The fundamentalist reader and the modern biblical scholar using historico-critical methods are the obverse and reverse of the same coin. They are concerned with the Bible as fact, as real history; so the focus is on the truth behind the text, the exact reference of the words and narratives. Compared with early Christian interpretation, this…
Last year I was at a conference where Larry Randolph was one of the speakers, and he said something that I’ve been ruminating over ever since. He said that he was praying against revival in the United States. This seemed like a very odd statement from someone who is a part of a charismatic revival movement associated…
The older I get, the more grateful I am to have truth tellers in my life. These are people who care about me enough to disagree with me, show me my blind spots, and speak honestly, especially when it’s difficult. I don’t always enjoy hearing from truth tellers, and I can’t say that I always…
Domestic violence is a crime that often goes unreported. It thrives in secret. If we as Christians are going to address problems of domestic violence, we need first of all to arm ourselves with information. My friend and colleague Rev. Terry Heck has written an informative piece for the blog sponsored by United’s School for Discipleship…
On October 12, 2014, I asked Cynthia Astle not to republish my work going forward on UM Insight. I didn’t state this publicly because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I wasn’t looking for a fight or to criticize UM Insight publicly. I had actually not given this much thought…
How do we reckon with passages of the Bible that seem inconsistent with the way Christ wishes us to behave and think? In what ways does the Bible reflect the divine will, and in what ways does it bear the marks of fallen humanity? What are we to think when the Bible offers us two…
To understand one another, we at least have to attempt to model traits such as honesty, carefulness, rigor, and empathy. These are values I was taught in seminary and during my doctoral education. As an educator, I try to instill these intellectual virtues in my students. I value the free exchange of ideas, which is…
My last post was on forgiveness and reconciliation. Since then, I read an excellent article on this topic by Joy Moore in Good News. Unfortunately the article is not online, but if you have access to the print version I commend it to your reading. [Correction: It is online! You can access it here. Thanks, Beth…
Violence seems to be the order of the day in our country. Reports of shootings are ever more commonplace. We cast about for solutions, but none seems to be forthcoming. We ask for new laws, and laws can change behavior, but they cannot change hearts. Only Christ can change hearts, and he does this by…
Two of my friends from Cuba came to stay with my family and me for a week recently. While they were here, I was helping them to make contacts in this area to support their ministry. (And I am particularly grateful to Rev. Jon Ferguson and the good people of Stillwater UMC, the Evangelical Fellowship of…
Pursuing Jesus
These are the thoughts, prayers, stories, sermons, and devotions from a simple pastor. May you be blessed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as you read...
Musings and whatnot....
Finding the humor, beauty, and purpose in the mess of motherhood
Doctrine Matters
Just another WordPress.com weblog
Reflections from Jacob J. Prahlow
humor | musings | fiction
Just another WordPress.com site
work and prayer of a jesus follower
Who is my ideal reader? Well, ideal means non-existent. I have no notion of whom I’m writing for. Guy Davenport
'An arrow through the air' - Notes of a Methodist pastor
Holiness, Sustainability, and Tending Good Soil
two of us are tall and the other one of us is short and has Down syndrome
Comments on the New Testament and Early Christianity (and related matters)
David F. Watson 