January 2008
24 posts
Atheism and Violence
“Given these hopelessly confused and superficial arguments, it’s hard to take the new atheism seriously. Nietzsche was surely right when he said that serious Christians would come to appreciate his witness. But who can take seriously these recent tub-thumping accusations that believers are the sole source of violence, all coming from writers who themselves advocate violence in their next...
“I daresay such linguistic tastes, with due allowance for school-overlay, are as...”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, in a letter to W. H. Auden on his love of languages (especially Finnish)
Karl Barth, donkey
With horror I read [a] statement that I was the greatest theologian of the century. That really terrified me… . What does the term ‘greatest theologian’ actually mean? … As a theologian one can never be great, but at best one remains small in one’s own way… . Let me again remind you of the donkey I referred to [earlier]. A real donkey is mentioned in the Bible, or more specifically an...
Wee Frees told to 'cheer up' by own magazine -... →
Scottish Calvinists told to lighten up by a Free Church pastor.
Common Errors in English →
“Eg varð undan
Og nú hvíli hér
Með beyglað der
Og sáttur halla nú höfði hér”
– (I was first And now rest here With a folded cap And now loll my head here, content) “Heysátan”, Sigur Rós (translation via alwaysontherun.net)
Relating Form to Content by Symbolic Means:...
Most theology books are published in a very pragmatic way, with very little attention paid to materials, design and typography. I am happy to report having discovered one set of books that is clearly different, and which even spend an entire page in each volume explaining their design choices. Fortress Press in Philadelphia publishes the Hermeneia series of commentaries on Christian texts, and...
Currently Watching (in class!)...
“How can you tell that she is made of wood?” “Build a bridge out of her!” … “So, logically…” “if she weighs the same as a duck…” “She’s made of wood…” “And therefore?” “…A witch!” This is going to be a great class.
“When we become believers, it’s as if we have signed up to be part of...”
– OK, this is *NOT* what I need to hear from a Christian minister, much less a presidential candidate. Huckabee Steps Back Into the Pulpit at Evangelical Church in N.H.
“Bog standard evangelicalism: I love it; I owe almost everything to it; and I am...”
– Carl Trueman on Reformation21 »
Classic Cat - the free classical music directory →
Europeans chafe under New Year 'nanny state' laws →
“The only real belief in the incarnation is not assent, but living faith.”
– P.T. Forsyth, Word and World
Not Good, Nor Great, but Forgiven
“Some pastors, mightily endowed by God, are a remarkable gift to the church. They love their people, they handle Scripture well, they see many conversions, their ministries span generations, they understand their culture yet refuse to be domesticated by it, they are theologically robust and personally disciplined. … Most of us, however, serve in more modest patches. Most pastors will...
I couldn't help thinking: 'Bring back God!'
“The reduction of man to an eco-janitor, a being who creates waste and thus must clear it up, is more than a cynical attempt by isolated Christian leaders to connect with the public. Yes, Williams, Owen, the Holy See and Co. no doubt hope and believe (mistakenly, I’m sure) that adopting trendy Greenspeak will entice people to return to the church. But the move from focusing on love for God...
