Jesus Creed

Sorry, but only one “t”

scotmcknight — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:57:27 +0000

There seems to be a rash of misspellers on my blog of late. My mom and dad, because my father’s father came from Scotland (one “t” kind of land), saddled me with a one “t” kind of first name and I have lived my whole life getting folks to spell that name correctly. (To those [...]

Sex Trafficking Heroes

scotmcknight — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:04:45 +0000

By Eric Marrapodi: Greensboro, North Carolina (CNN) —The truck-stop hooker is no Julia Roberts, the trucker in the cab with her no Richard Gere, and this truck stop off the highway could not be any farther from Beverly Hills, the staging ground for “Pretty Woman.” The woman sports baggy shorts, a white T-shirt and frizzy [...]

Adam and Atrahasis (RJS)

RJS — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:41:26 +0000

Chapter three of the new book by Peter Enns, The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins, looks at the relationship between the stories of origins contained in the Hebrew Scriptures – our Old Testament – and the stories of origins in the surrounding Ancient Near East (ANE) cultures. [...]

Christians are People-in-Waiting

scotmcknight — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:05:38 +0000

Undoubtedly, the tide has turned. Voices like Tom Wright and Brian McLaren have convinced many that we need to quit obsessing about escaping from this world and to rethink our belief that heaven is “out there” in the sky where we go when we die. Surely the vision of Revelation 21–22 ought to convince us [...]

The Evangelical Awakening

scotmcknight — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:28:13 +0000

David Hempton, one of Ireland’s (and America’s) finest historians of all things evangelical, most notably its Wesleyan/Methodist axis, observes two features of the great evangelical awakening: First, that it was “largely a generational movement of young people.” Second, “… most surveys have shown that the majority of the rank-and-file was female. … One does not [...]

Wearing the Cross

scotmcknight — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:18:34 +0000

In the UK there is some dispute over the admissibility of wearing a cross in public, and the bishops are now getting involved. They [bishops] have signed a motion condemning the “silencing” of outward displays of Christianity in Britain and a “growing trend” towards the “restriction of religious liberty” which is to be debated at [...]

Tiger Mom meets Croissant Mom

scotmcknight — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:12:09 +0000

Here is a report/story of why French parenting, which focuses more on delayed gratification, has something to teach American parenting. After a few more harrowing restaurant visits, I started noticing that the French families around us didn’t look like they were sharing our mealtime agony. Weirdly, they looked like they were on vacation. French toddlers [...]

New Creation Gospel

scotmcknight — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:03:00 +0000

I have said this before, but I want to repeat it: the soterian gospel resolves one problem — our broken relationship with God. The soterian gospel focuses on one event — the cross as the place where Christ takes our place, shoulders our sins, removes our guilt, and forgives our sin. The soterian gospel pleads [...]

A Balanced Perspective of Images for Ministry

scotmcknight — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:01:16 +0000

John Piper’s address about a masculine ministry and masculine Christianity was bold but nowhere in the New Testament are ministers (used here generically) called to be “manly” or to be “masculine.” He equated in those comments “masculine” and “male,” and they are not the same. In fact, being “masculine” is not a term on the [...]

Our Laws are Colliding

scotmcknight — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:45:04 +0000

This is a serious issue, but it is also an example of how our laws — freedom, non-discrimination, non-establishment of religion, etc – collide with one another and create what appears to many of us to be intolerable conditions. Jason Hoyt: Once upon a time, American universities encouraged students to create community around common interests [...]

What About Enuma Elish and Other ANE Myths? (RJS)

RJS — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:34:15 +0000

Chapter Three of Peter Enns’s new book The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins looks at the relationship between the stories of origins contained in the Hebrew Scriptures – our Old Testament – and the stories of origins in the surrounding Ancient Near East (ANE) cultures. Before the [...]

