How to Get Married
For real marriage advice, click here. For a silly throwaway post I wrote to get free software, keep reading: I’m two things, but for years my computer could only be one. I’m a biblical scholar in training, so I have needed my computer to run the expensive and powerful Windows software (BibleWorks, Logos) that I rely on for my studies and work. I’m also a graphic designer who never can seem to say no when asked to design a T-shirt or a friend's wedding invitation... For this work I needed the...
Snafusage
I admit it. Look it up. "Snafu" has a less-than-clean etymology. The other day, a nice middle-aged man heard me say, "Oops, I made a little snafu!" He later stopped me kindly in private and informed me about the word's etymology. "I was sure you wouldn't have used the word had you known where it came from!" he said. I didn't think it appropriate to reply with anything other than, "Oh! Ok!" And I haven't used it in his presence since. He really is a good man! But for the sake of biblical...
What in the World!
This is an excerpt from the latest What in the World! newsletter: What is the Catholic view of salvation? Not all Catholics agree. But Avery Dulles, a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church and a Jesuit professor of religion at a Catholic university, is as authoritative a voice as any but the pope. Dulles has this to say about how various people can be saved: “Catholics can be saved if they believe the Word of God as taught by the Church and if they obey the commandments. Other Christians can...
Erstwhile Immorality
I wish I could say that never in my life have I been guilty of disobeying God's will, my own sanctification. But I have indeed sinned many times. Eliot Spitzer, governor of New York state, has sinned, too. And he admitted it publicly today without back-pedaling or blaming someone else: “I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family and violates my or any sense of right or wrong,” said Mr. Spitzer, who appeared with his wife Silda at his Manhattan office. “I apologize first and...
Dissertation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
I spent about two hours Saturday looking at the dissertations at Bob Jones University's J. S. Mack Library. From 1947 to 2007—there were quite a number. My overwhelming feeling was that my own dissertation should not aim at significance! More than likely, it's going to end up on a dusty shelf in the back, read only by small rodents—furtively, late at night. I now agree even more with my favorite Greek teacher, Randy Leedy, and with my dean, Steve Hankins, who have warned Ph.D. students not to...