Unwitting Support to the Enemy?
In her book Unprotected Texts: The Bible's Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire, Jennifer Knust assumes that because the patriarch Judah committed immorality with a woman he supposed to be a prostitute, the Bible takes an ambiguous stance toward prostitution. "Hey, it's not that big a deal—even in the Bible. Why are Christians so bent out of shape about sexual morality?" That's her argument.* Likewise, the cover of some free-thinker magazine (Free Inquiry maybe?) I saw years ago had...
Review: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond My rating: 3 of 5 stars In short, Europe’s colonization of Africa had nothing to do with differences between European and African peoples themselves, as white racists assume. Rather, it was due to accidents of geography and biogeography—in particular, to the continents’ different areas, axes, and suites of wild plant and animal species. That is, the different historical trajectories of Africa and Europe stem ultimately from...
Greenville-Area BibleWorks Seminar
I will be putting on an area-wide BibleWorks seminar at Morningside Baptist Church. There will be two sessions: Beginner-Intermediate (Feb 11, 9:30 am–12:00 pm) Gain a solid understanding of how to use BibleWorks in real-life exegesis and sermon prep. I assume you know nothing and then give you all the skills you need to use BibleWorks daily. Advanced (Feb 18, 9:30 am–11 am) + Logos 4 Crash Course (11 am – 12 pm) We'll cover all the advanced features of BibleWorks, including the textual...
Uncharacteristic (?) But Genuine Gushing
Jim Berg is one of my favorite preachers in the world. Of course, there are many preachers I benefit from. "All are yours," Paul said (1 Cor 3:22)—Piper, Packer, the Puritans—and the Internet has made them all readily available for my benefit. Praise God! But providentially, I have a pastor. And a long-time Sunday School teacher. And a former Dean at the institution where I work (that's Berg). These, my top three favorite preachers in the world if anyone's counting, are God's special gifts to...
Funny Quote on Technology Guaranteed to Make You Laugh or Your Money Back (If You Do Laugh, Would You Consider Giving Me Some Money?)
From John Dyer's From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology : When it comes to technology, each generation sees the issue from a slightly different perspective. Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, once grouped technology into three categories. First, “everything that’s already in the world when you’re born is just normal.” Then, “anything that gets invented between then and before you turn thirty is incredibly exciting and creative and...