The subject of historical study and methodological naturalism has come up in a recent bloggersation, and since Easter is approaching, I thought I’d share a particularly poignant passage relevant to this issue that I came across in a recent book: Why was the tomb supposedly empty? I say supposedly because, frankly, I don’t know that it was. Our very first reference to Jesus’ tomb being empty is in the Gospel of Mark, written forty years later by someone living in... Read more

I’m happy I was able to join my son on a field trip to 1892, to spend the day at a one-room schoolhouse. It was delightful, but it reminded me of a trip I took when I lived in the UK to a similar historical preservation experience. At the Beamish open-air museum, we saw tiny houses that miners once inhabited, old fashioned stores with candies and products one would never see in stores today. So much has changed. But nothing... Read more

There was once a rich man, who was very generous. This man who had two sons. The eldest son had seen his father sometimes forced to do without, even though his land was fruitful and his business prosperous, because he had given away all he had at that moment to those in need. When his father died and left a large sum to him and his brother, he was determined not to find himself in the same situation. He put... Read more

Is my position that of a “classic liberal”? Certainly not in any strict sense – I’m far too Bultmannian, and probably also too aware of the limits of modernity. But to the extent that anyone who rejects the tenets of classic fundamentalism tends to be labelled as a “liberal”, I’m happy to wear the label. I was asked about this subject over on Triablogue, and here’s what I replied: I sometimes use the term “fundamentalist” but rarely in its classic... Read more

There’s a response to my critique of Beale’s book on inerrancy over at Triablogue. Rather than repost both that post and my comment, I’ll reproduce my comment and invite those interested to pay a visit to Triablogue to see the wider context of him quoting me quoting… Here’s what I commented there: Thanks for taking the time to interact with my post on Beale’s book. I will let you read about my own conversion experience on my blog if you... Read more

There’s an interview about my blog at Blog Interviewer. Do take a look, and if it isn’t too much trouble, click on the thumbs up. Apparently they give $50 to the top ranking blogger in a given month… Read more

HT Ron Britton Read more

“The way of cross is more than the way of resisting social, economic, and political injustices. But…the way of the cross is not less than that. “ — John Shuck, “The Executed God: A Sermon” Read more

Today in my Sunday school class we had a “passion week Q&A;”, essentially an informal conversation that ranged from the burial of Jesus to donkeys to football stadiums (for comparison to the size of the Jerusalem Temple) to Where’s Waldo/Jesus? The conversation will continue next time. Read more

On the last episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, artificial intelligence John Henry noted the wonderful capacity of the human brain to process and store data, and yet its flawed nature inasmuch as there is nowhere to download it all to when one dies. He then goes on to mention that the Bible solves the problem by introducing the concept of heaven, but after considering the computer needed for his own program to run, John Henry realizes that “heaven... Read more