Harvey Cox, Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard, begins a chapter he contributed to The Seven World Religions Introduced by Preeminent Scholars from Each Tradition (1993, Arvind Sharma, ed.) by describing what "the proverbial visitor from Mars" would note if given the opportunity to travel to earth to observe Christians. After covering the dizzying diversity of the religious gatherings and the shared oddities (e.g. "the people would sometimes swallow small quantities Read More …
Do You AudioBoo? (#0524)
Earlier this week I discovered AudioBoo. I invite you to listen to a two minute message I just created using that tool: My Initial Experience with AudioBoo (mp3) So What? AudioBoo seeks to "be the one platform you use when you want to record audio, share it or keep it safe for the future." Currently you can record new content from your computer or iPhone, Android and Nokia devices. Soon, you will also be able to do so using Blackberry and Windows Mobile. AudioBoo Read More …
Browser or Social Media or Both? (#0523)
I have never been one to enjoy choosing either/or when both/and is a possibility. Almost a year ago, I wrote about my initial experience using RockMelt, which is an attempt to bring together the best of browsing (built on chromium) and social media (allowing for significant user customization). At that time, I had used the beta version for just one day. In the year since, the browser was released and has been enhanced on several occasions. I have gone from a curious Read More …
Are You Listening? (#0522)
The excuses for running through life without listening are many. There is so much noise in our world that it is easy to be surrounded by sound without ever hearing a word or becoming aware of the origin of a unique sound. It is rare for a person to slow down and heighten her or his awareness enough to discern the source and/or content of the sound(s), even when such is readily apparent. So What? There are days that I think silence is rare, but truly heard and well-processed sound Read More …
Your Unique Story (#0521)
Every person I have ever met who is seeking to follow the way of Jesus has a unique faith story -- an account of her or his life to date and how it has been impacted by one or more religious traditions. Some of these stories begin with or feature a moment of conversion (often an event on a specific day), but many more explain the transition to becoming a Christian as a long term process. Reflection on one's own journey to date is an important aspect of knowing one's own Read More …
Review of The King Jesus Gospel (#0520)
Meet the Author Scot McKnight is professor of religious studies at North Park University. He is a leading authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight has written over 20 books including The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others (read how this book has influenced me), Fasting (read my review), The Real Mary: Why Evangelicals Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus (read my review), and One.Life: Read More …
Reflecting on 365 Days of Daily Blogging (#0519)
I launched this blog in June of 2009, and started posting on a daily basis a year ago. Over the last 365 days I have learned a great deal, including: writing blog content is different from all other writing creating and using a standard template for each type of post (e.g., book reviews) provides helpful structure timely topics attract readers, especially those in the current news cycle posts with the greatest hit counts are, almost exclusively, those shared by others via social Read More …
Reconnecting (#0518)
It used to be very unusual for me to hear from someone I had not communicated with in years. Now, it occurs on a somewhat regular basis. More often than not, these contacts occur because of (and often through) social media. It is easier than ever to reconnect with someone you lost touch with some time ago and for whom you no longer have accurate contact information. The ease of finding and contacting someone means that some will leverage this opportunity for something Read More …
I’ll Pray for You (#0517)
What do you think the speaker intends when speaking these four simple words to you: “I'll pray for you"? Intends to be supportive, and will follow through by praying on my behalf Intends to be supportive, but has no genuine intent to follow through and actually pray Intends to be dismissive, but knows that this "church speak" is a nicer way to transition or end the conversation So What? I am not among the most faithful or frequent pray-ers, and readily acknowledge this Read More …
A New Day in the PCUSA (#0516)
The Presbyterian Church (USA) or PCUSA has been in the news more this past week than any time this year. The denomination officially amended its constitution earlier this year to allow gays and lesbians to serve as ministers and lay leaders. Last Saturday, the Rev. Scott Anderson was ordained as the denomination's first openly gay pastor. He told CNN: "It's an exciting time for me personally to be the first openly gay person ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and Read More …