tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58175922011-08-16T07:54:40.988ZRandom musings on life, the universe and nothing in particular...Alnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1128366353406061162005-10-03T19:02:00.000Z2005-10-03T19:08:09.013Z

My new blog. Check out all her majesty!

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1128242843148226172005-10-02T08:46:00.000Z2005-10-02T08:47:23.163Z

Very interesting reading. I wait to hear the other side of this story.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1128121705088124492005-09-30T23:04:00.000Z2005-09-30T23:08:25.123Z

The goal of this extremely long post is that of giving as accurate a description of the various approaches to the doctrine of justification that exist within FV circles as I can. I was recently asked to give my thoughts on this subject on a web forum that I was a participant in. I thought that I would share my rough thoughts with my blog readers. I am not sure that I feel qualified to adequately

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127985753194401442005-09-29T09:21:00.000Z2005-09-29T09:22:33.200Z

James Jordan on the role of men and women in the Church and its worship (Part 1, Part 2).

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127634876135857082005-09-25T07:50:00.000Z2005-09-25T07:55:17.366Z

I really can't believe that this has actually worked so far. Visit the guy's website and see what you think.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127532518367613692005-09-24T03:26:00.000Z2005-09-24T03:28:38.373Z

Called out into the freezing cold by a misfunctioning fire alarm system. i think i'm going to murder someone...

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127509321420677822005-09-23T21:01:00.000Z2005-09-23T21:03:22.183Z

...the Protestant age is coming to an end. That means that the Reformed faith and Presbyterianism are also coming to an end. The paradigm is exhausted, and the world in which it was worked out no longer exists. We must take all the great gains of the Calvinistic heritage and apply them with an open Bible to the new world in which we are now living. We must be aware that there is far more in the

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127386685918651562005-09-22T10:55:00.000Z2005-09-22T10:58:05.926Z

Ever wanted to take a look inside some of the most fascinating and significant books ever produced? Thanks to the British Library you now can. Warning: this site can be very slow.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127338905616887392005-09-21T21:40:00.000Z2005-09-21T21:41:45.623Z

Mark Horne posts chapters 1-4 of "My Own Life: The Earlier Years" by John Williamson Nevin.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127328956228154252005-09-21T18:23:00.000Z2005-09-21T18:55:57.616Z

Total abstentionism as it is held among such groups as Southern Baptists is a serious compromise of the Christian gospel, not just in its legalism, but also in its sectarianism. Rather than fall out with the legalists in their churches, pastors who should know much better refuse to fellowship with pastors in other denominations if there is any alcohol around. In my experience, total

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127301628013155952005-09-21T10:44:00.000Z2005-09-21T11:21:56.906Z

Philip Jenkins speaks on 'The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice'. There are some very good observations here. Much as people talk about the level of prejudice directed against evangelical Christians it seems to me that we are often not the direct target of prejudice. Rather, we are caught in the crossfire of prejudice directed against the Roman Catholic church in particular.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127264416482421952005-09-21T00:59:00.000Z2005-09-21T01:00:16.486Z

Just finished watching over 16 episodes of The Simpsons without a break. I might blog tomorrow.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1127167231142158082005-09-19T21:49:00.000Z2005-09-19T22:00:31.173Z

My name is the 15283rd most popular word in the English language, slightly less popular than 'railings', slightly more popular than 'dove'. I am settling in in the city of St. Andrews. My course starts next week and I can't wait to get into it. Although the various social activities of freshers' week are fun, I would actually like to start working. I am now connected to the Internet at

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1126800456198649262005-09-15T16:06:00.000Z2005-09-15T16:07:36.203Z

Leaving for St Andrews tomorrow morning...

