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A Resource by Mark D. Roberts |
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A Chronological List of All Blog Entries
from June - December 2006
Note: for other years, click here.
by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts
Note: You may download this resource at no cost, for personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not publishing it for sale. All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due. For all other uses, please contact me at mark@markdroberts.com. Thank you
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Colorful Arguments for the Existence of God  |
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| A Giant, Gray Argument for the Existence of God |
July 7, 2006 |
| Miscellany |
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| Lemons into Lemonade, Part 2 |
July 6, 2006 |
| Lemons into Lemonade, Part 1 |
July 5, 2006 |
| Happy Independence Day! |
July 4, 2006 |
| On Baptists and Blogging |
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| Less Time for Wireless Telephones, More Time for Winning People to Jesus? |
July 3, 2006 |
| Less Time for Computers, More Time for Converts? |
July 2, 2006 |
| Less Time for Blogging, More Time for Baptizing? |
July 1, 2006 |
| Less Time of Websites, More Time for Witnessing? |
June 30, 2006 |
| Outgoing Southern Baptist President Takes Swipe at Bloggers |
June 29, 2006 |
| The Bloggers Revolt |
June 28, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Zealotry
Scot McKnight of Jesus Creed is once again stirring the pot with a challenging series on Zealotry. Here's a short excerpt: "Zealotry is the choice to protect holiness by living beyond what the Bible says, and it finds in that zeal a source of immunity from being wrong. I contend that zealotry reflects an absence of trust in God’s Word. Its motivation is the fear of freedom. Its implication is inevitable: judgmentalism and boundary-marking that together destroy, in separable ways, the unity in Christ. God’s people were not meant to be penguins, waddling all alike, but instead freed, separable, unique individuals who live in community." |
Tod Bolsinger is Having Way Too Much Fun
Check out this picture of Tod Bolsinger, and then deal with the sin of envy. |
A Nation of Britneys: Privacy and Exposure on the Internet
Some challenging thoughts from the always challenging and fascinating Joe Carter of The Evangelical Outpost. |
| An Old Cabin in the High Sierra |
| This is a picture of an abandoned cabin near Duck Lake. You can get to this idyllic site by hiking about two miles south from Lake Alpine, near Ebbetts Pass in the High Sierra (north of Yosemite, south of Tahoe). One word of warning: visit this place in the late summer, when the mosquitoes are gone, or bring plenty of DEET. |
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| What's Good About Denominations? |
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| Denominations Provide Accountability for Churches and Church Leaders |
July 14, 2006 |
| Denominations Plant Churches |
July 13, 2006 |
| Denominations Establish Hospitals and Schools |
July 12, 2006 |
| What is a Denomination? |
July 11, 2006 |
| What's Good About Denominations? |
July 10, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Tying the Knot |
July 9, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Ray Anderson Guest Blogger at rhettsmith.com
Rhett Smith is one of the finest of the younger "God-bloggers." He's always worth reading. But now Rhett has managed to get Dr. Ray Anderson, theology prof from Fuller Seminary, as a guest blogger. Ray is talking about his new book, An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches. Check out Rhett's site, and Ray's book. |
Tod Bolsinger is Still Having Way Too Much Fun
The blog post is worth reading; the picture is priceless. I want to go there . . . now! |
Mark Daniels on the Decline of Mainline Denominations
The always-insightful Mark Daniels has some brief comments about the decline of mainline denominations. (He's in one, by the way.) He also has links to a couple of important and telling articles. |
Liberal Christianity is Paying for Its Sins
One of the articles to which Mark Daniels links is from the Los Angeles Times. It chronicles the decline of mainline denominations and suggests reasons why. |
Jesus and Harvey Cox at Harvard
Scot McKnight reviews the book by Harvey Cox, When Jesus Came to Harvard. For some reason, I had missed this book before. Thanks, Scot! This book is bsed on Cox's teaching at Harvard, especially in an undergraduate course I helped to create along with him back in my grad school days. (In fact, I did my first college/university lecture in this class.) I'm getting this book, not only for reasons of nostalgia, but also because Cox is a delightful and insightful writer. |
| Inspiration! |
| This is one of the most photographed sites in the world: Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Point. El Capitan is the large cliff to the left. Bridlevail Falls are to the right, with Half Dome in the distance. To combination of cliffs, waterfalls, forest, meadows, and river in Yosemite Valley is truly amazing. It's one of the most awe-inspiring places I have ever been. |
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Blog Summary of July 16-21, 2006 |
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Here's a chance for you to catch up on what you missed this week, or to review. Plus I've added a few links worth checking out.
