As I prepare to focus more attention in my classes this semester on critically evaluating sources of information, here are two links that are useful. First, my colleague Brad Matthies co-authored this article which provides an acronym (CRITIC) that can be useful in remembering what to look for when assessing the reliability of a source. Second, as a useful humorous illustration of the possibility of encountering biased information in online sources, here’s a classic:  “I Think Jelly Has Been Editing... Read more

“Above all, we must keep in mind that narrative is a form of representation. Abraham in Genesis is not a real person any more than a painting of an apple is a real fruit. This is not a judgment on the existence of a historical Abraham any more than it is a statement about the existence of apples.” — Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, p.13 Quoted in a review on The Floppy Hat Read more

In my Sunday School class yesterday, one subject that came up was the fact that even language from the Bible can be used to do harm to others, in ways that are as unbiblical as the language they use is, in one sense, Biblical. While we talked about actual speech, it later struck me that an even clearer example is the tendency of American Christians to put Bible verses on placards and carry them around at protests. When does anyone in... Read more

I am wondering what would happen if, at the start of the semester, a professor told students it was time to hand out the syllabus, and proceeded to pass out blank sheets of paper. Students would then be asked what they expected/hoped to get out of the course, what topics they expect/hope will be covered, what kinds of activities and assessments of learning they envisage and what steps need to be taken to achieve their desired outcomes. While for some,... Read more

Jim West has posted a reminder that he’ll be doing a Biblical Studies Carnival for July and wants (or at the very least will tolerate) recommendations. Read more

My Sunday school class started a new series a few weeks ago, on the Epistle of James. It has often been said that the letter focuses very little direct attention on Jesus. In terms of explicit mentions, there are surprisingly few. But the letter is permeated throughout with teachings and emphases that are recognizable from the Jesus tradition also recorded in the Gospels. And so it seems incorrect to say that the letter pays little attention to Jesus. It pays... Read more

HT to Rev. Jeremy Smith for this great analogy: And of course, we learned recently of the danger of not reading what you are agreeing to. Read more

HT to Chris Tilling for sharing this video of John Shelby Spong and Al Mohler. It is clear from his statements that all Mohler has is a fear of uncertainty and individual responsibility which drives him to view the Bible as providing certainty and authority. (The final statement from Lee Strobel does nothing to change that perception of Mohler’s outlook, as far as I can see.) For the record, while I have a great deal of sympathy with Spong on... Read more

Thanks to Danut Manastireanu for pointing out that this volume about the Romanian Orthodox theologian Dumitru Staniloae is available for free on Scribd! Lucian Turcescu, editor, Dumitru Staniloae: Tradition and Modernity in Theology http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf He and a couple of other friends of mine contributed to the volume. Read more

August 20th is the birthday of two of the 20th century’s most influential theologians: Rudolf Bultmann and Paul Tillich. Bultmann was even more so a New Testament scholar. Some of their works in German can be found on the Internet Archive, while several important works in English can be found at Religion Online – such as Tillich’s The Shaking of the Foundations and Bultmann’s dialogue with other scholars in the volume Kerygma and Myth. The Internet Archive also has a... Read more