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1126549685677276472005-09-12T18:14:00.000Z2005-09-12T18:30:04.536Z

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1126352504137798622005-09-10T11:35:00.000Z2005-09-10T11:41:45.756Z

Ever wondered? Some of our leading theological scientists, fresh from recent discoveries in their exegetical test-tubes, have devised a reliable test by which you can assess the probability of your future enjoyment of eternal bliss.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1126177031159302032005-09-08T10:53:00.000Z2005-09-08T10:57:11.163Z

Is it just me, or does this look more like Dumbledore than the Apostle Paul?

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1125935127532039352005-09-05T15:24:00.000Z2005-09-05T15:45:27.580Z

My blogging output this summer has been simply appalling. Sorry about that folks. Over the last couple of weeks I have had a number of things on in my free time, most notably 24 season 4, participation in discussion fora, a bad case of the flu and a number of long conversations offline. Last week I finished my job and will spend the rest of my time before going up to St Andrews in revision,

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1125305638134007172005-08-29T08:52:00.000Z2005-08-29T08:53:58.140Z

Tim Gallant — Reform for the Sake of the Reformation

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1125304321329882132005-08-29T08:06:00.000Z2005-08-29T08:32:01.416Z

We have come from 1-0 down to lead in the Ashes. Has there ever been a more thrilling Test series? For a short while I had a feeling that Australia might be about to have their full revenge for Headingley 1981 and perform the same miracle on us. England may be winning Test matches with far more consistency, but they continue to do so in a nail-bitingly close fashion. We have yet to master the

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1125143907430358562005-08-27T11:57:00.000Z2005-08-27T11:58:27.440Z

The last time Australia had to follow-on.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1124971391838881172005-08-25T10:38:00.000Z2005-08-25T12:03:11.896Z

I do not think much of IQ tests. It seems to me that, quite apart from the strange idea that IQ measures intelligence itself and not merely the score that someone has got for answering a number of questions, IQ tests tend to be weighted in favour of certain forms of thinking rather than others. For this reason this research does not surprise me in the slightest. However, the claim that such

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1124824301901774362005-08-23T18:14:00.000Z2005-08-23T19:11:41.960Z

Early this afternoon Elbert, Annewieke and I returned from our holiday in the Netherlands. The first five days of the holiday were spent in Hoeven, at a conference organized by the Association for Reformational Philosophy. The Association is Dooyeweerdian in its approach. My prior exposure to thinkers like Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoven came about primarily as a result of my reading and appreciation

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1124820677186096692005-08-23T18:00:00.000Z2005-08-23T18:11:17.196Z

Now that I have returned from the Netherlands I will respond to Andrew's tag. Amount of music on your computer? 6.79GB. Mostly classical. I am not a serious music listener. Most of the music I listen to serves primarily as background sound. My musical taste needs a lot of development. I would love to be able to understand music better. Currently listening to? REM, Best of 1988-2003. Five

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1123971778426798582005-08-13T22:21:00.000Z2005-08-13T22:22:58.426Z

Wow! I wonder if the guys involved in Pooh studies are onto this. Thanks to Paul for the link.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1123971507282817242005-08-13T22:11:00.000Z2005-08-13T22:18:27.290Z

Tomorrow I leave for the Netherlands for just over a week. Hopefully I will have something worthwhile to post when I return. My blogging activity over the last few weeks had been substandard, to say the least.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1123870969178196512005-08-12T18:22:00.000Z2005-08-12T18:22:49.186Z

Today has been a good day.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1123666905368331812005-08-10T09:39:00.000Z2005-08-10T09:41:45.376Z

A British cow that died in an Oxfordshire field in 1937 has emerged as the source of Saddam Hussain’s “weapons of mass destruction” programme that led to the Iraq war. An ear from the cow was sent to an English laboratory, where scientists discovered anthrax spores that were later used in secret biological warfare tests by Winston Churchill. The culture was sent to the United States, which

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1123660213656659452005-08-10T07:47:00.000Z2005-08-10T07:50:13.663Z

It arrived this morning...