God Between Body Parts

scotmcknight — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:09:31 +0000

We often begin in the wrong place. Too many begin eucharist discussions with the debates between the Lutherans and the Catholics and the anabaptists, and ask how Christ is present (and they disagree and miss the point). It turns eucharist blurry instead of offering clarity. The place to begin is when God walked between body [...]

A Young Reader

scotmcknight — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:10:02 +0000

One of our readers sent me this: his daughter has evidently taken a liking to King Jesus Gospel!

GroupThink and Testosterone

scotmcknight — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:38:49 +0000

From The Wellcome Trust: OK, this seems sound to me, but what are we going to do? Inject testosterone or oxytocin, depending on need? Problem solving in groups can provide benefits over individual decisions as we are able to share our information and expertise. However, there is a tension between cooperation and self-orientated behaviour: although [...]

Women’s View of Women

scotmcknight — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:40:47 +0000

From Halee Gray Scott: But rivalry among females is not limited to sexuality. Sometimes our negative reactions towards other women are much more subtle. Anytime there is scarcity, there is a potential for derogatory attitudes that undermine the potential achievements of women, and nowhere is the principle of scarcity more at play than in Christian [...]

Why?

scotmcknight — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:07:27 +0000

I was distressed over some stuff Macdonald and Driscoll recently said, and many of you wrote and asked what I thought. I did write one post but then, after showing it to a few friends, thought it wasn’t right. Then John Piper used his opening remarks at his Desiring God Conference to make claims about [...]

Edwards, Some Big Ideas

scotmcknight — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:05:31 +0000

At the heart of worship, at the heart of Christian living, at the heart of prayer, at the heart of church history — at the heart of all creation — is beauty, and that beauty emerges from a beautiful and glorious God. What we experience of beauty is because God is beauty. So, when McClymond [...]

This Guy Knows Coffee

scotmcknight — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:39:47 +0000

Wow, Michael Symons has some serious writing here about “flat white” in New Zealand (Wellington). Do they do a good “flat white” in Oz? Adelaide? Sydney? As perfected in Wellington, a flat white is a double shot of espresso, making around 30ml in a 160ml, usually tulip-shaped cup, topped with carefully “textured” or “stretched” milk [...]

Eastwind Nut Butters Company

scotmcknight — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:19:16 +0000

Dear Eastwind Nut Butters Company, You don’t know me or my wife, but let me tell you that my wife, Kris, is your fan. She’s recently taken a liking for almond butter. She’s the sort of informed person who studies up on things so much she’s right there at your level, and that means she’s [...]

Bonhoeffer’s Birthday

scotmcknight — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:22:57 +0000

From Fred Sanders, at The Scriptorium Daily, posted yesterday on Bonhoeffer’s birthday. If you were only going to say one thing about theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), you would tell the story that led up to his death in a Nazi prison on April 9, 1945, at age 39. But today is the anniversary of his [...]

The Purpose of Prayer is for God to win

scotmcknight — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:05:24 +0000

This is from a friend, a pastor-thinker in Nashville, Josh Graves: On November 28, 2010, Steven Johnson lined up as a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. On November 28, the Bills were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers and they ultimately lost the game because Johnson dropped a pass late in the game, in the end zone. After [...]

Prayer for the Week

scotmcknight — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:05:49 +0000

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now [...]

Editor in Search of Articles

scotmcknight — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:57:20 +0000

Some of you may know I am one of three editors for Currents in Biblical Research. Our senior editor is Alan Hauser at Appalachian State University, and I stand alongside Jonathan Klawans at Boston University. Alan edits the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible articles, Jonathan the Judaism articles, and I do the New Testament articles. Currents in [...]

Saturday (Not a Book) Review: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

scotmcknight — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:01:26 +0000

This post is by Scott Bryant. A few weeks ago, I picked up Scot McKnight’s new e-book entitled Junia is Not Alone. Interestingly enough, the very week that I purchased his book, the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly arrived in my mailbox, complete with a cover caption that read: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: [...]

