The image came to my attention via John Byron on Facebook. What is “biblical violence” in this context? How is it different from other kinds of violence? Or is it violence of “biblical proportions”? Read more
The image came to my attention via John Byron on Facebook. What is “biblical violence” in this context? How is it different from other kinds of violence? Or is it violence of “biblical proportions”? Read more
Discussing 1 Corinthians 15 in my Sunday school class a while back, I was struck by another way of understanding what Paul is saying in v17. Many have treated it as though Paul is saying that it is essential for salvation to believe in the resurrection. But it sounds to me that he is talking about the Corinthian believers’ faith in God, and saying that unless the resurrection is a reality, then their faith in God is in vain. One... Read more
Mike Kok, who has been blogging about the Gospel of Mark for a long time, now has a new blog. The change has been made both to offer a more accessible title in English, but also to indicate a broadening of scope. Mike writes: “I will write on topics such as Second Temple Judaism, the New Testament, ancient Christian literature, Hebrew Bible, Religious Studies, Theology, or whatever I am interested in at the moment.” Please pay his new blog, The Apostles’... Read more
As a result of the discussions among bloggers, I thought it would be interesting to try to blog my way through the Christology of the Gospel of Mark. What do you think – does that sound like a good idea? At any rate, before turning to that, there has been a lot that simply needs to be recapped from the blogosphere since my last round-up. Dustin Smith and Mike Bird have had some interesting interactions – both with the topic... Read more
The title of this post comes from something that a church member said in a discussion of spiritual gifts in Sunday school a while back. I think it would make a great t-shirt. While acknowledging that the phrase “spiritual gifts” adds things not present in the Greek used by Paul, we still explored what the English phrase might denote. Of particular interest, I thought, was the possibility that the spiritual aspect pertains not to the source of the gifts, but... Read more
Jimmy Kimmel got a man dressed like Jesus to read actual quotes from candidates in this year’s presidential primary elections. I think it makes a useful point to those who think they are supporting candidates because they are followers of Jesus. Read more
I had the above video of a roundtable discussion of “Jewish Christianity and the Origins of Islam” drawn to my attention. It took place at last year’s ASMEA conference. Apparently the topic will be a focus again next year, and so there is a call for papers that is currently open that some of you may be interested in. The keynote address at the conference was on “The Fate of the Middle East Christians,” and will also be of interest: Read more
It is common for theists to speak of God’s artistry in creation. But that image sits awkwardly with a number of purported beliefs of classical theism. Artistry involves challenge and accomplishment, but an omnipotent God cannot overcome obstacles in any meaningful sense. Artistry involves choosing colors or melodies, but classical theism has asserted that God always “chooses” what is “best” – which doesn’t seem like a choice at all. The Onion recently had a piece which depicts a God who could meaningfully create... Read more
This paraphrase of Jeremiah 14:14 is striking. I’m often in two minds about The Message. What do you think of its rendering of this particular text? Read more
The video above is from the latest in this year’s Religion Seminar public lecture series, co-sponsored by Butler University, Christian Theological Seminary, and the Desmond Tutu Center. It features Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, with Edwin Curtis and Frank Thomas as respondents. Read more
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