What do you do with a Bible you no longer want? I have a lot of these. Some are odd translations that I never use. If I am interested in what these might say, there are apps for that. Some Bibles are duplicates. How many NIVs does a person need?…
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How harmful is your Bible?
“This book should come with a warning label,” Allen Callahan says of the Bible. In my interview with Allen (which will post this Thursday) we covered, as we always do, “who has been a ‘great Bible teacher’ in your life?” For Allen, it was a professor who was himself taught…
My pastor responds to my previous blog post
I feel a little guilty Having been a pastor myself, I know how difficult a job that is. It is even more difficult in a divisive election year. Then add a heavy layer of pandemic on top of all that. It’s rough. So, I’ve been feeling a little guilty this…
The Hostility Toward Bible Study Teachers
Something’s wrong Bible study for adults gets a lot of knocks. Here are some I’ve heard recently: It’s boring. It’s irrelevant. It’s a clique. I can’t say that those criticisms are unjustified. Some teachers find ways to make “The joy of the Lord is my strength” bland. Some teachers take…
Am I a Bully in Denial?
A man unsubscribed from my mailing list last week. He left a note that confused me. I am trying to build my mailing list. When a person opts out, I can usually guess the reason. Reason 1: I Disagree Not everyone agrees with my comments or the insights of those…
What Jesus told me about BLM
All the children I don’t know what song children are learning in church these days, but I do remember a standard when I was going up. “Jesus loves the little children/ All the children of the world/ Red, and yellow, black, and white/ All are precious in his sight/ Jesus…
It’s going to be alright
My problem with John’s Revelation This week, I led the sixth of seven Bible studies on the book of Revelation. It featured Revelation chapters 17-19 – the Whore of Babylon, the great Beast, the fall of Babylon, the celebration in Heaven (and marriage feast of the Lamb), the Rider on…
Three Lists I Challenge You to Create
These days, I am seeing a lot of lists related to racism. “10 things to watch to educate yourself about systemic racism.” “Seven books you must read.” And even, “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.” I am finding most of these lists helpful. Marilyn McEntyre (I posted…
Why You May Never Understand Revelation
I hope you never get the book of Revelation. The only people who truly “get” that book of the Bible are the enslaved or dominated or persecuted – or all three. This is what I am learning as I am studying to lead my church in a series through the…
An Interview with Lewis Brogdon
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed. Before we knew of his death, but earlier that same day, Lewis Brogdon spoke to me about the need for Christians to listen to minorities and to their insights into the Scripture. He notes that the Gospel of Luke, in particular, points…
