Jonathan Bernier wrote an interesting blog post entitled “The Last Word.” Here’s the part that struck me most: The problem lies not simply in how scriptures are being read but in how it is thought to function in church and Christian life. The entire premise is that if the scriptures are to be authoritative they must be the last word. They must be what settles the discussion, once and for all. Yet revisions of what scripture means to the faith... Read more
Karl Marx famously observed that religion was the opiate of the masses, meaning that it provided an escape from the harsh realities of life. This may well be true, but looking at the conflicts arising in the Middle East these days, I’m inclined to observe that religion is the amphetamine of the masses. The quote comes from Tobias Haller’s blog post, “The Speed of God: Mainline Religion.” Read more
When we moved from introductory matters to diving into one of the epistles in my Paul class, we started with 1 Thessalonians, usually thought to be the earliest of Paul’s letters. This gave me the opportunity to revisit the question of whether 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 is a post-Pauline interpolation. It is worth noting that there is no manuscript evidence that this passage is an addition. It is also worth noting that its interruption of the train of thought is not... Read more
The Onion has a clever piece which explores what happens if you actually treat God as the author of the Bible, contrary to the clear evidence that the Bible is a human work by multiple fallible human authors. Here’s a sample: Hailed by critics as one of the most important authors in recent millennia, the eccentric divinity is said to have long ago retreated from the public eye, eschewing a life of celebrity for one of solitude and quiet. To... Read more
I have been excited about the IMAX movie Jerusalem since the first time I saw the trailer. The aerial perspectives are breathtaking, and will amaze even those who have been to the places in it. Last night, I had the opportunity to see an advance screening of the complete movie at the IMAX theater at the Indiana State Museum, and it was simply phenomenal. It has incredible landscapes. It has archaeology. It has reconstructions of the past. It has real artifacts.... Read more
Paul Penley, in a guest post on Jesus Creed, discussed whether personal Bible reading has had an overall positive or negative impact on the church. Even those of us who are heirs to Luther’s convictions about individuals taking responsibility for their own beliefs and following the dictates of their own consciences, we can feel the force of Johann Eck’s response to him at the Diet of Worms: “Martin, there is not one heresy which has torn apart the bosom of the church, which... Read more
No, he isn’t. Read more
Via Episcopal Church Memes on Facebook. Read more
Today I Learned is a popular subreddit on Reddit. One very recent post is this one: The post links to the Wikipedia entry “Reliability of Wikipedia.” Discuss… Read more
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