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Are the New Testament Gospels Reliable?
Further Thoughts |
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| The Telephone Game and Oral Tradition: Section A |
July 21, 2006 |
| Gospel Authorship by Mark and Luke: Some Implications |
July 20, 2006 |
| Do the Gospel Manuscripts Misquote Jesus? |
July 19, 2006 |
| Can We Know What the Original Gospel Manuscripts Really Said? |
July 18, 2006 |
| A Blook and the Blogosphere |
July 17, 2006 |
| What's Good About Denominations? |
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| Denominations Provide Guidance for Congregational Worship |
July 16, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
JollyBlogger Gets Serious About Words
David Wayne is one of my favorite bloggers, both for his content and for his generally jovial spirit. Yet he gets serious about the meaning of words in a recent post. In particular, he shows the fallacy of saying that the "real meaning" of the Greek word for "church" is "called out." This post will make you think, but it's worth the effort. |
Justin Taylor on the International Christian Retail Show
I didn't even know there was such a thing! Get me a Christian sweatband! Well, maybe not. |
| Desert Beauty |
| I've been spending a few days in the California desert as I work on my book manuscript. Today the high was 118 degrees in the shade! When I went out for a bit of a hike at 7:00 p.m., it was only 108. I'm a mountains kind of guy, but the desert has a unique beauty. The picture to the right is of the hills to the south of La Quinta, California. |
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| Vacation Blogging: Links to markdroberts . . . afoot and field |
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| Miscellaneous |
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| The Blogging Week in Review |
July 29, 2006 |
| Inspiration from Psalm 28 |
July 30, 2006 |
| Lebanon in Psalm 29 |
July 31, 2006 |
| Vacation Pics: The Narrows |
Aug 1, 2006 |
| Vacation Pics: Idaho |
Aug 3, 2006 |
| Noises that Drive Me Crazy |
Aug 5, 2006 |
| Inspiration from Psalm 35 |
Aug 6, 2006 |
| My Favorite Cell Phone in Church Stories |
Aug 12, 2006 |
| Inspiration from Psalm 42 |
Aug 13, 2006 |
| What's Good About Denominations? |
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| Denominations Contribute to the Global Mission of Christ |
Aug 1, 2006 |
| Denominations Provide Useful Labels |
Aug 2, 2006 |
| Denominations Connect Churches and Pastors |
Aug 3, 2006 |
| Denominations Provide "Previously-Invented" Wheels |
Aug 4, 2006 |
Are the New Testament Gospels Reliable?
Further Thoughts |
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| The Literary Freedom of the Hellenistic Biographer or Historian |
Aug 7, 2006 |
| "All Truth is God's Truth" |
Aug 8, 2006 |
| The Benefit of Multiple Witnesses |
Aug 9, 2006 |
| Features Common to All Four Gospels |
Aug 10, 2006 |
| Jesus and Half Dome: Four Revealing Pictures |
Aug 11, 2006 |
| Differences Among the Gospels . . . Old News |
Aug 14, 2006 |
| If the Gospels are Theology, Can They Be History? |
Aug 15, 2006 |
| Miracles and Scholarly Skepticism |
Aug 16, 2006 |
| Summary of the Evidence for Jesus Outside of the Gospels |
Aug 17, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Chocolate in the News!
Chocolate is making headlines these days. First, a kitchen worker in Fountain Valley, California (about ten miles from where I live) discovered a chocolate statue of the Virgin Mary that had miraculously formed from drippings in a chocolate factory.
Then, a worker in a chocolate factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin fell into a vat of chocolate, where he was trapped for two hours. Rescue workers had to use butter fat to get the man out of his chocolate prison. For the record, he had fallen into a vat of dark chocolate, but had no visions of the Virgin Mary.
Finally, pop singer Britney Spears, now pregnant with her second child, admits to having chocolate cravings. She gets up in the middle of the night and eats giant Hershey bars. |
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You Know You are Not Reformed If . . .
