It is almost Easter - my most conflicted time of year as a pastor. I am smitten with the empty grave. In fact, I am almost as excited about the Easter imagery as I am horrified by N. American protestant’s fascination with the cross. I have written and talked about this disturbing trend in the … Read more about Blood: Easter and That Damn Liberal Quote
Noah: Inhabiting A ReEnchanted World
In Aronovsky’s movie, Noah inhabits an enchanted world. From the first rain drop that mystically/magically replaces a plucked flower, we know that Noah is walking in a world that is enchanted is way we are not used to seeing. The rules are a little different. Things work in slightly different … Read more about Noah: Inhabiting A ReEnchanted World
Noah: Eclipse of the Biblical Narrative
The new Noah movie is a masterful work of biblical imagination and creativity. You can listen to a review of the movie and interview with the director and screenwriter here. There are two aspects of the movie that audiences will notice up-front: one is related to epic-mythic-primal … Read more about Noah: Eclipse of the Biblical Narrative
Drop ‘The’
It has happened again. The word ‘the’ has become a stumbling block. The first incident occurred on TNT when I spoke up about my friendship with ‘Al’ - as in incarnational, etc. - and Tripp professed his love for the word ‘the’. ?Tripp wants to talk about the incarnation and the resurrection. ?I … Read more about Drop ‘The’
A Newbie Response to Roger Olson
Roger Olson blogged about why he is not a Process Theologian. Since I am a newbie to Process Thought, I thought it would be fun to respond to the post point-by-point. My responses are in bold. In the days to come, people who do this for a living (instead of a hobby) will respond more deeply and … Read more about A Newbie Response to Roger Olson
Jesus Isn’t Superman
As you may be aware, with the release of the Man of Steel movie earlier this year there was a major push by evangelical marketing types to get preachers to focus on the messianic imagery that had been intentionally spliced into the movie. This is not my concern (although insights about that … Read more about Jesus Isn’t Superman
Memory, Forgiveness, and Volf’s Heaven
I just recently came across the short 2006 article, "Letting Go: The Final Miracle of Forgiveness," (available here and here) from Miroslav Volf, and it set off an "uh-oh" warning bell for me. Since it is a line of reasoning I've never thought through all the way before I figured I'd pop on here and … Read more about Memory, Forgiveness, and Volf’s Heaven
12 Years A Slave: Movie Review and Theological Reflection
Bo sat down with J. Ryan Parker last month after they were given a sneak-peek at the movie 12 Years A Slave. After a review of the merits in the movie-making elements of the film, the talk turns theological. If you haven't seen the movie, you may want to skip to the 13-14 minutes mark to avoid … Read more about 12 Years A Slave: Movie Review and Theological Reflection
A Rant for an Ecstatic God
The way I see it, there is a fundamental paradox--an unavoidable tension-- at the heart of any attempt to avoid thinking the theological anthropocentrically (focused on us and what God as done for us). In other words, to varying degrees (and with varying vigilance) theologians, pastors, disciples, … Read more about A Rant for an Ecstatic God
Avoiding That Awful Number: 666
A quirky and sad story has emerged out of Kentucky this week. In one of the strangest cases of purported religious beliefs intersecting with athletic performance, a Kentucky junior cross country runner voluntarily walked away from a chance to qualify for the state meet to avoid running with the bib … Read more about Avoiding That Awful Number: 666
Caputo’s Nihilism of Grace: Eschatology, Event, & Self-Reflexivity
Here's a guest post from Blake Huggins that's part of the Caputo blog tour. Enjoy! My thanks to Tripp and Indiana University Press for the invitation to participate in this blog tour and for a copy of the book. I’ve been anticipating this work for a while now and I’m glad to see it being critically … Read more about Caputo’s Nihilism of Grace: Eschatology, Event, & Self-Reflexivity
Kirk Have I Loved But Tripp?
Daniel Kirk is on the podcast. The most sensational Theo-Blogger, Homebrewing, Fuller Professor of New Testament, and fellow Wake Forest Demon Deacon [he also went to Duke and UNC Chapel Hill but I forgive him for that... Go Deacs!] is on the podcast with a bunch of topics he's looking to settle … Read more about Kirk Have I Loved But Tripp?