Evangelicalism has never, ever been about just “the Bible alone.” Sure, the slogan has been used in Protestantism. But the Reformers knew that the Bible is never alone, and provided commentary on it. And often times the provision of commentary – one thinks of the infamous Schofield Reference Bible – has influenced an incredibly large segment of Christianity in a direction that is problematic from the perspective of the very texts being commented upon. And so should we be worried... Read more
There have been several interesting posts related to the study of the Gospels in recent days. Mike Kok blogged about the old form critical view of the Gospels as sui generis. Tim Lewis mentioned an article by Kyle R. Hughes (available online) about the possibility that the Pericope Adulterae could be from the L source. That suggestion could fit nicely with Dennis MacDonald’s view of the Synoptic problem. Mike Kok also drew attention to a new blog, Gospel Renegades. It features... Read more
Open Parachute has a great post about the Galileo gambit or Galileo fallacy, the notion that having one's ideas opposed somehow demonstrates that they are correct. Here is a takeaway quote: The real lesson from Galileo is not to oppose the “establishment” or current scientific consensus – but to rely on evidence. It was this argument of his, which today most of us accept and see as almost self-evident, that describes Galileo’s real contribution to the progress of science.His argument... Read more
Richard Rohr writes in The Huffington Post: You deserve to know my science for interpreting sacred texts. It is called a “hermeneutic.” Without an honest and declared hermeneutic, we have no consistency or authority in our interpretation of the Bible. My methodology is very simple; I will try to interpret Scripture the way that Jesus did. This is precisely what Christians should mean when we speak of interpreting the Old Testament in the light of Christ. Ironically, then, it is... Read more
Fred Clark has a post about the fact that conservative Evangelicalism's language gives the impression that there is only one direction in which one can move too far. He writes: Gatekeepers police the fortified boundaries of evangelicalism, but only on the “liberal” border. There is no conservative border… The tribe only has “liberal” boundaries. Conservatism is unbounded… That’s not to say that most white evangelicals are comfortable with Wilson’s Neo-Confederate nonsense. They’re not. But the subculture lacks any useful vocabulary... Read more
On my trip to Chicago yesterday, I got to snap my very own photo of some misused quotation marks: This was at a rest stop on I-65. Despite what the sign might lead one to believe, the men’s room was open, and not merely “open.” Read more
Joshua Mann has written a blog post about how to start an academic blog, gearing up for a presentation on the topic for SBL in November. When I saw the title, it reminded me of the classic cartoon about how become a famous blogger. In much the same way, to become an academic blogger, you become an academic, and then blog; or you blog, and then become an academic. 🙂 I’m being facetious, of course, about a topic that can... Read more
This quote from John Shore came to my attention on Facebook (via Unfundamentalist Christians): I found myself thinking of this scene from the Life of Brian: Read more
When Candida Moss tweeted yesterday about our both being in the same place to do interviews for a History Channel show, Dorothy King tweeted the picture below in response, and I wanted to share it with you. Read more
Today I went up to Chicago to be interviewed for a documentary series on the Bible, which is expected to air on the History Channel in October. I'll give fuller details when I have them. In addition to the producer and film crew, it was great to reconnect with James Hoffmeier, who was interviewed before me, and to finally meet Candida Moss, who was scheduled to be interviewed after me, in person. In case you're wondering, yes, I did talk... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In