Here's a funny piece by Kim Riddlebarger. You'll enjoy it even if you're not Reformed in your theology. (HT: Jollyblogger). |
Hollywood Shocker
In case you missed it, Radio Blogger has a copy of the ad that appeared recently in the Los Angeles Times, in which more than 80 Hollywood celebrities take a public stand against terrorism. |
| Hungry? |
| While stopped at a gas station in Baker, California (in the middle of the desert between Los Angles and Las Vegas), I spied a sign of curious composition. The convenience store attached to the gas station was promoting its new 1/3 lb Chili Cheese Dog, adding that it was a "colossal value" at only $1.29. I don't know about you, but even though I like hot dogs, chili, and cheese, I just don't find these pictures appetizing. Neither does my son, as you can see from his disgusted face. However, if you get a hankering for chili cheese dogs, now you know where to find them! |
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| The PCUSA Book Crisis |
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| The Only Satisfactory Explanation for the PPC's Publishing of the Controversial Book |
August 25, 2006 |
| The Mission of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation |
August 24, 2006 |
| The Presbyterian Publishing Corp's Defense of Publishing the Controversial Book (Section B) |
August 23, 2006 |
| The Presbyterian Publishing Corp's Defense of Publishing the Controversial Book |
August 22, 2006 |
| The PCUSA Book Crisis |
August 21, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 49 |
August 20, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
RedBlueChristian.com
Every now and then something gets added to the blogosphere that truly excites me. RedBlueChristian.com is such a website. Founded by Dr. Andrew Jackson, host of the excellent SmartChristian.com site, RedBlueChristian.com seeks to foster serious, thoughtful, Christian conversation among people of diverse political perspectives. Here's an excerpt from the RedBlueChristian "About" page:
The purpose of the RedBlueChristian.com is to provide Christian bloggers — whether Conservative RedChristians or Progressive BlueChristians — the same blog space to post, discuss, and debate essential and important issues related to the Kingdom of God and American politics.
We desire to promote a healthy biblical approach to politics as opposed to the adversarial “us” verses “them” stance which has resulted unfortunately in sincere Christians talking past each other more often than not.
We want contributors and commenters to think biblically about the crucial public issues of our day without being constrained to boundaries set up for us by any political party platforms or rhetoric.
The contributors to RedBlueChristian are well-informed, articulate Christians who seek to apply their faith to the complicated political challenges of our world. For an example of an excellent recent "blue" post, check out this piece on forgiveness by Rob Asghar. And then read the comments. You'll see why RedBlueChristian.com is such a breath of fresh air!
I think it's just great that many Christian bloggers, both red and blue, have their own sites in which they advocate their partisan views. But I commend Andy Jackson for hosting RedBlueChristian, because we also need places for honest, careful, respectful dialogue.
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Recent list of contributors to RedBlueChristian.com. There are some top-notch thinkers and writers here:
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| Need a Thrill? |
| In the center of this photo you'll see my children as they ride the Desperado coaster at Buffalo Bill's in Primm, California. It's one of the few things for kids between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. When it was first built, Desperado was the world-record holder for coasters. Today there are faster and meaner ones, but Desperado still packs a thrill with a 225-foot drop and speeds up to 95 miles per hour. |
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| The Problem with the Passive Voice |
| My high school and college writing teachers used to rail against the passive voice. Though appropriate in some settings, they said, for the most part we should avoid it because it tends to be misused. The main problem has to do with unclarity about who is doing the action of the sentence. I saw a sign in a McDonald's restaurant last week that perfectly illustrates the point. Question: Why must parents wear socks in the PlayPlace? |
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| Summer Sights 2006 |
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| Summer Sights: Water 2 |
Sep 8, 2006 |
| Miscellany |
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| Who is Really Wicked? Section B |
Sep 7, 2006 |
| Who is Really Wicked? |
Sep 6, 2006 |
| Elegy for the Crocodile Hunter |
Sep 5, 2006 |
| Choking on Spam |
Sep 4, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 63 |
Sep 3, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Controversial Book Published by Presbyterians Gets Wall Street Journal Attention (Sigh!)
A recent book that blames the Bush Administration for 9/11 and which, I'm sad to say, was published by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, is the focus of the Opinion Journal editorial. For my take on this book on its implications, see The PCUSA Book Crisis. |
Splitting "decently and in order"
Presbyweb, one of my favorite websites (by subscription) includes an opinion piece that mentions the unmentionable, and with considerable wisdom. Here is guidance for a church that is considering leaving the PCUSA. I highly recommend Presbyweb, by the way, especially but not only for Presbyterians. The subscription fee is reasonable, and you can check out the site with a trial subscription. |
Veggie Tales Without the Most Important Tales
Here's a rather sad but not terribly surprising story of the NBC is doing to Veggie Tales. (HT: Presbyweb.) |
| How Quickly the Time Passes |
| This week my daughter began sixth grade. It seems like only yesterday when she was off to first grade with two of her best friends. She's got the same best friends, but they look a little different. The top photo shows my daughter (on the right) with her friends on their first day of first grade. The bottom photo shows the same girls this week, with my daughter in the middle. I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I see these photos. Maybe both . . . . |
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| 9/11 and Faith: Some Reflections |
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| Truth that Makes a Difference |
Sept 15, 2006 |
| Who Can Break Through Spiritual Hard-Headedness? |
Sept 14, 2006 |
| The Lack of 9/11 Impact on Faith: Why? |
Sept 13, 2006 |
| Has 9/11 Made a Difference in Our Faith? |
Sept 12, 2006 |
| 9/11 and Faith: A Prayer on the Fifth Anniversary of 9/11 |
Sept 11, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 70 |
Sep 10, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Does God Want You to Be Rich?
