Gender-Accurate Bible's Release Triggers Renewed Debate

Theologian J.I. Packer, James Dobson of Focus on the Family, and SBC seminary presidents R. Albert Mohler Jr. and Paige Patterson, were just a few of the religious leaders who argued vociferously against the new NIV revision.

So glad to see that Dobson has decided to throw his weight around on this issue! Not! Why James, why? Let the Bible scholars discuss this! The sad thing is Dobson has a huge platform for shaping opinion whereas the informed Bible scholars do not.

This issue is so frustrating that I don't even know were to begin commenting.

I think Dr. Craig Blomberg in his endorsement of the new translation puts it best,

The TNIV avoids the overly free translation of certain texts that previous gender-inclusive translations have included, while rendering gender-inclusive uses of "man," "he," "brothers," and the like with appropriate, contemporary English exactly corresponding to the meaning of the original Greek or Hebrew. Not to do this leaves a Bible that increasingly misleads the modern reader; as the father of two daughters I know first hand how this works!

ononion: Artwork by Jack Chick...

Great spoof! What if we are wrong? ;)

QuestionsAboutGod - Freethought Media Library

I think its a good idea to read what people who are hostile to the idea of God and the church think. Here's a list of questions. How would you answer these? Would you try?

Family Scuffles, Pastor Says Jeans a Demon

'You're not wearing pants in my church, you demon'

This is ridiculous.

Homosexuality and the Bible

...without proper knowledge of the original language and context of biblical content, these passages can easily be taken to mean something quite different than was originally intended

Sorry Derek, I'm not convinced. At the very least the Bible is negative toward homosexuality and at the very most the Bible labels it a behavior that is outside of righteous behavior (sin).

The real problem I have with contemporary evangelicalism is the making of one's view and treatment of homosexuality an issue of orthodoxy.

Yet to single out one sin among many as a test for orthodoxy seems strange to me. What if we singled out gossip or gluttony as the litmus test? So much for church potlucks!

I still believe the acting out of homosexual desires is sin. But so is acting out heterosexual desires with someone other then a spouse.

Obviously the real difference is that a homosexual person then has no legitimate arena in which to act upon their desire. But is this all that unique? I would say no. Does an alcoholic have a legitimate arena? Does a single heterosexual? People experience all sorts of desires which cannot and should not be acted upon. There is always something restraining us be it culture, morals, religion, or others.

Isn't that what being finite is about...limitation? There is only one who is infinite, without limit, and last I checked you and I are not that one.

That being said, I don't think God has it out especially for homosexuals. I don't think God is out to get anyone. Actually, come to think of it, God is out to get us just not in the negative sense of that phrase. God is out to get us, to reconcile us to himself through the person of Jesus Christ. The infinite pursuing the finite. Unlimited grace to the limited.

I don't have all of this figured out, I just know that I am limited, finite, sinful and in desperate need of an infinite, unlimited, perfect God to help me, redeem me, rescue me, love me.

Westboro Baptist Church FAQ : On the tsunami

Please keep your mouth shut! Sadly this is just more fodder for those opposed to Christianity and belief in God. Can you blame them?

This is the end result of Calvinism applied to situations without any pastoral heart! Is it even possible to apply Calvinism with a pastoral heart?

Beware of 'Free' Services

I have concerns about blogging companies as well. For example, who really owns the content and can a blog be easily moved from one provider to another? Not a huge deal, but if your private blog suddenly becomes public because some vendor screws up or the company suddenly fails and you can't get your content back, then you'd have a problem.

Interesting thoughts. Though I'm not terribly concerned about this, it is a good question. Especially for many of those power bloggers out there.

Lately, my blog has been pretty lame. Mostly links to other articles with very little comment or original thought. Hopefully, I will find the time and discipline to change this in the coming weeks. But if I start writing some really good stuff (and that's a big IF) who really owns the content? Now that's a question worth asking!

Small churches take up pastor-sharing tradition to stay alive

On yoked congregations...

Pastor Dies While Preaching About Going To Heaven

Wow! It'd make a great object lesson!

Atheist's turn toward God was a 4-year process, friend says

'Three weeks ago I received a letter from him where he said that he was rereading my arguments for the resurrection and was very impressed with them,' he said.

Despite his interest in the resurrection, however, Flew remains far from belief in Christianity, Habermas said.

Perhaps you have heard about Antony Flew's change of heart and mind in the existence of a God. Here's an article with a little more insight into his journey from atheism to deism.

