Chapter 5 is called “Subversive Sabbatarianism,” and addresses the countercultural nature of sabbath observance. It provides a great test case for Jason’s thesis because it is a command that has to do with living, breathing bodies, as well as with competing claims on those bodies. Unfortunately, I don’t think Jason sees this. First, the agreement. …
A Pretty Complete Cultural Transformation
Chapter 4 of Jason’s book is “The Power of Weakness.” In it, he points out, accurately enough, that Americans like underdogs just so long as they don’t have to be one. He also comments on a certain kind of evangelical body-builder posing down in the public square as evidence that we are more interested in …
Laughing at the Piltdown Man
I agree with Jason Stellman that after a rocky start, the discussion between the spearmen of our two tribal blogs is generally charitable. With him, I am grateful for this, and in that spirit am going to take it upon myself to start calling him Jason in these posts, thus inviting him to call me …
No Stinkin’ Geologists
We are going to get to some significant disagreements, I promise. But Chapter 3 was another pretty good chapter, with many trenchant observations about how contemporary Christians tend to look at the outside world. At least thus far, Stellman is great in stating and confirming his premises, and only off in what he thinks those …
Receiving Grace
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father and God, You are the God of all grace, and …
Ten Anglos Every Bit As Clueless
In the national liberal chatter over what could possibly have gotten into the American people over this health care business, the talk eventually turned, as you may have guessed, to race. The narrative is that Americans have not yet made their peace with the fact that Obama is black. This causes that kind of deep …
More Bread
I linked to a picture of the Palouse wheat fields yesterday. Here is a pic taken by a friend, with the wheat the color it is now (HT: Rob Sentz). That’s still a lot of bread.
Daughters and Grandsons
Apropos of nothing in particular, allow me just a few words about education and girls. In many ways, pastoral ministry is like playing that whack-a-mole game — one thing disappears under the mallet, and another one pops up. And it was probably one you thought you dealt with a few years before, and here is …
Unleashing Your Inner Fundamentalist
Suppose that John R. Rice, during his Sword of the Lord days, accidentally took a couple hits of acid, and prophesied wildly about what would happen down the road if women quit wearing their hair in a bun, and started wearing slacks like crazy. Suppose he got really out there, and promised us all that …
Audio Reading of Post
Some Recessionary Pink Elephants
What explains the lunacy of our present political leadership? The explanations are varied, of course, but they generally cannot be grouped under stupidity. Ignorance, often, but stupidity no. You don’t get to the positions of influence that these people occupy because you are unable to tie your own shoes. The question is not a matter …