There’s a subtle arrogance I find present in anti-intellectual types of believers. You know who I’m talking about. You walk up to someone to share some new insight into the Scripture, and your excitement is met with “what’s the point?” You share some point of God-exalting theology and the response comes, “how does this apply to my life?” You’ve just come from reading one of the old dead guys with heart aflame and are told that you “ought to be reading more of the things of God and less of the things of man.”
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Sexism in the Bible: Rape, Part One
This post is part of an ongoing series. The series is introduced here.
One of the most difficult things for the raging mob to understand about the Old Testament law is that the majority of it falls under the heading of case law, much like the vast majority of American law. Under case law, a judge or jury weighs evidence and circumstance in a given case to decide to what extent the law has been broken and what punishment, if any, should be handed down. Continue reading “Sexism in the Bible: Rape, Part One”
Sufficient Grace
Sermon text: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Sermon title: Sufficient Grace
Date: June 26, 2016
Venue: Miracle Mountain Ranch
Catechetical Spin
The Heidelberg Catechism begins in such a different way than Westminster, which is probably far more familiar to most. The Westminster Catechism opens with this question:
Q1: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
It’s a grand question with a grand answer. It reminds me of high-vaulted cathedrals and fiery preachers. It’s a sweeping, cosmic thought. It starts with our ultimate goal and ties it to ultimate reality. I love it, I really do.
Art and Longing
In Terry Pratchett’s excellent book Wyrd Sisters, Death (you know– robe, scythe, grins all the time) wanders onto the backstage of a theater during a performance. I found his reflections fascinating: Continue reading “Art and Longing”
Your Smart Phone Is Evil, And So Are You
It seems that anyone wishing to write a piece urging people to consider what smart tech is doing to their heads is branded as a Luddite, or at least gets tagged as having Luddite sympathies. So before you grab your L-shaped stencil and your scarlet thread, let me clarify. I don’t think smart technology is evil; I do, however, think we need to consider carefully its effect on our lives, perhaps in a way that has not often been done. Continue reading “Your Smart Phone Is Evil, And So Are You”
Ontological Vroom
Elizabeth Malbon, in her book Hearing Mark, gives this insightful gem:
Perhaps Greek philosophers worried about the essence of God, but Jewish and Jewish-Christian storytellers focused on the activity of God and God in Christ. In the biblical tradition not only have the people of God imagined their relationship with God as a story, but also individual members continue to experience their own lives as stories. Perhaps this is why it is so easy for us to get caught up in the story Mark’s Gospel tells.
Cultus and Culture 