Today is World Down Syndrome Day. The date of 3/21 refers to the third copy of the twenty-first chromosome that causes Down Syndrome. People with Down Syndrome are often stereotyped in ways that devalue them as human beings. This is not a properly Christian approach, since from a Christian perspective a disability does not devalue or…

I don’t believe that the decline of the church is God’s will. I’m glad to say that I work for an institution that is taking seriously the need for church renewal in the U.S., Western Europe, and other places. This year on March 27th and 28th we’re launching the first in what we plan to…

Friendship Ministries is dedicated to ministry with people with intellectual disabilities. I recently reviewed a curriculum on the Psalms that they developed, and I think it is an excellent resource. It is very thorough and employs a variety of teaching methods to reach people across a spectrum of intellectual abilities and learning styles. To learn more…

Sure, John Dominic Crossan is an interesting figure. He is an engaging and very personable individual. His scholarship has been extremely provocative and influential. While I disagree with many of his conclusions, I’ve benefited from reading his work. But why is it that CNN has run a story on him for two days on the homepage…

Check out this CNN story that deals in part with Muslims protecting Christians during the protests in Cairo. This is a different angle on Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt, one that we rarely see in the U.S.

Got back in late last night. I heard a couple of our West Virginia travelers were hung up in New York overnight, but I haven’t heard anything else about flight complications. Overall, this has been a very, very good trip. The program of the Society for Biblical Studies isn’t just about tourism. It’s about getting…

Great day in Galilee yesterday: worship on the Sea of Galilee, then over to Capernaum, the Mount of the Beatitudes, the traditional site of Peter’s house, and the River Jordan. Late in the day we made our way down to the Dead Sea because a couple of people wanted to float. Today we’re going to Tent…

We left Bethlehem this morning and went to Qumran. After seeing the sights there for a little while we had lunch in Jericho. Jericho is the lowest city on earth, and perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth. And they make good falafel. After lunch we made our way up into Galilee and finally…

Today we went to an Israeli settlement where we met with two rabbis who spoke with us about Zionism and the function of settlements within it. Their presentations were rather different, as one seemed much more militant than the other. From the settlement we went immediately to a Palestinian refugee camp in Hebron. We spoke with…