In the wake of The Passion of the Christ and the increased awareness of the events surrounding Jesus’ death I have seen several discussions about why Pilate showed surprise that Jesus died so quickly. These discussions are based on the gospel of Mark where we read: Now when evening had come, because it was the…
A Bit Late – I’m running a bit late this morning. I went to a Switchfoot concert last night and didn’t get back until pretty late (late for me, anyways). It was another great show, probably better than the first two times I saw them this year. There are some bands that play and put…
More About Newsweek – The Newsweek article about the Christian origins of Christmas is creating a lot of buzz among believers. James White has promised to discuss some of it in detail in upcoming Dividing Line broadcasts. Jason Engwer of New Testament Research Ministries has a good response which is worth reading. As James White…
Because I design Web sites, I often have to spend time combing through lists and lists of photographs looking for the one that will make a site look just right. There is an incredible variety of photos available out there. I generally try to stick with iStockphoto because their prices are so reasonable, but sometimes…
The Birth of Jesus – The current issue of Newsweek has a lengthy article about Jesus, subtitled From Mary to the manger, how the Gospels mix faith and history to tell the Christmas story and make the case for Christ. Among the interested tidbits in the article is this statement. “A NEWSWEEK Poll found that…
I think I’m an old-fashioned Christian. I believe in the Bible, that it is complete, sufficient, true and without error. It says what it means. I don’t expect God to speak to me apart from it. I’m not waiting for still, small voices in my head or trying desperately to find God in the circumstances…
‘Defending the Faith’ Conference – Answers in Genesis (AIG) is sponsoring the “Defending the Faith” winter conference at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The conference will be held from January 31 to February 2. Some of the speakers include Dr. D. James Kennedy, Joseph Pipa, R.C. Sproul Jr, and Ken Ham. Though…
Lesbian Minister Defrocked – Like most Christians, I was happy to see the United Methodist Church enforce their rules about practicing homosexuals in ministry by Beth Stroud. Of course part of me wonders how much it really matters when that same denomination allows so many other violations of God’s clear laws, but at least it…
Dreads For Sale – How impoverished are some of the smaller Christian bands? Jeremy Thiessen of downhere is selling his dreadlocks to raise money to buy what I presume is an engagement ring. The dreads will be listed on eBay for a starting bid of $50 each. There are twenty of them available. If you…
Two Ends of a Thread – There have been questions about just what Michael Card’s views of Mormonism are after he performed a concert for a mixed group of Mormons and Christians and asked both groups to join with him in worshipping God. According to the Deseret Morning News, which interviewed Card, he does not…
Who Is Lying? – A congressional staff analysis has found that many abstinence programs targetted at teens, 9 out of the 11 examined, give false and misleading information. They apparently overblow the danger of the AIDS virus, especially amongst gay males, and teach that 10% of women who undergo abortions become sterile because of it.…
Dr. Criswell, long-time pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, was once traveling by plane to attend a speaking engagement on the East coast. After boarding the aircraft and getting settled, he was thrilled to recognize the man in the seat beside him as a well-known Christian theologian. Criswell greatly admired this man and was…
Holiday Celebrations – Last night I received the joyous news that next Tuesday I will have to miss home church to attend my son’s holiday concert since he is in junior kindergarten at the local public school. When I was a lad we called these events Christmas concerts, but in this politically correct age, using…
In the first article of this series we examined some of the basic issues in Bible translation. We saw the difference between paraphrase, dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence and identified some rules of translations. Of utmost importance was the necessity of translating words, not meaning. Today we continue with the introduction to translating and translations.…
The Ken Jennings Show – It is the last day of November. Just where has the month gone to? Time seems to be accelerating for some reason. Time could be slowing for Ken Jennings, the man who has won 74 consecutive shows of Jeopardy. According to the rumor mill (ie two people who attended the…
This is the first in a series of articles which will examine the various Bible translations available today in the English language. With such a multitude of translations available, Christians are often puzzled as they attempt to discern which one most accurately represents the words of God. In past years many have been told that…
Bad Timing, Good Morality – In retrospect, releasing a movie which glorifies bisexuality less than a month after an election where traditional values was so important was probably quite a mistake. I’m not sure that Oliver Stone and the folks at the studio are ready to admit it, though. It seems that a movie praised…
We would consider it a peculiarity if I claimed to love someone yet refused to spend time with him. I love my son dearly, more than life itself, and one of the most sincere expressions of my love is my desire to spend time with him, be it in reading books, playing a game, watching…
I spent a good chunk of time yesterday reading the introductions to Bible translations. Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it? I am hoping to do a series on this site about translating and translations, examining the differences in translations and trying to identify the superior ones. I dug up all the translations I could find around the…
Christianity Today has released their list of the Top 12 Albums of 2004. Generally in the past I have listened to almost all of the albums on their lists, but this year is an exception as I bought only four of them. Fortunately they made sure to give Derek Webb some love, awarding him the…