The TIME Magazine cover story asks the question that's burning in all of our hearts. |
If You're Not Rich Enough to Subscribe to TIME . . .
If you're not rich enough to subscribe to TIME, CNN offers up a review of the TIME article for free. |
Bad News from Ben Witherington
Ben Witherington, one of my favorite scholars and bloggers was quoted in the TIME article. On his website he has put up a substantial piece on the question of God and wealth. This includes Ben's list of "Top Ten Reasons Why God Doesn't Want You Wealthy." Ah, darn! |
| Presbyterian Precision |
| We've been having a problem at church recently, with people driving too fast through our parking lot. So we decided to post a speed limit sign. Now, as good Presbyterians, we don't believe in rounding things off. None of this "7 miles per hour" or "8 miles per hour" laxity. No way. We demand precisly 7 1/2 miles per hour. So if you come to my church, watch your speed! (Note: I did not Photoshop this picture!) |
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| Churches, Elections, and the IRS |
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| Preaching as Speaking Truth to Power |
Sept 22, 2006 |
| Unsolicited Advice for the LA Times and All Saints |
Sept 21, 2006 |
| Will All Saints Fight the IRS? |
Sept 20, 2006 |
| Did the All Saints Sermon Endorse a Political Candidate? |
Sept 19, 2006 |
| The IRS vs. Freedom of Speech and Religion? An Update |
Sept 18, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 77 |
Sep 17, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
GodBlogCon 2006
The GodBlogCon 2006 is meeting at Biola University on October 26-28. They've assembled a great group of presenters this year, so it promises to be fine conference. If you're a Christian blogger, be sure to register for GodBlogCon. |
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Ben Witherington and George Friedman on the Pope's Controversial Speech
Here is some interesting analysis of the Pope's recent speech and the reaction. |
Encouraging News from New Orleans
Steve Norris of Thy Grace is Sufficient has a brief and encouraging update on the Canal Street Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, including a fun picture. Check it out. |
| Sierra Sunrise |
| Here is a picture of Mt. Humphreys (center) in the Sierra of California (near Bishop). As the sun rose behind me, the mountains glowed with reds, pinks, and oranges. Quite amazing! |
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| Finding God When Life is Hard |
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| Why is Life So Hard? |
Sept 29, 2006 |
| Choosing from Among Tasty Treasures |
Sept 28, 2006 |
| Summer Sights 2006 |
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| Summer Sights: Sierra |
Sept 27, 2006 |
| Churches, Elections, and the IRS |
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| How Might Christians "Speak Truth to Power"? |
Sept 26, 2006 |
| Preaching as Speaking Truth to Power, Section B |
Sept 25, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 84 |
Sep 24, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
How to Start a Blog
Joe Carter of The Evangelical Outpost, one of the leading religious bloggers and a downright smart guy has put up a very helpful series for people thinking about getting into blogging. |
fulcrum: renewing the evangelical centre
This is a website intended primarily for evangelical Anglicans, though it has much to offer to the rest of us. Here's what N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham and one of the world's leading scholars, says about Fulcrum: "I see the launch of Fulcrum as a call to evangelical Anglicans of whatever background to work together, to play a full part in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, to make the running, instead of always reacting, to be in the front row of innovative Gospel-work." |
GodBlogCon 2006
The GodBlogCon 2006 is meeting at Biola University on October 26-28. They've assembled a great group of presenters this year, so it promises to be fine conference. If you're a Christian blogger, be sure to register for GodBlogCon. |
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| White Mountains Sunrise |
| The range immediately to the east of the middle Sierra in California is the White Mountains. Unlike the Sierra, they are relatively smooth on top. The tallest of these mountains, fittingly called White Mountain, is 14,246 feet tall, making it the third tallest in the state (only 248 feet lower than Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental United States). |
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| What is a Church? |
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| Where Do People Get Their Ideas of Church? Part C |
Oct 6, 2006 |
| Where Do People Get Their Ideas of Church? Part B |
Oct 5, 2006 |
| Where Do People Get Their Ideas of Church? |
Oct 4, 2006 |
| Why This Series? |
Oct 3, 2006 |
| What is a Church? Introduction |
Oct 2, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 91 |
Oct 1, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
GodBlogCon 2006
The GodBlogCon 2006 is meeting at Biola University on October 26-28. They've assembled a great group of presenters this year, so it promises to be fine conference. If you're a Christian blogger, be sure to register for GodBlogCon. |
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Grove Center: Distinguished Speaker Series
If you're in Southern California, check out this speaker series sponsored by the Grove Center for the Arts and Vanguard University. Two more great speakers in the series. |
Darrell Bock on the Emergent/Emerging Church
New Testament scholar Darrell Bock has been doing an interesting series on the Emergent/Emerging Church in his blog. I've linked to the summary post. This and the other posts are well worth reading. (Note: The format of Bock's blog leaves something to be desired, but the content is worth the extra effort required.) |
Evangelicals Fear the Loss of Their Teenagers
A disturbing article from the New York Times. A must read for all Christians, especially Christian leaders. |
Where Are Our Evangelical Youth Going?