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1123223420682873752005-08-05T06:28:00.000Z2005-08-05T06:30:20.690Z

Joel Garver reviews Peter Enns' Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1123065410672370612005-08-03T10:35:00.000Z2005-08-03T10:36:50.680Z

Codex Sinaiticus to go online.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1122664803224943222005-07-29T19:19:00.000Z2005-07-29T19:20:03.233Z

Bill doesn't find the joke very funny.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1122535192255527522005-07-28T07:17:00.000Z2005-07-28T07:19:52.263Z

Just to repeat the offer I made earlier: if you have signed up for a free iPod through me, and joined one of the online offers, e-mail me your first name and referral link and I will link to you on the side of my blog.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1122501729103451992005-07-27T21:18:00.000Z2005-07-27T22:02:09.163Z

Warning: This is a provocative post. The treatment of Westminster Shorter Catechism 4 in Thomas Watson's A Body of Divinity is well worth reading. James Jordan has subjected WSC4 (Q: What is God? A: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth) to a good critique. WSC4 has not given us the centre of gravity of the

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1122320989360624132005-07-25T19:40:00.000Z2005-07-27T07:09:49.010Z

The free iPod offer has come to the UK! It is no hoax. You can really get a free iPod if you follow a few simple steps. The first of these steps involves participating in an online offer (it can take up to 15 days for confirmation to come through). I joined Screen Select, which has been an excellent service so far. Anyway, here is where you, gentle reader, come in. The second step involves

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1122136398646330822005-07-23T16:32:00.000Z2005-07-23T16:33:18.653Z

Peter Leithart gives us some interesting reflections on Jeff Meyers' lecture on Song of Solomon.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121976990985530642005-07-21T20:16:00.000Z2005-07-21T20:16:31.003Z

When debating the subject of infant Baptism with Baptists, one of the issues that will often come up is the character of the new covenant. Baptists will frequently argue that the new covenant is made with believers alone. By ‘believers’ they generally refer to those who have arrived at a stage where they are able to articulate a clear confession of their faith. The new covenant era is an age in

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121844128632501222005-07-20T07:19:00.000Z2005-07-20T07:22:08.640Z

NASA imagery of the lunar landing sites. (Make sure that you zoom in the whole way; I always knew that there was a conspiracy to hide the truth from us)

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121796955879823042005-07-19T18:14:00.000Z2005-07-19T18:15:55.886Z

The Professional Association of Teachers will be told next week the label of failure could undermine children's enthusiasm for school. ... Liz Beattie, a retired teacher, will call on the association's annual gathering in Buxton, Derbyshire, to "delete the word 'fail' from the educational vocabulary to be replaced with the concept of 'deferred success'".Read the whole article here.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121535066660206372005-07-16T17:30:00.000Z2005-07-16T17:31:06.673Z

Some pretty amazing clouds!

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121520497871750062005-07-16T09:47:00.000Z2005-07-16T13:28:18.133Z

Since I have found both authors so helpful on the subject, I thought that I would share some of the thoughts of Mark Searle (‘Infant Baptism Reconsidered’) and Kurt Stasiak (Return to Grace: A Theology for Infant Baptism) on infant Baptism with you all. Both authors are Roman Catholics and write in the light of the Roman Catholic post-conciliar debate on the initiation of infants. Kurt Stasiak

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121450312815514532005-07-15T17:56:00.000Z2005-07-15T17:58:32.826Z

Do not listen to this if you want to retain your sanity.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121353381733032692005-07-14T14:58:00.000Z2005-07-14T15:03:01.743Z

A letter from Bishop Wright to the Times. I am still shocked that a serious Bible scholar like Wright could be in favour of women bishops. The whole move towards women bishops constitutes a catastrophic betrayal of some fundamental elements of the Christian faith.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121288452848034202005-07-13T20:53:00.000Z2005-07-13T21:00:52.856Z

I'm sure that many of you already listen to it, but I thought that I would give Ancient Faith Radio a plug. It is often quite different to anything that I am used to, but it has steadily grown on me. Unfortunately, their website seems to be temperamental, but all you need to do is download this file and open it using Real Player. You could also use 'Open URL' in Windows Media Player and open '

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121271833405403542005-07-13T16:15:00.000Z2005-07-13T16:23:53.413Z

This ow' but does me 'ead in (but I'll share it with you all anyway).

