Evil is Alive and Well
July 21st, 2008
Seeing Things is the title of the most recent album released by Jakob Dylan, the son of Bob Dylan. It is an album that will make his father proud. Dylan is the lead singer of the Grammy-winning band The Wallflowers. Seeing Things is a solo effort by Jakob, and a magnificent one at that, at least in my opinion.
The opening song, “Evil is Alive and Well,” gets your attention (hear a sample by clicking the widget below):
Does the Restoration Movement Matter?
July 15th, 2008
Several weeks ago, my son Brian and I were asked by Mark Taylor, editor of Christian Standard to reflect on the general question “Does the Restoration Movement Matter?” by answering six questions. It was a challenging assignment, in part, because each of us had only 1000 words to answer all six questions. You may be interested in our responses.
When the Teacher Becomes the Student
July 7th, 2008
It is Sunday night, 6 July 2008, and I cannot sleep. It is not because I am restless but it is because of an overwhelming sense of joy that washed over me a few minutes ago.
For the last fifteen years I have had the privilege of teaching for TCM International at Haus Edelweiss in Heiligenkdreuz, Austria. TCM is the finest parachurch ministry I know of, period. It has a clear mission that is biblically and theologically based, relevant for ministry, and culturally relevant. The staff, faculty, and administration are some of the finest servants of Jesus I have ever met. But I do not keep returning because of the mission or those servant-leaders. No, I return because of the students. They are some of the finest I have ever met. Let me tell you what happened on Thursday of this week…
Jesus: A Savior Dressed in Red, White and Blue?
June 30th, 2008
I just saw an advertisement of a new book released by InterVarsity Press, Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to the Passion of the Christ by Stephen J. Nichols. How Jesus has been perceived throughout American history is its focus. I am looking forward to reading it.
As I reflected on the title and as we celebrate our independence, I must remind myself that Jesus is not a Savior dressed in red, white and blue.
Two Relatively New Books
June 23rd, 2008
Years ago when I began my teaching ministry I made a promise to myself and a public one to my students that I would do my best to keep myself fresh over the years by continuing to read new books and articles and revise syllabi and class notes. (Surely you recall the professor who was using the same set of lecture notes thirty years later as well as the same textbooks!)
The two, new readings and new editions of syllabi, go hand-in-hand. The former feed the latter. In recent months two important resources have come to my attention, and they will impact the syllabus I will be posting for my Fall class on Revelation.
The Link Between Dispensationalists and Astrologists
June 9th, 2008
By the time you read this the United Astrology Conference will have met in Denver and will have offered their prediction on who will be the presidential winner in November. They were to have made their choice by Tuesday, May 20. I don’t know who they will pick nor do I care.*Â
It appears that an integral component to predicting who will be the next President is the candidates’ exact birth times. Hmmm. They "know" that Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, at 7:11 p.m. (Yet other astrologers give other birth times for Obama.) As in the past when it comes to disclosing information in a timely fashion, Hillary Clinton is not sharing the exact time of her birth. And Senator McCain has changed his known birth time by at least two hours, wrecking havoc with predictions on his presidential aspirations. (Supposedly his birth time was embedded like a gold nugget in a Mother’s Day campaign ad where his mother mentioned that her son was born August 29, 1936, at 11 a.m.) I have read that birth data are rated for accuracy and shared among astrologers through a variety of Web sites.
Interpreting Photography and Interpreting Revelation
June 6th, 2008
Photo by Robert Frank in Newsweek
I like to read books on photography, and not just those dealing with the mechanics of taking pictures but especially those focusing on the philosophy of photography. In the June 2, 2008 issue of Newsweek, an article by Malcolm Jones entitled "A Terrible Beauty" accompanied by a black and white photograph caught my attention. The piece introduced me to the work of a little-known Swiss emigrant named Robert Frank. His landmark photography book The Americans turns 50 this year.
Jones informs the reader that when the book of photographs was first published, it was overlooked, selling only 600 copies its first year. But time has proved its important contribution and influence. The book was released at the height of the cold war. Americans were worried about the bomb and juvenile delinquency. The civil rights movement was in its infancy. Prosperity abounded. Describing the work "like a slap in the face," Jones tells us that there are only a couple of smiling faces in the whole book. More often than not, people are distracted, suspicious, angry. The picture accompanying the article is of "a New Orleans streetcar, with white people up front and African-Americans in the back" and captured the nation’s racial divide. (As I looked at the picture, I pondered it in light of the coming election; the scene is still relevant.)
My Reading Plans for the Summer
June 3rd, 2008
Well before the second semester ends I begin making up a list of books I want to read during the summer, Lord willing.
I know that I am still in the opening chapter of what the digital revolution will produce in the next few years and its impact on my writing and reading. As a general rule, the Internet appeals to a different kind of reader. When I wrote my book I envisioned the majority of my readers purchasing it, sitting back in their favorite La-Z-Boy chair, adjusting the light, pen and paper in hand, and spending several hours devouring its contents by looking up the hundreds of Scriptures I cite. But I also wanted to reach those readers who would read it on the laptop computers; hence the book was published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems out of Bellingham, Washington.
Revelation and Jigsaw Puzzles
May 26th, 2008
Last night I met with a very dear friend, a person I have known for more than thirty years. She was in despair because of a family matter and she wanted to share with me some decisions she and her husband had made as well as spend time with me reflecting on a member of the family who is wrestling with many issues on many levels–physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological. Tears were shed along with laughter as we reflected on how God constantly surprises us with his acts of grace.
I shared with her a portion of a jigsaw puzzle I recently received. Know this: I hate jigsaw puzzles; I do not have the patience to work on them and I only put some together with my grandchildren because the puzzles have no more than twenty-five pieces. Any more pieces, and I would have an anxiety attack.
The Briefest of All Postings Yet
May 19th, 2008
The only way to follow Jesus is by living in the world.
Keep this in mind the next time you read through Revelation, or, for that matter, any book of the Bible.
