July 4, 2016 As readers of this journal may know, I am writing a book on how to read and interpret the Bible. So, I’m thinking a lot these days about hermeneutical matters. Yesterday provided me with a shock that somehow has to find its way into the book. My Sunday School class is studying … More Why I Hate the New International Version of the Bible
July 1, 2016 In my journal entry of June 28, I discussed Galileo’s notion of the two books, viz., the Bible and the book of Nature. Galileo’s goal was to prevent theological and ecclesiastical inference in scientific research. Pictured: Scientists at work, happily free from ecclesiastical interference To achieve his goal, Galileo limited the … More Galileo: The Man Who Made the Bible Safe for Science (continued)
June 28, 2016 Back at work after a hiatus occupied with grading and other necessary tasks. In March I gave a short presentation at the Wesleyan Philosophical Society. In it I talked about the way in which my church (the Church of the Nazarene) and many other Christians have enthusiastically embraced a view of the … More Galileo–The Man who Made The Bible Safe for Science
Terrie and I last night went to see Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Romeo and Juliet. One of the striking things about dance, when done well, is how effortless it seems. We all know that dance requires a lot of effort, but when professional dancers perform, they seem to float above the floor. Unlike the clumsy rest of … More Dance, a Metaphor for Lent
The Christian faith affirms the reality of progressive revelation; without it, the New Testament would be, not new, but only a different version of the Old Testament. For Christians, the New Testament bears witness to a revelation that is more complete than what we find in the Old Testament. And even in the New Testament … More Progressive Revelation
Terrie and I attended the San Diego Ballet’s “Evening of Jazz and Dance” yesterday. It’s always inspiring to see people doing creative things excellently, like young people with fluid and sinuous movements. But since I’m a theologian, my thoughts inevitably turn to theology. During the performance, it occurred to me that there is an important … More God and Dance
Knowing who is and who isn’t a member of the holy people can be difficult to determine. … More A Few Observations about Holiness
A Chart Explaining Biblical Prophecy and Its Fulfillment I have taught the same adult Sunday School class for more than ten years. From time to time we have studied the Bible’s prophetic writings. I remember distinctly when we studied the Old Testament’s minor prophets. A recurring experience of the members of the class was exasperation … More Three theses on biblical prophecy
Two nights ago Terrie and I heard a presentation of Modeste Mussorgsky’s “Pictures from an Exhibition” by the San Diego Symphony. (Here’s a Youtube link to a performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN2j-5ZB3ZQ). The piece itself was well worth the price of admission. It’s very stirring and uses the full range of an orchestra’s resources. But what was especially … More “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Theology
We still have a highly conservative, rural Evangelical voice that is inflexible in its politics and fearful of urbanites, immigrants, and everything else that is different from traditional rural culture. … More Prohibition and Apocalyptic Politics
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