Leading biblical scholar Ben Witherington responds to the NY Times article above. This is a fantastic response. Must reading once again. |
| Autumn Sunset |
| We don't have much of a Fall in Southern California. Except for a few Liquid Amber trees, we don't see the kinds of colors found in must of the country at this time of year. However, autumn in Southern California often brings amazing sunsets. Here's a picture I took a couple of days ago when I went down to the ocean to pray in the early evening. You can't beat these colors! |
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| What is a Church? |
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| When a Church is Not a Church, Part D |
Oct 13, 2006 |
| When a Church is Not a Church, Part C |
Oct 12, 2006 |
| When a Church is Not a Church, Part B |
Oct 11, 2006 |
| When a Church is Not a Church, Part A |
Oct 10, 2006 |
| Monday Inspiration |
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| What's the Hardest Thing About God? |
Oct 9, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 98 |
Oct 8, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
GodBlogCon 2006
The GodBlogCon 2006 is meeting at Biola University on October 26-28. They've assembled a great group of presenters this year, so it promises to be fine conference. If you're a Christian blogger, be sure to register for GodBlogCon. |
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Looking Good in Green
Tod Bolsinger of It Takes a Church reviews the Bill Moyers PBS special on evangelicals and the environment. |
Mere Comments
The editors of Touchstone, a fine and unusually eclectic magazine of Christian orthodoxy, have a blog that's well worth a regular visit. |
| Autumn Sunset, Part 2 |
| Here is one more sunset from a Southern California Fall. If you look carefully at the horizon, you'll see Catalina Island, "26 miles across the sea." |
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| What is a Church? |
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| When a Church is Not a Church, Part G |
Oct 20, 2006 |
| When a Church is Not a Church, Part F |
Oct 19, 2006 |
| When a Church is Not a Church, Part E |
Oct 18, 2006 |
| Heads Up! |
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| The Nativity is Coming! |
Oct 17, 2006 |
| Monday Inspiration |
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| The Strangest Thing About People |
Oct 16, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 105 |
Oct 15, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
GodBlogCon 2006
The GodBlogCon 2006 is meeting at Biola University on October 26-28. They've assembled a great group of presenters this year, so it promises to be fine conference. If you're a Christian blogger, be sure to register for GodBlogCon. |
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The Green Brand
Tod Bolsinger of It Takes a Church continues to say some fascinating things about Christianity and the environment. |
ChurchCommunicationsPro.com
Cory Miller has a great website with lots of valuable data. Check it out! |
| Autumn Sunset, Part 3 |
| Okay, I had to add one more sunset phote. You can see Catalina Island even more clearly than in last week's picture. |
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Andrew Sullivan, Hugh Hewitt,
and Retrofitted Christianity |
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| Andrew Sullivan, Hugh Hewitt, and Retrofitted Christianity |
Oct 27, 2006 |
| What is a Church? |
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| A Church of Feet and Ears, Section C |
Oct 26, 2006 |
| A Church of Feet and Ears, Section B |
Oct 25, 2006 |
| A Church of Feet and Ears, Section A |
Oct 24, 2006 |
| Monday Inspiration |
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| Trapped in the Library |
Oct 23, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 112 |
Oct 22, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Report on GodBlogCon 2006
For the past several weeks I've been promoting the Godblog Conference at Biola University. It happened this week, and I was glad to participate. For a review of some of what happened at this conference, check out Andy Rau's posts at ThinkChristian. |
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RedBlueChristian.com
I continue to be impressed with the quality and diversity of the dialogue at RedBlueChristian.com, the brainchild of Andy Jackson, who also gave virtual birth to SmartChristian.com. |
| My Jesus is Bigger Than Your Jesus |
| Biola University in La Mirada, California, is a thriving institution of higher learning in a Christian mode. Biola also has one of the biggest Jesuses around . . . definitly a bigger Jesus than you'll find at other Christian colleges in Southern California. |
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| Fun Pictures |
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| Some photos from our recent Harvest Festival |
Nov 3, 2006 |
Andrew Sullivan, Hugh Hewitt,
and Retrofitted Christianity |