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121113842602104792005-07-11T20:30:00.000Z2005-07-11T20:31:00.580Z

I don't trust myself enough to comment on this...

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1121011582996879612005-07-10T16:04:00.000Z2005-07-10T16:06:23.006Z

Great site. Thanks to AKMA for the link.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120856364199017102005-07-08T20:55:00.000Z2005-07-09T06:40:01.330Z

I decided that I would rather do this sooner rather than later and so I took up Joel's offer of a tagging. Here goes. How many books do I own? I own approximately 1,500 books. The bulk of these books are theological. I would estimate that around 150 of my books are fiction. There are also a good number of history books (of which I haven’t read as much as I should), and a small selection of

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120847237078984242005-07-08T18:24:00.000Z2005-07-08T18:27:17.086Z

Thanks to the sterling work of Kevin Bush, we can now enjoy Bishop Wright's address to the Auburn Avenue Pastors' Conference, including extra bits that he couldn't fit in on the occasion.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120845399298971742005-07-08T17:43:00.000Z2005-07-08T17:56:39.310Z

Even though I had been expecting something like this to happen sooner or later, it winded me when it did. It was vaguely surreal hearing the news at work yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the relatives of the victims of the bombings. I am also praying for Christians who have the opportunity to bring God's light into this situation. Please pray that the animosity that exists towards

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120664392066848782005-07-06T15:39:00.000Z2005-07-06T15:39:52.073Z

New articles on the N.T. Wright page.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120657807830243362005-07-06T13:49:00.000Z2005-07-06T13:50:07.836Z

Two new bookcases. Woohoo!

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120583611070055802005-07-05T17:11:00.000Z2005-07-05T17:13:31.076Z

If you missed a particular act first time around, or just want to see a band again, video of every Live8 act can be found here.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120494217987702042005-07-04T16:21:00.000Z2005-07-04T16:23:37.993Z

I haven't read this properly yet, but I expect that I will disagree with it.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120380411589459882005-07-03T08:45:00.000Z2005-07-03T08:46:51.596Z

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120327208893179432005-07-02T17:58:00.000Z2005-07-02T18:00:08.900Z

What a fantastic match! I've no fingernails left. I'd given up hope at 33-5.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120307304687024472005-07-02T12:27:00.000Z2005-07-02T12:28:24.823Z

New Testament Teaching In Matthew 19:7-9, Jesus argues against easy divorce, provoking the response of His disciples in verse 10. They believe that it might well be better to be without a wife than to be bound to her for life, without liberal divorce laws. In response Jesus teaches that there are those to whom it has been given to be better off without marrying. Jesus speaks of those who have ‘

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1120078375380134822005-06-29T20:52:00.000Z2005-06-29T20:52:55.386Z

...and he's spot on, IMHO.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119893787252833142005-06-27T17:31:00.000Z2005-06-27T17:36:27.256Z

These are probably just for hardcore Jordan fans (like myself) but there are audio James Jordan lectures (with Polish translation) here and here.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119827363885379482005-06-26T23:05:00.000Z2005-06-26T23:10:42.460Z

Peter (above) has designed a new blog for my brother Mark, who has just turned 21. Happy birthday Mark and good work Peter!

