I had intended to include an image in my previous post. Rather than go back and edit it, I thought I would include it here, as well as a few others on the same theme: Read more
I had intended to include an image in my previous post. Rather than go back and edit it, I thought I would include it here, as well as a few others on the same theme: Read more
Being involved in music at church, and sometimes writing my own songs, and being aware of the shortcomings (to say the least) with my singing, I decided to take singing lessons. Even before I started them last summer, I was extremely nervous about the whole thing – there is something different about singing than about learning an instrument that is not yourself. I’m happy with the progress I’ve been making – indeed, happier than I ever expected to be. As... Read more
Via several people and groups on Facebook. Read more
“There is literally more fossil evidence that humans evolved from non-humans than there is fossil evidence that Tyrannosaurus rex is a thing.” Quote from the post “Evolution 101: The Missing Link FAQ” on IO9. There are plenty of sites online where you can learn more about the relevant evidence. Read more
In comments on my post yesterday about standing against discrimination and other forms of injustice, the issue was brought up about the religious freedom of those who want to be able to refuse services to those they object to – in this instance, to refuse to cater for a same-sex wedding. That is when it is crucial to ask questions. Here is what I wrote in a comment on that post: If someone had the stance that only a particular... Read more
Tonight was the final public lecture in our series at Butler University about religion and freedom of expression. The two presenters were Pete Enns and Steve Sanders. Steve spoke about the nature of academic freedom, its history, its contractual character and legal status. Pete spoke mostly from his own experience. Having pointed out the role of J. Gresham Machen in shaping the outlook of Westminster Theological Seminary (from which “he was resigned” after teaching there for more than a decade),... Read more
Christian Piatt shared the above example of poor Bible camp sign placement in a recent post, which was mostly a collection of inappropriate church signs full of double entendre. One can explore the mixed message in the sign above on multiple levels. Many churches seem to be lifeless. Often our activities are not fun, even when they could be, because we insist on going about them in traditional ways. And so it is always worth asking the question: how might... Read more
When it is pointed out, whether by myself or others, that the methods of interpreting the Bible used by today's conservatives are the same ones that have been used in the past to justify slavery and discrimination, I am sometimes told that I am exaggerating the situation and the dangers. They sometimes insist that the things that happened in the past simply couldn't happen today – at least, not in the United States. I am not convinced. I do not... Read more
Via Patheos Progressive Christian on Facebook Read more
I am grateful to Eerdmans for providing me with a free review copy of Tony Burke's recent book, Secret Scriptures Revealed: A New Introduction to the Christian Apocrypha. As Burke says towards the end of the penultimate chapter, his book “is merely an appetizer; the main course awaits” (p.150). The volume manages to squeeze in an impressive amount of material into its 164 pages. But it is not intended to provide a comprehensive treatment of the material or to replace... Read more
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