In 1963, Time magazine published a short article about the retirement of the theologian and professor Karl Barth.
A View from the Pew: Home Bible Studies
August 30, 2023 by
I’ve recently been a part of discussions on taking a new approach toward inviting people to and engaging them in our church—Bible study as outreach.
Formations 11.20.2022: Giving the Sense
November 13, 2022 by
When I was a pastor in Indiana, I met a woman who had been traumatized by the Bible—or more accurately, by the way the people in her life had handled the Bible.
The Bible as a Mirror and a Window
July 13, 2022 by
God doesn’t save us by the completeness of our knowledge but rather by our faithfulness to what we do know and our openness to the possibility of learning more. This, I think, is what Jesus meant when he said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.”
Assumptions about the Word of God
June 28, 2022 by
At the end of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 film The Ten Commandments, Moses and the future leaders of Israel stand on Mt. Nebo surveying the promised land.
A View from the Pew: Bible Totin’
January 26, 2022 by
In more ways than I care to count, I am old-fashioned. Add to that growing list my habit of carrying my Bible to church.
In Silence
January 2, 2019 by
That Matthew includes five women on his list is remarkable. Jewish genealogies usually list men only, but Matthew mentions Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary by name. He doesn’t name the fifth woman, Bathsheba. He references her using her first husband’s name, the wife of Uriah (v. 6).
Formations 08.20.2017: Return Blessing for Evil
August 13, 2017 by
I have my parents’ bibles from when they were children, and they are more or less what you would expect—King James, leather bound, once gilded, and marked with standard features of childhood bibles. A blue sticker in the front flap of my mother’s bible shows Jesus’ name written in green block letters and arranged as a fish.
Asking Good Questions in Bible Study
March 14, 2017 by
Asking good questions communicates at least two things to learners. First, it says they are valued, that each person has valuable contributions to the group. Second, asking good questions says that the leader wants to hear what the learners think.
Uniform 11.29.2015: Teaching God’s Word
November 22, 2015 by
When Paul’s missionary partners Timothy and Silas arrived in Corinth, they found him “occupied with the word” (v. 5; NRSV supplies “proclaiming,” which is not in the Greek text). What was he doing with the word with which he was occupied?
Formations 11.08.2015: “My Feet Are a Big Fabric”
November 1, 2015 by
The Universal Translator is a staple of the Star Trek science fiction franchise. It is a device that instantly translates speech from one language to another, allowing Captain Kirk and his crew to communicate easily.
Formations 11.01.2015: Fragile Things
October 25, 2015 by
Think about strong, permanent things. What are they made of? How big are they? I think of stone structures that stand for centuries. When we want to build something that lasts forever, we consider materials even stronger than stone and wood.
You Are Where You Are
August 18, 2015 by
In last month’s Kaleidoscope post, I listed several presuppositions for approaching our study of the Bible as if we are looking through a kaleidoscope. This month I’d like to think about the first presupposition: each one of us stands in a unique place.
Kaleidoscope
July 22, 2015 by
Most of us probably had at least one kaleidoscope during our childhood and so we know what one looks like and what it does. It’s a tube with a lens at one end through which someone looks, telescope-style.
Context and Community
May 13, 2015 by
It was the summer of 1976; I had just finished my freshman year at Mercer University. I was serving as the Associate Pastor for a small Baptist church way out in the Georgia countryside.
A Bunch of Stories
February 3, 2015 by
“I don’t read that article by Ronnie McBrayer,” I heard a critic say not long ago; a critic who did not know I was within earshot. “He thinks the Bible is just a bunch of stories.”
Of Scripts and Improvisation
January 28, 2015 by
If you have ever watched a Christopher Guest-directed film you know what a treat the experience is. Waiting for Guffman is about a small-town community theater troupe the members of which think that a Broadway producer is going to attend their production.
Get Out of the House!
January 7, 2015 by
Last week we had a fire in our home. Our aged heat pump flashed out, blowing smoke throughout the house, tripping alarms and setting off smoke detectors. Thankfully, it turned out to be more of a minor inconvenience than a major disaster.
Songs of Innocence: Using Popular Music to Engage and Inform Youth Sunday School
September 10, 2014 by
On Tuesday, as almost an afterthought to its announcement of a new iPhone, the Irish rock band U2 dropped a surprise new album, Songs of Innocence. What is quite remarkable for a band with this sustained level of popularity is the fact that three-quarters of the band members are professed Christians.
What the Bible Means to Me – Daniel Vestal
February 26, 2014 by
I grew up with an almost reverential respect for the Bible, not really knowing why. One didn’t put another book on top of a Bible, and one never destroyed a Bible. It was the “Holy Bible.”