“Your love never fails. It never gives up. It never runs out on me.”* I stood, watching a gym full of hundreds of college students, singing these words of praise and truth. Arms-raised, dancing, clapping, and shouting – I admired their passion. The pulsing drums, the rocking guitars, the melodic keyboard, and the passionate vocals all came together to celebrate God’s relentless love. I joined them in singing these words, and I remembered sitting in...
“What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best, power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what we must see as we move on.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from “Where do We Go From Here?” Delivered at the 11th Annual SCLC Convention, August 16th, 1967
Nothing gets me giddy like going to an academic conference. For those who are involved in the academic study of the bible/theology/religion like myself, the big event – “conference time” – takes place in mid-November with the annual meetings of ETS/IBR/SBL/AAR. It is always a blast to present and listen to papers, meet new people, connect with old friends, and do a bit of traveling too. But it’s this last part – traveling – that can make...
On a recent visit to Reality San Francisco, I couldn’t help but feel that a large movement had begun throughout their community. Though there was over a thousand people in attendance, it was easy to feel the small community within the Mission District Middle School that Sunday morning. Usually Reality SF holds more services, but in January they are trying “slow church” – one service, the whole body, and lots of good vibes. As I...
Last week, Bryan wrote an article entitled, I’m (Kinda Sorta Yeah Not Really) Gay. As you might imagine, the post got a lot of attention: good, bad, and ugly. There were many who offered words of affirmation and encouragement, but along with these came comments with a totally different emphasis. The most common and fundamental objection that many readers had towards the post was that “being gay isn’t wrong.” In addition, the most emotional responses...
Last week Mumford & Sons released their new album, Babel. It’s a great album. Not as great as Sigh no More, but I like it holistically. In many ways, this new album follows the strengths of the previous album, especially in utilizing the crescendo effect (though it is a bit predictable). The most intriguing aspect of the album is — once again — the odd association of biblical imagery alongside swear words. I’d like to start my review with...
This week I’m in Amsterdam for the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. Yes, that’s right, a Bible conference in Amsterdam. I can already say that this city is one of my favorites. It is absolutely wonderful. The canals and architecture are picturesque and make me wish I intended to stay longer. Of course, there are some sketchy bits to Amsterdam as well. The infamous “Coffee Shops” house copious amounts of weed that can...
Last week the Christian rap-metal band P.O.D. (Payable on Death) came out with their eighth album, Murdered Love. When I first heard that P.O.D. was releasing a new album I was quite excited. There was a time when P.O.D. was my all-time favorite band. Indeed, they functioned like a doorway for me into the world of metal (which has since become my favorite musical genre). I can remember the first time I was ever introduced to...
As I have grown older I believe I am able to better discern situations, and make a decisions based on what God’s will is for my life. Many people call this a “conscience”… or maybe just common sense. Some people say that they just do what “feels right”, and all of these things describe this feeling I have when I know that something is wrong or right in the eyes of the Lord. I made...
Last week I talked about advertising and evangelism. As a related issue, I also want to discuss the way in which Christians do Apologetics. How far can Apologetics take us? Do we assume that someone can be argued into the Kingdom? Is the goal of Apologetics merely to convince? Is being convinced the same as exercising faith? These are some of my general questions about the efficacy of Apologetics as a whole. Personally, I chose...
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