Weekly Meanderings

scotmcknight — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:28:42 +0000

On the changes in Black theology: “A couple years ago, when the Century asked some leading theologians to name five “essential theology books of the past 25 years,” J. Kameron Carter’s Race: A Theological Account (Oxford University Press, 2008) was one of the few books mentioned more than once and the only one that was published in [...]

Depression and Work Hours

scotmcknight — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:33:04 +0000

From Tamara Cohen: Workers who spend long hours at the office are more than twice as likely to develop depression as those who do a standard day, according to a study. British researchers found those who spend more than 11 hours a day – or 55 hours a week – at their desk faced a [...]

Long term, ADD drugs

scotmcknight — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:21:00 +0000

This article sketches the view that ADHD drugs don’t work in the longterm. THREE million children in this country take drugs for problems in focusing. Toward the end of last year, many of their parents were deeply alarmed because there was a shortage of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall that they considered absolutely essential to their [...]

Is Christian Hope Speculation?

scotmcknight — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:02:13 +0000

One word that has come up a few times in the last year’s discussion about life after death, about heaven and hell, and about who goes where, is the word “speculation.” A number of folks have used it, but two notables who have pushed against traditionalists with that word are Rob Bell and Shane Hipps. [...]

John Piper, what he said

scotmcknight — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:11:26 +0000

The internet is ringing with stuff about pastor John Piper and his recent opening comments about masculine Christianity, and he said these things before an address on J.C. Ryle. Some have summarized his words not so well; others are simply clipping from a report on Christian Post, which was itself a clip of what he [...]

Churches Talking

scotmcknight — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:23:44 +0000

From Christian Today: The Roman Catholic Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches in the UK have welcomed an “unprecedented” move towards unity this week. They have launched a new book entitled “Joint Statements” outlining areas of theological agreement between the two denominations. The book was developed by the Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Regional Forum (COORF) and presented by [...]

Academic Jargon

scotmcknight — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:41:24 +0000

From io9:

What is the Purpose of the Old Testament? (RJS)

RJS — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:14:48 +0000

One of the major points of Peter Enns’s new book The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins, perhaps the major point, is that the Old Testament points toward Christ. The form this takes, however, is not exactly the traditional evangelical understanding and we would do well to rethink [...]

Learning to Love Paul

scotmcknight — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:06:34 +0000

J.R. Daniel Kirk‘s new book, Jesus Have I Loved, But Paul? A Narrative Approach to the Problem of Pauline Christianity (BakerAcademic, 2011) may very well be a touchstone for the next generation of Christians who can’t accept the traditional Paul (on historical grounds) and yet who want to explore what Paul looks like if we [...]

The Secret to Marriage

scotmcknight — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:33:09 +0000

From Phil Huber, at New Wineskins: I just finished reading Happily Ever After: Six Secrets to a Successful Marriage by Gary Chapman. The book is a fairly typical example of the marriage enrichment genre, one of the best I have read. It is organized around six major areas of focus: solving conflicts, negotiating change, handling money, [...]

Reality Check for Pastors

scotmcknight — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:25:46 +0000

This is a fine set of reflections by Trevor Lee on youthful idealism, reality, and faith in a God who still is at work. As a 25 year old seminary student I sat at a Perkins with our 60-something Senior Pastor and excitedly spewed out a litany of great ideas that would change our church [...]

Elements of Christian Hope

scotmcknight — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:04:02 +0000

Christian theology has a distinct hope. Revolving around God and God’s glory, King Jesus as Lamb and Lion, the earth as the scene, and the people of God dwelling in peace and justice and love – and holiness and worship and blessedness, the Christian hope both provides comfort and a challenge to live now in [...]

The Soterian Gospel as Selfish

scotmcknight — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:07:56 +0000

The soterian gospel smacks too often of the very thing it seeks to fight: that is, it is often selfish and it rides, ironically, on the waves of liberalism. The essence of liberalism was the reshaping of Christian theology through the grinder of modernity. Authority shifted in liberal theology from the tradition (Scripture, orthodoxy, creeds, [...]