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119789239993742932005-06-26T12:29:00.000Z2005-06-26T17:15:16.230Z

There is an Irish habit of asking if you want something three or four times, until you finally give in. “You’d like a tea, wouldn’t you?” “No thank you, I’ll be fine without.” “Really, you’ll be having a tea.” “No, I’ll be OK.” “Ah c’mon, you’ll have a tea!” “Ah, you’re forcing me!” At that stage you would give in, having said exactly what you were expected to say. It is generally considered

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119731569074818052005-06-25T20:30:00.000Z2005-06-25T20:32:49.090Z

The Biblical Story The myth of romantic love and the myth of the family as the key place of human fulfilment are two of the key myths that we are presented with in our day and age. Like any ‘myths’, these myths invite us to enter into them, to ‘inhabit’ them. These myths shape our perceptions of our roles in life. They help us to form us our self-identity. They shape our values and expectations.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119691029645699002005-06-25T09:16:00.000Z2005-06-25T09:19:06.230Z

I expect that we will see more things like this in the coming years (thanks to Lucy van den Broek for the link).

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119470026651426022005-06-22T19:52:00.000Z2005-06-22T22:01:41.236Z

Singleness is far from a straightforward issue. Different forms of society produce different forms of singleness. Whilst there have been people without marriage partners (or ‘sexual partners’ in our society, where marriage is swiftly becoming less of a determinative social reality) in every society known to man, the shape that singleness takes can vary considerably, depending on the shape of the

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119182047620102292005-06-19T11:53:00.000Z2005-06-19T11:54:07.626Z

This guy is amazingly gifted.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119124407958122062005-06-18T19:50:00.000Z2005-06-18T20:06:46.216Z

The Australian tour so far has been an unmitigated disaster. After this I can imagine that many of them feel like throwing in the towel and going home.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119084793756981742005-06-18T08:48:00.000Z2005-06-18T08:53:14.093Z

My e-mail has been playing up. If you sent me any e-mail after midnight on Thursday, I probably have not received it. My e-mail will hopefully be working again on Monday morning. Until then, please contact me at alastairdotrobertsatntlworlddotcom. Thank you.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1119030712954985942005-06-17T17:48:00.000Z2005-06-17T17:51:52.963Z

I watched The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro) last night with Jonathan and Monika and another friend from our church. I was surprised by the film; I had expected it to be far less even-handed a treatment of its subject than it actually was. In fact, far from being a piece of straightforward propaganda for euthanasia and assisted suicide, which is what I had braced myself for, I felt that the film got to

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1118861895097199372005-06-15T18:55:00.000Z2005-06-15T18:58:15.110Z

This is obvious when someone points it out. Unfortunately, I don't always ask the right questions when I'm reading Scripture.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1118859906097769842005-06-15T18:11:00.000Z2005-06-15T18:25:06.120Z

I really don't know why more people don't understand this and why so many churches consistently focus their primary evangelistic efforts on reaching children. As David Murrow points out:— It's time to face the truth: if we're going to pass a lifelong faith to our children, we must re-engage men. No amount of Sunday school, VBS, or youth group will do the trick. We might as well fold up our

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1118839932919806722005-06-15T10:50:00.000Z2005-06-15T12:52:12.930Z

There are only a few days left of the first quarter century of my life and I'm feeling depressed. Looking back over the last ten years of my life I can only wonder how different it could have been if certain things had not happened. It is hard not to feel a little bitter about how things have turned out in some respects. Such anniversaries, which challenge us to take stock, do, however, hold out

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1118517123760801122005-06-11T18:58:00.000Z2005-06-11T19:12:03.770Z

Why is N.T. Wright so consistently misrepresented by writers in the Reformed world? Surely if Wright's theology were orthodox such criticisms would be less common. Does the widespread nature of such claims imply that there is some substance to the claims made against Wright? Are these misrepresentations indicative of a failure to communicate on Wright's part? I have been asked these questions on

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1118428231458384452005-06-10T18:26:00.000Z2005-06-10T18:30:31.473Z

LECTURE 6 A few words about the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon still waits for a really good treatment. The title of the book is 'the best of Songs, which is Solomon's'. This may mean that Solomon wrote it, or simply that it is about Solomon. It is kingdom literature. The theme is the love and union of king and bride. There are four lines of interpretation that the book has been subjected

