Burn After Reading

The Lord continues to add meaning to my life, year by year...

Philadelphia Inquirer on Enns

There's a piece in today's Philadelphia Inquirer on the dismissal of Pete Enns.


This is the first time I've been quoted in an article after a lengthy interview with a reporter. Note to self: always speak in sound-bites!

Bella

My grampa used to say, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."

So begins the movie Bella. And the rest is equally profound.

For those of you who have seen it: the scene at the crosswalk when they return to the City is fabulous. The juxtaposition of gospel music with the imagery of the crosswalk (cross roads?) and the moments of decision before both characters is perfect.

For those of you who haven't: watch it now. Watch it with your friends who like to talk about movies. Watch it by yourself. But for cryin' out loud: watch it.

Faithful Wounds of a Friend, for America

The following is from Daniel Clendenin on Journey with Jesus.net. Reflecting on the peaceable king in Zechariah 9, intersecting our nation's celebration of Independence Day, he says:

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We [=America] act in an isolationist, unilateral manner and fail to appreciate how others view us. We cook the intelligence books to justify policy designs. We invoke double standards, insisting that a strong military with nuclear weapons is our just defense, but protesting when other countries say the same about their own security needs. The rule of law by which our country thrives and which is the envy of the world seems imperiled when we flout international conventions, detain people indefinitely and without charges, respond to detestable prison tortures by protesting that wars are difficult and complex, and deride as "absurd" the criticisms of important international bodies like Amnesty International and the International Red Cross whose authority we invoke in other (self-serving) contexts. We've come to do foreign policy by belligerent militarism. On top of all this, like so many countries throughout world history, we claim that Yahweh is for us and against others.

Zechariah's poetry reminds us that Yahweh's global interests transcend national self-interests. He warns against baptizing national ideology with a divine endorsement. God longs to "break the battle bow" and proclaim "peace to the nations."

Say Nothing

Woe to us if we say the correct thing but have no love. (1 Cor. 13:1) Then it would be better to say nothing... Woe to anyone who admonishes brothers or sisters and does not have love for them in his heart. He is a murderer. For truth without love kills, while love without truth lies. (Eberhard Arnold, God's Revolution: Justice, Community, and the Coming Kingdom, 110 [italics added])

Profesional Updates

Here are some professional updates:

I have an article in the most recent Tyndale Bulletin, "Conceptualising Fulfilment in Matthew" (TynBul 59 [2008]: 77-98)(if Mike Bird says so, it must be true). No, those aren't typos in the title.

In October I am going to be participating in a conference entitled, "Reclaiming Paul: The Apostle in the Emerging World." I will be co-leading a breakout session with John Franke entitled, "Jesus have I loved but Paul have I hated?" The conference is a co-production of Nazarene Theological Seminary and Jacobs Well in Kansas City, MO (Oct 22-24).

In November I will be giving a paper at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in Boston. At one session of the "Scripture in Early Judaism and Christianity" section (Nov 24, 1:00-3:30) I will be reading a paper entitled "Resurrection Hermeneutics in Romans."

Public Service Announcement

"Erstwhile" means "former" not "esteemed".