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| Andrew Sullivan on Jesus, Section B |
Nov 2, 2006 |
| Andrew Sullivan on Jesus, Section A |
Nov 1, 2006 |
| Andrew Sullivan and the "Gospels Truth" Section B |
Oct 31, 2006 |
| Andrew Sullivan and the "Gospels Truth" Section A |
Oct 30, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 119 |
Oct 29, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Other-Worldly Generosity
Tod Bolsinger has a great post on generosity, complete with Lego pictures! |
The Great American Faith
Rob Asghar is one of my favorite commentators and bloggers, even when he's directing his clever and critical pen (keyboard?) in my direction. Even when I disagree with Rob, however, I always find him both insightful and challenging. Rob is also a contributor to one of my favorite websites, RedBlueChristian.com. |
| I Guess I've Got Zombie Genes |
| My son took an elective class after school last week, in which he learned how to do professional moster make-up. Then he got to try it on himself. This is is version of a zombie. Yikes! Can you see the family resemblance? |
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| Miscellany |
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| A Prayer for Veterans Day |
Nov 10, 2006 |
| Your 20,160-Minute Warning |
Nov 9, 2006 |
| The Surprise of the National Association of Evangelicals |
Nov 8, 2006 |
| How to Be Rightly Wrong: The Example of Ted Haggard |
Nov 7, 2006 |
Andrew Sullivan, Hugh Hewitt,
and Retrofitted Christianity |
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| Andrew Sullivan on God as Benign |
Nov 6, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 126 |
Nov 5, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Uncommon Wisdom in Difficult Times
Ben Witherington, always one of my favorite bloggers, has outdone himself with week with several spot-on posts. "Looking Haggard, Ted Steps Aside" is Ben's first take on the Ted Haggard scandal. Then Ben adds another, "Haggard Resigns in Disgrace." In both of these posts Ben isn't piling on. Rather, he's helping us learn what we need to from Ted Haggard's sorry situation. Finally Ben has a post on "Evangelicals in a Post-Haggard, Post-Rumsfeld World." There is much of value here. I hope Ben will keep writing about such things. |
Ted Haggard and the Evangelical Environment
Another of my favorite bloggers, Scot Mc Knight, weighs in on the Ted Haggard affair. He isn't adding to Haggard's pain, but challenging us to take a good, long, hard look at ourselves. This is an important addition to the conversation. (No. It's not a coincidence that two of my favorite bloggers are leading New Testament scholars.) |
| Happy Veterans Day |
| Grave markers of Arlington National Cemetery in the foreground. The Lincoln and Washington monuments in the background. 'Tis fitting. May we treasure our freedom today, and use it well for good. |
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| Miscellany |
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| The Nativity Story: A Fantastic Opportunity |
Nov 17, 2006 |
| Unintended Lessons from Ted Haggard |
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| Pastoral Expectations and Pastoral Pressure: Further Reflections |
Nov 16, 2006 |
| A Pastoral Privilege in the Midst of Pastoral Expectations |
Nov 15, 2006 |
| Ted Haggard and Pastoral Pressure |
Nov 14, 2006 |
| Miscellany |
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| Thank You, Grandpa Glenn |
Nov 13, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 133 |
Nov 12, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Biblical Foundations
I've discovered another "Professor Blog": Biblical Foundations, the blog of Dr. Andreas J. Köstenberger. He is a professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. A prolific author, Dr. Köstenberger is also a blogger, with posts on a wide variety of topics. For example, I was impressed by his piece called "Do You Have a Good Marriage?" I'll be visiting this website on a regular basis, and would encourage you to do the same. |
Toilets, Qumran, and the Essenes
Speaking of professor blogs, Claude Mariottini has a fascinating post on recent archeological investiation of the Dead Sea Scrolls site at Qumran. This is a serious post, though you've got to chuckle along the way. Scholarship embraces all parts of life. |
| I Object! |
| As I drove home tonight, I saw a house in my neighborhood with its Christmas lights up . . . six days before Thanksgiving! I protest! I object! Now I love Christmas lights, but shouldn't we save them for after Thanksgiving? (Acceptable exceptions include: family member about to deploy to Iraq; some other sort of emergency that will soon separate families.) Otherwise, let's wait until the turkey is down the hatch! |
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Blog Summary of Nov 19-14, 2006 |
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Here's a chance for you to catch up on what you missed this week, or to review. Plus I've added a few links worth checking out.