The obstacle of legalism

I have been amazed at the amount of legalism that I find in rural America churches. In fact, some of the largest churches that I have seen are very legalistic (at least from my perspective). My feeling is that many of these churches would really struggle in an urban context.

Here is a good article discussing the dangers of legalism. Sadly, it appears to me to be right on the mark.

Tsunami: Map of Destruction

Powerful.

Apple - Mac mini

It's time for me to switch back to Mac. I used Macs for years and loved them. Since I have switched to PC's several years ago, I have grown rather frustrated with how much they crash.

Declining Southern Baptist Churches

More signs of the changing culture.

Telegraph | News | Science's scourge of believers declares his faith in Darwin

'I believe, but I cannot prove, that all life, all intelligence, all creativity and all 'design' anywhere in the universe is the direct or indirect product of Darwinian natural selection,' said Prof Dawkins in the responses published yesterday on www.edge.org.

That, of course, means that there is no need for a god to design the universe: 'It follows that design comes late in the universe, after a period of Darwinian evolution. Design cannot precede evolution and therefore cannot underlie the universe.'

The Partial Observer - Post-Christmas Reflections on a World Deprived of Joy

From silent night to deafening roar
as waves of terror washed ashore.
The product of a monstrous quake
left countless lifeless in its wake.

Powerful poem from Greg Asimakoupoulos

Edge : What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?

Check out this fascinating article with 120 contributors.

Church Websites

As the American public becomes more and more reliant on technology in everyday life, they will logically expect churches to have things such as website, streaming audio or video on the site, or study materials on video or computer software

Even these little churches out in the sticks? I sure hope so! One of the biggest problems I have out here is communication. Many have email but very few check it regularly. I am convinced that very few people here out in the sticks actually use email for business.

MSNBC - Countless Souls Cry Out to God

Great article looking at how the different religions in the area hit by the tsunami seek to make sense of this tragedy through their faith.

Though I am sure this article grossly oversimplifies all of the faith responses, a tragedy of this magnitude makes open theism more and more appealing to me.

If you are interested in studying open theism read God at War or God of the Possible. I know not everyone will agree with open theism and many may even see it as a heresy. Yet in the face of such tragedy Calvinism is downright cruel. As one of my professors put it (whose a Calvinist) Calvinism works in the classroom but not as a pastor.

I say if it doesn't work pastorally it doesn't work at all!

NT Wright on the tsunami

People today assume that a 'religious' view of life must address 'the problem of evil', the toughest part of which is so-called 'natural evil'. Evil isn't as bad as it seems, say some; or it's all someone's fault (or, with natural evil, Satan's fault); or it offers a chance for greater moral virtue (courage, and so on). One major tsunami does to theories like that what it does to buildings and people: it crushes them to matchwood.

This reminds me of Greg Boyd's discussion of the problem of evil in God at War. Our theories and explanations work well as long as evil is abstract. As soon as we wrestle with concrete evil it's a whole new ball game.

The Student Tablet PC: Mind Mapping Overview

Here's a great article on mind mapping and links to the software I use for this activity. As I have mentioned elsewhere in my blog, I use mind maps for my preaching. I haven't posted one in a long time but mind mapping is now my sermon preparation method of choice. It is a great tool and Mind Manager is a great program!

Infinite Church: Live Virtual Worship and Christian Chat

New virtual church. Not enough time for me to check out today. Thought I'd pass the link along.

Monday Morning Insight Weblog: Starting 2005 with a Healthy Attitude

Very cool article on a small church giving to a megachurch! Now if I can convince my elders to give away one of our Sunday morning collects! :)

I'm back!!!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks as my computer has been down for the better part of two weeks! Technology...a blessing and a curse.

I'm up and running now and I hope to be better about writing.

We will miss you Ken...

We will miss you Ken. A good friend of mine entered heaven a few days before Christmas. Ken was a wonderful man who loved God and people. I had the priviledge of working with Ken for a year at Faith Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Colorado.

It is still hard to believe he is gone. Ken fought cancer for 6 years. It is times like these that I am so thankful for the hope of the resurrection through Jesus Christ! My heavenly deposits keep growing. 

Moore not the same after Bertuzzi hit

This attack had nothing to do with hockey,'' Danson said. ``The puck was nowhere near Mr. Bertuzzi or Mr. Moore. And so what happened in this case is what they promised, to do serious injury to Mr. Moore -- and they did. And the result is a $500 fine and community service.