned doctoral degrees (dentistry, theology, and biology) and is... Read more

upcoming ETS conference geared toward nervous protection of theological boundaries

Last updated on: February 16, 2014 at 4:55 pm By Peter Enns

I stumbled upon a flyer advertising the upcoming Northeast Region meeting in March of the Evangelical Theological Society. The conference title is “The Liberal Seepage into the Evangelical Culture (What Is an Evangelical?).” The first page of the flyer is copied below and all of it is available for viewing here. This does not represent the best face of ETS. Where do I begin? How about with the wonderful choice of an image that, apparently, captures the heart of the... Read more

evolution, creationism, intelligent design and THE problem of animal suffering (interview with Ron Osborn)

Last updated on: February 13, 2014 at 11:24 am By Peter Enns

Today’s post is an interview with Ronald E. Osborn, author of Death Before the Fall: Biblical Literalism and the Problem of Animal Suffering, a critique “scientific creationism” and wrestles with questions of divine goodness in the light of harrowing realities of animal suffering. In my opinion, this is one of the more perplexing, and even unsettling, issues for any person of any faith who believes in a Higher Power, regardless of where they are on the evolution-spectrum. Osborn is an adjunct professor in... Read more

who were Jesus’ ancestors? (Lamoureux on genealogies, part 2)

Last updated on: February 11, 2014 at 8:49 am By Peter Enns

Today we continue with part 2 of a 6-part audio-slide series by Denis Lamoureux on biblical genealogies. Jesus’ genealogy is found in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, and they are significantly–and I think it is fair to say, irreconcilably–different. They differ, however, as Lamoureux tells us, because as ancient genealogies, they serve a primarily theological function, rather than being an accurate record of ancestry. The audio-slide can be accessed here, and an accompanying handout is here. Lamoureux holds three earned doctoral degrees (dentistry, theology,... Read more

what is “safe” and “not safe” to think? (part 3 of Bovell’s review of The Lost World of Scripture)

Last updated on: February 10, 2014 at 11:52 am By Peter Enns

Today’s post is the third and final part of Carlos Bovell’s review of The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority (previous post here). Inerrantists are indebted to Walton and Sandy for the time and care they took in their new book Lost World to explain why the doctrine of inerrancy needs to be updated in light of development in biblical scholarship and for suggesting that inerrantists should begin thinking about ways to incorporate the Bible’s oral culture... Read more