The Apostle Paul must have been furious. Priscilla broke his rule requiring her to sit "in silence with full submission." She violated his rule by teaching a man, wielding authority over and correcting a male preacher. But if Paul found any of that upsetting, he never said a word about it. Read more
What would it mean, actually, to try to give sixpence to God? I don't mean a figurative or an allegorical sixpence here, with the coins symbolizing good works or our attempts at righteousness or some other such abstraction. I mean the actual sum of sixpence in cash money. Read more
"We support biblical families," Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy says of his fast-food corporation. So let's take a look at some of those biblical families. Today's entry: Joash. Read more
The form of fundamentalism taught by my family's church was utterly incompatible with the form of fundamentalism taught by the churches of some of my classmates and teachers. Our church taught that they were not legitimate Christians, and their church taught that we were not legitimate Christians. Both sides took this disagreement very seriously, with the denial/acceptance of speaking in tongues regarded as a theological disaster equivalent to embracing evolutionary science or textual criticism. Each side regarded the other as violating the all-or-nothing package-deal of fundamentalist Christianity. Read more
Tuesday morning links, including: New York's finest; Jubilee; an uncomfortable conversation; legislating death in Uganda; "There's money in making stupid people mad;" 30 years of a failed political strategy; and Benedict XVI's preferred brand (Marlboros). Read more
"We support biblical families," Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy says of his fast-food corporation. So let's take a look at some of those biblical families. Today's entry: Abraham and Keturah. Read more
James Surowiecki points out that its cheaper to prepare for disaster than to repair afterward; Erik Loomis on globalization and the export of the Triangle Fire; Jo Hilder on happy, perfect lies as admission tickets to church; and Bushra Rehman with a tragic story of innocence and horror. Read more
"A pollster working within a campaign may face a variety of perverse incentives that compete with his ability to produce the most accurate possible results to his candidate," Nate Silver writes. "He may worry about harming the morale of the candidate or the campaign if he delivers bad news." Which calls to mind the biblical story of the snarky, sarcastic prophet Micaiah. Read more
Fundamentalist Christianity is a package deal — an inseparable, all-or-nothing bundle of teachings and ideology that says every piece depends on every other piece. If any one piece of it isn’t true, fundamentalism insists, then it all falls apart and none of it is true. Read more
"We support biblical families," Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy says of his fast-food corporation. So let's take a look at some of those biblical families. Today's entry: Don't look back. Read more
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