Ignorance is Strength

Last updated on: April 2, 2013 at 8:39 am By James F. McGrath

I was struck today, rereading George Orwell’s 1984, at how easily one can substitute Christian terminology into a particular passage, which is from the book within the book, Emmanuel Goldstein’s The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. Let me show you what I mean: Christian society rests ultimately on the belief that God is omnipotent and that the Bible is infallible. But since in reality God is not omnipotent and the Bible is not infallible, there is need for an unwearying, moment-to-moment... Read more

Ancient Christian Villages of Galilee

Last updated on: April 2, 2013 at 7:41 am By James F. McGrath

There is an interesting book by Bellarmino Bagatti, Ancient Christian Villages of Galilee (a translation from the Italian original), which I had the chance to consult recently. Much of it focuses on Christian presence in later times, but in a few instances it is able to trace evidence back to a very early period. Bagatti focuses particular attention on small communities with two synagogues, which suggests to him that there were groups that eventually refused to worship together. Sometimes this... Read more

A Worse Resurrection

Last updated on: April 1, 2013 at 7:43 pm By James F. McGrath

My Sunday school class yesterday started with me suggesting that we could either carry on in Hebrews or do something more Eastery. Someone in the class asked, “Hebrews isn’t Eastery?” And that’s how it all started. We took a close look and saw that, on the one hand, the author mentions resurrection a couple of times (mainly referring to the general resurrection). And so the author did not neglect or reject the idea of bodily resurrection, it would seem. Yet... Read more

Biblical Studies Carnival

Last updated on: April 1, 2013 at 7:32 pm By James F. McGrath

At the blog Reading Acts you can find the latest Biblical Studies Carnival. Despite the date, there is a lot there that can be taken extremely seriously! Thank you to Phillip Long for putting the carnival together! Read more

Hosanna (Cheesy Christian Version)

Last updated on: April 1, 2013 at 1:20 pm By James F. McGrath

I’ve mentioned before that I think it would be fun to make a Christian version of the Toto song “Rosanna.” But I’ve allowed another Easter season to go by without making one. Maybe the reason is that it is so easy to do a really cheesy and theologically objectionable version by making as few changes to the original lyrics as possible – something like this: HOSANNA All I wanna do when I wake up Easter morning is see you rise... Read more

Early Christian Nicknames

Last updated on: April 1, 2013 at 9:38 am By James F. McGrath

The main reason there are so many nicknames in the New Testament is because there were no family names, and so it made it easier to refer to specific people when “Judah” or “Simeon” would have been vague. But that refers more to “Thomas” (a nickname meaning “twin”) than to his reputation as “doubting” (a label placed on him by the later Christian tradition). HT to Michael Patton for the cartoon. Read more

Think Outside the Book

Last updated on: April 1, 2013 at 7:27 am By James F. McGrath

Via Sundries on Facebook Read more

I Will Be Making a Guest Appearance on TV!

Last updated on: April 1, 2013 at 12:20 am By James F. McGrath

I have finally been given the green light to share some exciting news: I will be making a guest appearance on a particular BBC television series that many people know and love, centered on a famous fictional character! Have you guessed yet? Click through to read the details! Read more

More Scenes from an Easter Service

Last updated on: March 31, 2013 at 9:18 pm By James F. McGrath

Two more videos from the Easter service at Crooked Creek Baptist Church: Read more

Reality (In You I Live) Live

Last updated on: March 31, 2013 at 4:07 pm By James F. McGrath

I am grateful to my dear friends at Crooked Creek Baptist Church – Jessica and Tom Bartley, John Arnold, and Alan Peacock – for performing my song “Reality (In You I Live)” in church today, and to all those present who listened! Read more