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| Miscellany |
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| 2006 Thanksgiving Meditation |
Nov 24, 2006 |
| Thanksgiving Inspiration |
Nov 23, 2006 |
| A Brief History of Thanksgiving |
Nov 22, 2006 |
| Unintended Lessons from Ted Haggard |
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| Pastoral Expectations and Pastoral Pressure: Suggestions for Pastors (C) |
Nov 21, 2006 |
| Pastoral Expectations and Pastoral Pressure: Suggestions for Pastors |
Nov 20, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 140 |
Nov 19, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
The Nativity Story is Coming Soon!
The Nativity Story will be released in theatres on Friday, December 1. This is a beautiful film, true to the biblical story yet creatively embroidered. I can't think of a better way to begin our preparations for Christmas than by seeing this fine film. For my review of the movie, click here. |
Don Williams on Ted Haggard
Don Williams, writing for KingdomRain.net, has a good summary piece on how Christians should react to the Ted Haggard affair. |
| A Different Picture |
By now, most of us have seen pictures or the rough video of Michael Richards freaking out while doing his comedy stand-up routine. And just about everybody in America knows that he used utterly inappropriate language, including several racial slurs. This has stirred up the whole conversation about racism in America.
Today I don't have much to say about this, other than to share a picture from my family's Thanksgiving dinner. Here are two of my nephews. BJ, on the right, is my brother's son. Brody, on the left, is my sisters new baby. It looks like BJ and Brody got plain tuckered out from all of the festivities.
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| The Nativity Story and the Real Mary |
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| Mary and the Pain of Serving God |
Dec 1, 2006 |
| The Real Mary in Two Genres |
Nov 30, 2006 |
| Unintended Lessons from Ted Haggard |
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| Pastoral Expectations and Pastoral Pressure: Suggestions for Churches |
Nov 29, 2006 |
| Pastoral Expectations and Pastoral Pressure: Suggestions for Churches |
Nov 28, 2006 |
| Pastoral Expectations and Pastoral Pressure: Suggestions for Churches |
Nov 27, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Inspiration from Psalm 2 |
Nov 26, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
The Nativity Story is Here!
The Nativity Story will be released in theatres on Friday, December 1. This is a beautiful film, true to the biblical story yet creatively embroidered. I can't think of a better way to begin our preparations for Christmas than by seeing this fine film. For my review of the movie, click here. |
Don't Miss The Real Mary
The Real Mary, by Scot McKnight, is a winner. This is popular scholarship at its best, with a focus on Mary as she is revealed in Scripture. Both fascinating and moving. Don't miss it! |
| My Nativity Scene |
One of my favorite things about Advent and Christmas is putting up my nativity scene on my roof. The figures in this crèche are about one-half life-sized. It takes me about three hours to put this up every year . . . one of my beloved Advent traditions.
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| The Nativity Story and the Real Mary |
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| The Nativity Story: Foreshadowings |
Dec 8, 2006 |
| The Nativity Story: Did It Really Happen That Way? (Section D) |
Dec 7, 2006 |
| The Nativity Story: Did It Really Happen That Way? (Section C) |
Dec 6, 2006 |
| The Nativity Story: Did It Really Happen That Way? (Section B) |
Dec 5, 2006 |
| The Nativity Story: Did It Really Happen That Way? |
Dec 4, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Advent inspiration from The Daily Psalm. |
Dec 3, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
The Apostle Paul's Burial Place
Apparently, scholars have indentified the actual burial place of the Apostle Paul. I'm not quite convinced, but this isn't a crazy hoax either. |
Reviews of The Nativity Story
Two top-notch New Testament scholars have written reviews of The Nativity Story. Check out the fascinating insights by Ben Witherington and Marc Goodacre. |
President of Fuller Seminary Starts a Blog
Dr. Richard Mouw is the president of Fuller Theological Seminary. Apart from being brilliant, he's also a fine human being. Now he's a blogger! This is a great addition to the blogosphere. So far he only has one post, which is well worth reading. I'm looking forward to what lies ahead. (HT: Smart Christian) |
| Lighting the First Candle |
A family in my church leads us in the lighting of the first candle of the Advent wreath.
