“We might think of these widows as Protestant nuns. As best as I can make out, the early church enrolled widows (of a certain character) who were over the age of sixty, and the church expected ministerial service from them. If they departed from this service into idleness, it was a disgrace. If they married …
To Curvet and Simper in the Pulpit
The sodomy challenge — and all related sexuality challenges — present us with a glorious opportunity. It is a glorious opportunity that the Spirit has cleverly disguised as a real hazard to our future comfort and well-being. For the gospel is a troublemaker. Let me explain that first and then come back to the sodomy …
Please Pass This One Around . . .
You old Kansas fans might recognize the voice.
Simply Beowulf
Well, I have to admit that I am kind of whipped up about our pending release of Beowulf. This was a project I was kind of chipping away on in the background, and then the need for a usable version for the new Logos Press curriculum arose. So I got things in gear, and finished …
Skewed Solidarities
This last Wednesday, I sent out the following tweet: Just so you know, husbands, angry men are terrible lovers. The day after, I sent out one for the ladies: Just so you know, wives, complaining a lot is like taking ugly pills. Both tweets got positive responses, but they also each got a peculiar and …
Sign of Authority
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #128 “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels” (1 Cor. 11: 10). The last part of this verse is obscure to us, and has generated a good bit of discussion. …
Feeding the Cockroaches
“Feeding the cockroaches is not a good long-term strategy, even if they spend most of their time out of sight behind and under the cupboards. Keep short accounts, and time will have no chance to amplify your (initially small) sins” (For a Glory and a Covering, p. 133).
Treacle, Dreck, and Schlock
As the fellow said, one of things we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history. And this was true on its own terms, back in the day when when history stayed more or less the same. How much more is it the case when we have seen a transformation of history in …
A Five Gallon Bucket of Lamesauce
In my previous post, I said that the great idol of modernity is the state. One perceptive reader on Facebook suggested that rather we should think of the great idol as being that of the individual self — freedom and liberty for me, me, me. I don’t know how to link to a Facebook thread, …
One of Those Walk-the-Children-Around-the-Pole-Ponies
I haven’t done any skylarking about global warming in a while, so let me have a bit of fun in my opening paragraph. Then, after that, I will sober up a bit, and move on to my more serious point, which I do, in fact, have. In 2007, serious scientists were predicting that the Arctic …