Teenagers, Now Understood

scotmcknight — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:09:28 +0000

Alison Gopnik: “What was he thinking?” It’s the familiar cry of bewildered parents trying to understand why their teenagers act the way they do. How does the boy who can thoughtfully explain the reasons never to drink and drive end up in a drunken crash? Why does the girl who knows all about birth control [...]

When Was Genesis Written … And Why? (RJS)

RJS — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:45:33 +0000

The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins by Peter Enns is not yet another science and faith book, after all Enns is not a scientist. His greatest scientific achievement so he says in his Huffington Post column: The best explanation for it [human origins], geneticists tell us, is [...]

You are Witnesses

scotmcknight — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:09:29 +0000

When early in the book of Acts Jesus tells his disciples that they are to be witnesses, the entire Gospel of Luke and the mission of Jesus come crashing down on that one word: witness. To witness to Jesus is the mission of the church. Remember this theme: If Jesus has a prophetic mission, and [...]

What Matters Most in the Classroom

scotmcknight — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:19:28 +0000

From Suzy Khimm: Two Harvard researchers looked at the factors that actually improve student achievement and those that don’t. In a new paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, Will Dobbie and Roland Freyer analyzed 35 charter schools, which generally have greater flexibility in terms of school structure and strategy. They found that traditionally emphasized [...]

Learning from Children

scotmcknight — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:11:00 +0000

By Eric Hulse is a Holistic Health Coach. His practice focuses on teaching parents how to regain control of their health in order to improve the health of their families. Visit his website or follow him on Facebook for tips on how to increase your energy, reduce daily stress, and regain your happiness. Below is a list [...]

Turkish Translation

scotmcknight — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:12:30 +0000

I got this letter this morning: Scot, As a student, I get the chance to read here frequently, but not daily. I respect the tasteful and measured discussions presented. I am curious about scholarly thoughts on this new Bible translation issue presented here: http://turkishcentralnews.com/archives/6423 As a servant of the global Kingdom with skin in the [...]

A Stark Contrast with the Conventional

scotmcknight — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:16:30 +0000

It was Jesus who stood out in his Jewish context, not the Essenes or the Pharisees. They were conventional and followed their logic of holiness well; Jesus went in a different direction. The prophetic calling of Jesus demanded the unconventional. The temptation for the church is to be conventional, when the prophetic calling often demands [...]

Pressing for Decisions

scotmcknight — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:05:00 +0000

American evangelicalism, and what I mean here is “revivalist” American evangelicalism, is shaped by and oriented toward decisions for Christ. What’s more, revivalist evangelicalism has a soterian gospel designed to precipitate decisions that can be used to measure who is “in” and who is “out.” Which is also to say that revivalist evangelicalism creates a [...]

Conversation and the Local Church

scotmcknight — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:44:34 +0000

Highly recommend for anyone wanting to have a more missional church. As the crowds prepare to descend on Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI, the city has been preparing to showcase its very best to the watching world. In addition to the football game and a downtown Super Bowl Village filled with all sorts of entertainment, [...]

Roofin’ It!

scotmcknight — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:16:18 +0000

Love it… gardening on rooftops.

Pastors, Time Alone …

scotmcknight — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:13:16 +0000

From Matt Woodley, at Out of Ur: How have you learned to get away? To find time alone? I just watched the Pentecostal preacher Jim Cymbala give an altar call and about 400 Baptist pastors came forward for prayer. Here’s what happened. Cymbala told a moving story about his young grandson, an adopted child from [...]

Mark Twain Letter for the Next Burglar

scotmcknight — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:25:38 +0000

After a burglary, Twain had some advice for the next burglar.

Prayer for the Week

scotmcknight — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:05:35 +0000

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. [...]