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1118264995764787702005-06-08T21:07:00.000Z2005-06-08T21:09:55.783Z

I recently attended a conference in Poland, where James Jordan spoke on the subject of Solomonic literature. I took extensive notes. The following is the first of two installments. LECTURE 1 The Solomonic literature — Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes — have to do with kingship. A high prophet establishes a kingdom. Moses as a high prophet establishes Aaron as a priest. The

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1117880804378702572005-06-04T10:25:00.000Z2005-06-04T10:26:53.643Z

Men in coats

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1117806893904437822005-06-03T13:53:00.000Z2005-06-03T14:24:11.996Z

James Jordan is often castigated for his adoption of an interpretative maximalist approach to Scripture. A number of Reformed Christians are far more favourable to the approach of cautious minimalism. I have just finished writing an e-mail to a friend on the subject and thought that I would briefly share some of my (sometimes very) unpolished thoughts on the subject here. It seems to me that

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1117622712701738502005-06-01T09:39:00.000Z2005-06-01T10:45:12.736Z

I arrived back from my time in Poland last night, having thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I got to meet a few old friends and acquaintances and made a number of new ones. I attended a conference organized by a small group of Reformed churches, with James Jordan as the speaker. The lectures were on the subject of Wisdom Literature and were very thought-provoking and insightful, as one would

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116959557670824042005-05-24T18:31:00.000Z2005-05-24T18:32:37.676Z

...back late next Tuesday evening.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116915033207748012005-05-24T06:08:00.000Z2005-05-24T06:10:33.216Z

Just so that everyone knows: Biblical Horizons has been adding more back issues of the BH newsletter onto its wesite.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116828084553468802005-05-23T06:01:00.000Z2005-05-23T06:01:24.560Z

What would Jesus eat?

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116747697910807482005-05-22T07:40:00.000Z2005-05-22T07:41:37.910Z

Paul Ricoeur has died.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116747617898890532005-05-22T07:38:00.000Z2005-05-22T07:40:18.766Z

My brother Peter has a different perspective on Revenge of the Sith. Read his review here.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116704624788931772005-05-21T18:51:00.000Z2005-05-21T19:43:44.833Z

I have just returned from watching Revenge of the Sith. It was, I believe, a significant improvement on the other two prequels. However, the acting was still wooden (the droids have an excuse, but not the rest of the cast) and the plot was convoluted. The strength of the original trilogy lay in the cast (particularly Harrison Ford, who made the films for me) and in the engaging plotline. Even

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116661356164636512005-05-21T07:23:00.000Z2005-05-21T10:42:01.076Z

There are some more short videos available in the following places:— A brief collection of clips of Wright answering some questions, posted a couple of days ago: Part 1, Part 2 (should be up later today) Hauerwas discussing pacifism, shortly after 9/11 (see Nov. 4, 2001) There is also a video of a 2004 Stanley Hauerwas lecture on this page. However, I have yet to have any success in trying to

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116448868526397582005-05-18T20:36:00.000Z2005-05-18T20:41:08.540Z

The following is the continuation and conclusion of my earlier comments on the role of women. As I have already stated, these posts are not intended to give the final word on the subject. The thoughts contained below are in a rather rough and disorganized form. They need considerably polishing. Their principal purpose is to encourage discussion and provide a place where I can gather some of my

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1116410832118883292005-05-18T09:36:00.000Z2005-05-18T10:07:12.143Z

N.T. Wright — 'The Challenge of Following Jesus in the Twenty-first Century' Stanley Hauerwas — Lecturing at Yale

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115934778568387862005-05-12T21:51:00.000Z2005-05-12T21:52:58.576Z

I have just installed a search option on my blog. It will probably not be operational for a little while yet (the material on my blog still needs to be properly indexed), but I hope that it will be of use in the future.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115925885627325512005-05-12T19:21:00.000Z2005-05-12T19:24:45.636Z