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| Christmas According to Dickens (2006) |
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| The Real Business of Christmas |
Dec 15, 2006 |
| The Man Who Invented Christmas |
Dec 14, 2006 |
| My Favorite Book |
Dec 13, 2006 |
| Advent and the Christian Year (2006) |
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| Advent F.A.Q. |
Dec 12, 2006 |
| Why I Am an Adventophile |
Dec 11, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Advent inspiration from The Daily Psalm. |
Dec 10, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Harvard Divinity School Stole My Christmas, But It Didn't Work
A curious piece by J. Grant Swank, Jr., on his experiences at Harvard Divinity School, where I spent a good bit of my time while in grad school. (HT: Claude Mariottini) |
| Autumn Where? |
This picture is not of a street in New England, or in the northern states of the Midwest. No. This is a street in Southern California. I snapped this picture a few days ago in San Marino, a small city right next to Pasadena. Now, admittedly this isn't really a winter scene. But, let's face it, winter doesn't come officially for a few more days. So don't let anybody tell you that California has no seasons! |
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| Miscellany |
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| Rocky Balboa: Another Fine Movie for Christmas |
Dec 22, 2006 |
| Christmas According to Dickens (2006) |
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| Why Did Ebenezer Scrooge Change? Stave 2 |
Dec 21, 2006 |
| Why Did Ebenezer Scrooge Change? Stave 1 |
Dec 20, 2006 |
| What Made Scrooge Scrooge? |
Dec 19, 2006 |
| The First Ebenezer Scrooge |
Dec 18, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Advent inspiration from The Daily Psalm. |
Dec 17, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Ben Witherington on Rocky Balboa
As always, Ben's comments on pop culture are well worth reading. He is also responsible for my knowledge of the next entry. Thanks, Ben. |
Christianity Today Interviews Rocky . . . Well, Sylvester Stallone
This is a fascinating interview. I had no idea that Stallone was so open about his Christian faith. There were a number of curiously pro-Christian bits in Rocky Balboa. And, for those of you old enough to remember, you may recall that the very first scene in the very first Rocky movie is a painting of Jesus. |
"YouWorld" by Douglas Groothuis
A bit of poetry by philosopher Douglas Groothuis, in response to the TIME announcement that YOU are the person of the year. (Yes, YOU. And ME too. And YOU, and YOU, and YOU.) |
| Nativity Set |
There are certainly all different kinds of Nativity sets. This one, with figures about one-half life-sized, reminds me of the ones loved when I was a child. My son is less impressed. He thinks one of the shepherds looks like a character from Planet of the Apes, and that the servant tending the camel looks like Curious George. Oh well . . . . |
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| Christmas According to Dickens (2006) |
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| Why Did Ebenezer Scrooge Change? Stave 4 |
Dec 29, 2006 |
| Why Did Ebenezer Scrooge Change? Stave 3 (Section B) |
Dec 28, 2006 |
| Why Did Ebenezer Scrooge Change? Stave 3 (Section A) |
Dec 27, 2006 |
| Christmas Inspiration |
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| Christmas inspiration from The Daily Psalm. |
Dec 26, 2006 |
| Christmas inspiration from The Daily Psalm. |
Dec 25, 2006 |
| Sunday Inspiration |
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| Advent inspiration from The Daily Psalm. |
Dec 24, 2006 |
| Posts by Other Bloggers, News Items, etc. |
Christianity Today's Top Ten Blog Posts for the Year
A fascinating and controversial collection of blog posts on the Christianity Today Out of Ur blog. |
Dan Kimball on The Emerging Church
Dan Kimball, one of the leaders of the emerging church, replies to criticism from a prominent Christian leader. |
What is the Emerging Church? (PDF)
If you're not familiar with the emerging church, here is a fine introduction. It's not a quick or easy read, but it's well worth the effort. |
| Big Christmas Lights |
I have a soft spot for the traditional outdoor Christmas lights (above), you know, the large lights colored red, blue, green, orange, and white. So when I found oversized traditional-shaped lights on sale, I just had to buy a bunch for my front yard. |
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