the Bible is a human book

Last updated on: January 4, 2014 at 5:25 pm By Peter Enns

I just attended a small conference in Chicago—yes, a conference in Chicago in January, which means I almost didn’t get there, but that’s another story. The conference was sponsored by Biblica, formerly the International Bible Society. About 20 biblical scholars and theologians were invited to participate in an open conversation about the Bible—or as one organizer put it, “What is the Bible and what do we do with it?”—which coincidentally happens to be the title of the last chapter of... Read more

a revealing parallel between Intelligent Design and conservative/evangelical views of the Bible

Last updated on: December 30, 2013 at 1:37 pm By Peter Enns

Here’s an observation I’ve been pondering for a few years but never thought to put it in writing until now. No big reason why. I just never got to it. I’ve observed a revealing parallel between Intelligent Design and conservative/evangelical views of the Bible. In a word, both tend to get nervous about what I will call, simply as a placeholder name, “natural processes,” where God doesn’t show up in a special, supernatural way. So, humor me and let me unpack that a... Read more

doing church without singing (or, getting out of our God-rut)

Last updated on: December 29, 2013 at 12:41 pm By Peter Enns

I like going to church at 7:45 a.m. That’s when St. Matthew’s Episcopal has its Rite I service, which is advertised as “quiet” and “traditional.” I like it because there are about 25 people there, and when you exchange the peace, you hit pretty much everybody. I like it because the service is 45 minutes long—not that I’m in a rush or anything, but you can get a lot done in that time if you’re not feeling the pressure of... Read more

did the apostle Paul (or God) believe in a literal Adam?

Last updated on: December 26, 2013 at 7:21 am By Peter Enns

Many Christians are concerned that Adam in the book of Genesis is to be understood as a “first” human of some sort–either literally so or “first” in terms of importance. In my book The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins, I spend half its pages talking about what I think is the heart of the issue for many Christians: not how to read Genesis, but how to read Paul, who appeals to the... Read more

Parker Palmer on teaching to the fearful heart

Last updated on: December 21, 2013 at 10:02 am By Peter Enns

I read Parker Palmer’s classic The Courage to Teach several years ago and am re-reading it now. For many, the book doesn’t need an introduction. For those who aren’t familiar with it, think of it as a book on the psychology/spirituality of teaching. A theme Palmer hits early on is the grip that fear has on both teachers and students—a fear of looking stupid, of not knowing, of not being good enough. Fear can lead teachers to objectify their subject, thus... Read more

Forgetting Jesus–a Christmas resolution

Last updated on: December 17, 2013 at 11:04 pm By Peter Enns

A few years ago, 10 perhaps, I was at an academic conference that featured a debate of sorts on the resurrection of Christ between N. T. Wright and John Dominic Crossan, well-known scholar of early Christianity. I say “debate of sorts” because I think the evening was billed to be a dual between Wright and the Dark Lord Crossan, one of the founders of the Jesus Seminar, but I remember very little heat. What I do remember is two things Crossan... Read more

Openness to the Other: A Challenging Necessity for the Future of American Evangelicalism

Last updated on: December 16, 2013 at 5:07 pm By Peter Enns

At RespectfulConversation.net, a project hosted by Harold Heie, is an 8-part series, with various participants, on American Evangelicalism. The final topic in the series is “The Future of American Evangelicalism” and I posted my thoughts today: Openness to the Other: A Challenging Necessity for the Future of American Evangelicalism. The other entries there are all thought provoking and I’m glad to have my voice added to theirs. In my post, I suggest 4 areas where Evangelicalism should adopt of true openness... Read more

On God, Shooting Children, and Still Having no Answers

Last updated on: December 15, 2013 at 4:02 pm By Peter Enns

I posted this a year ago. I haven’t gotten remotely closer to wrapping my head around it, and so I am reposting today. Who cares what I think about all this. I’m not really sure if I care what I think about all this. I didn’t sleep well last night and I woke up sad and unsettled. For some reason, killing these 20 children and 6 adults in Connecticut yesterday burrowed deep into my heart and has decided to stay put for a while. What kind... Read more

St. Nicholas: what can I say, he was a beast.

Last updated on: December 14, 2013 at 12:11 am By Peter Enns

In church today, our rector handed out a card with a icon of St. Nicholas, similar to the one on the left. On the back of the card read the following: Nicholas was born in the 3rd century in Asia Minor. He used his entire inheritance to help the poor, sick, and children in need. He gave in secret, expecting nothing in return. He attended the Council of Nicea in AD 325. Greatly loved for his faith, compassion and care, he is venerated in both... Read more

a call for diversity in evangelicalism: more from Molly Worthen

Last updated on: December 9, 2013 at 10:55 pm By Peter Enns

Here are the closing two paragraphs of Molly Worthen’s book Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism (see here for the previous post, which will lead back to the first in this series). I think these paragraphs are an apt conclusion to the book, expressing both criticism for the intellectual history of evangelicalism while also acknowledging strengths. Bolded portions are my emphais. ******* The term evanglecial mind conjures images of a creature of many faces sharing one brain, or at... Read more