Second, the relation of my own reading of Paul to the NP. Perhaps the most important point is this: had the dominant view of Paul prior to Sanders been Reformed rather than Lutheran, the NP might never have been necessary. I began my graduate work on Paul with just such a Reformed standpoint, and in many respects found Sanders an ally rather than an adversary. Since this will be counter-intuitive

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115836840605975232005-05-11T18:39:00.000Z2005-05-11T18:40:40.623Z

Having had reason recently to collect some thoughts that I have put together in the past on the role of women, I thought that I might as well post them here on my blog. They are far from comprehensive, some of them are tentative and there is little here that has not been said better elsewhere. This post is designed to serve as a discussion starter, an interim report on my thought on the subject

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115826708514349182005-05-11T15:50:00.000Z2005-05-11T15:51:48.520Z

My e-mail has been playing up today. If anyone sent me a message, it probably didn't reach me. It seems as if it is working OK now.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115816263078425642005-05-11T12:56:00.000Z2005-05-11T12:57:43.083Z

I can't wait until this site is fully up and running.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115816102048665202005-05-11T12:31:00.000Z2005-05-11T12:55:58.626Z

The last few weeks have been far less productive than usual. I have been extremely tired for much of the time. My reading has also taken a considerable dip. Last month I reread Wright's The New Testament and the People of God for the second or third time. I read Robert Jenson's On Thinking the Human, Jordan's The Sociology of the Church, Yoder's The Politics of Jesus. I have got about 70 pages

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115232562417103412005-05-04T18:45:00.000Z2005-05-04T18:49:22.423Z

Isaiah's Job Thanks to Troy Greene for reminding me of this article. It ties in very nicely with some of my recent posts on top-down reformation.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115211865478061322005-05-04T13:03:00.000Z2005-05-04T13:04:25.486Z

There seem to be some interesting videos on this page, including some MacIntyre and Hauerwas talks and discussions.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115211643834949082005-05-04T12:57:00.000Z2005-05-04T13:00:43.840Z

Tomorrow is Ascension Day. It also happens to be the day of the general election here in the UK. Unfortunately, I do not think that the crown rights of Jesus Christ are that high on the agenda of any of the major parties. I will be following the advice of Alasdair MacIntyre.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115205872813639182005-05-04T11:23:00.000Z2005-05-04T11:24:32.830Z

This post concludes my clarifying observations on James Jordan’s argument for top-down social change. I am writing in response to a number of comments that I have received, both online and offline. Dennis Hou’s thoughtful post on the subject is especially deserving of response. The criticisms given by Dennis and others are in the back of my mind as I write these thoughts. However, the thoughts

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115147028384970612005-05-03T19:03:00.000Z2005-05-03T19:03:48.383Z

Ben Witherington has a blog.

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1115143765811464782005-05-03T18:01:00.000Z2005-05-03T18:25:02.106Z

Eight centuries in one Test! And, as I forgot to mention it a few days ago: Graeme Hick, my childhood hero, just entered the all-time top ten of century-makers. Unfortunately, few of you will appreciate the true significance of all of this... *Sigh*

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1114905435573898692005-04-30T23:40:00.000Z2005-04-30T23:57:15.586Z

A number of questions and some objections have been raised in feedback to my post on James Jordan’s argument for top-down social change. Within this post (which will be followed by another, shorter post) I would like to clarify the manner in which I understand Jordan on this point, by making a number of observations in response. 1 There are different ways in which we can understand Jordan’s

Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817592.post-1114597098354605782005-04-27T09:52:00.000Z2005-04-27T10:18:18.356Z

I may not give much weight to IQ tests and the like, but I find this research on the effect of e-mails quite scary. E-mail has certainly affected my life. I believe that the quality of my writing has gone down. I may write more, but I do not put quite the same thought into that which I write. I generally receive well over one hundred e-mails every day (fortunately, I don't have to answer e-mails

Alnoreply@blogger.com