Faith no more

A list of (prominent) people explaining why they are an atheist: New Statesman - Faith no more

Serving to Master Two? — Historical Background and the Bible

In this video, D. A. Carson and John Piper discuss the role of extrabiblical sources in biblical interpretation

Serving to Master Two? — Historical Background and the Bible - Desiring God:

Rebel Catholic priest Peter Kennedy still believes in God, but not in Jesus

At least he got sacked: Rebel Catholic priest Peter Kennedy still believes in God, but not in Jesus | News.com.au:

SACKED Catholic priest Peter Kennedy says he hasn't given up on God and prayer, but no longer believes in Jesus.

Father Kennedy, dismissed by the church for unorthodox practices, says he now considers Jesus 'a fable'.

Play the Man

Turns out I must be out of the evangelical blogging sphere as I missed all this (and Driscoll isn't my "friend" on facebook): Play the Man – Kevin DeYoung:

Some of you have probably been following Effemigate—the latest controversy to follow Seattle Pastor Mark Driscoll. The timeline looks like this: a couple weeks ago Driscoll posted something on Facebook about effeminate worship leaders. Christian blogger Rachel Held Evans called Driscoll a bully. Over at the World blog, Anthony Bradley criticized Evans’ comments as libel. Even Brian McLaren added his two cents with a predictable morality tale about two kinds of “evangelicals.” In a subsequent post Driscoll called his Facebook line “a flippant comment.” He reports that his executive elders sat him down and challenged him “to do better by hitting real issues with real content in a real context.” This is wise counsel. Driscoll’s Facebook comment was bound to create more heat than light. It was an unwise way to talk about a serious issue.

First Person: The Bible as a Source of Testable Hypotheses

You can't use the bible in archaeology. First Person: The Bible as a Source of Testable Hypotheses | Biblical Archaeology Review | Bible History Articles:

I would have thought that Eilat would have been praised for proceeding quite scientifically—according to the vaunted scientific method that has produced so much for our civilization. As I understand it, you formulate a hypothesis and then you proceed to test it, either proving or disproving it. Eilat had a hypothesis and she wanted to test it by digging.

But you can’t do that in the case of the Bible, according to Ronny.

Religion and Intelligence

...the level of atheism could range from 18 percent up to 42 percent, with the average IQ at 100. Maybe it’s time to turn that unicycle into a plant stand.

There is no consistent relationship between religion and IQ.

Religion and Intelligence | Jesus Creed

Christianity & Human Relationships: Jesus’ Family in the Jesus’ Movement

An interesting article on the traditions of Jesus' family: Christianity & Human Relationships: Jesus’ Family in the Jesus’ Movement:

To take a starring example, Jesus’ own relatives played a key role in early Christianity.

So you think you understand the cosmological argument?

Quite a good article debunking popular ideas on a classical proof for God: Edward Feser: So you think you understand the cosmological argument?:

I will deal here with some of the non-serious objections, though. In particular, what follows is intended to clear away some of the intellectual rubbish that prevents many people from giving the argument a fair hearing. To get to the point(s), then:

How much Scripture to preach on?

Is it really expository if you are going slowly through a book, or is it really thematic? How much Scripture to preach on? « Shored Fragments:

The reason for this is rather simple: there is an recent British tradition of ‘expository’ (meaning of scare quotes will become obvious) preaching, traceable back to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, although not much further, and presently reinforced by currently-popular neo-Reformed writings, that measures commitment to Scripture by, roughly, how slowly you preach through it. The practice of spending several years preaching through Romans or Philippians verse by verse-fragment demonstrates, it is held, a high view of Scripture because it is being taken seriously, mined slowly for all of its meaning.

I confess to being profoundly unimpressed by this argument

My thoughts on the CJ fiasco

Another summary of the C.J. situation. Some guy didn't like how the church handled his case, so he leak 600 emails online to convince anyone that he was wronged. My thoughts on the CJ fiasco | The Cripplegate:

The main accuser, Brent Detwiler, put out over 600 pages of emails interspersed with his own commentary to make those points. I have read much of those 600 pages, and let me save you some time by telling you this: 1. Don’t waste your time. These things have been downloaded 55,000 times, and I feel sorry for anyone who has read more than 10 pages of them; 2. There is no smoking gun. Strip away all of the commentary and whining, and you are left with a picture of a pastor who is running an organization, and some associates who feel slighted.

Pastoral questions about the Mahaney situation

I don't know enough (and maybe I shouldn't) about C.J stepping down for a bit to comment, but this raises some good questions: Pastoral questions about the Mahaney situation « Expository Thoughts:

The best advice I can give a younger pastor is to stay away from controversies that are not impacting your particular church. Keep your head down, preach the Word, love the people, stay out of politics. Generally speaking, this should serve you well.The opposite of this is currently being played out on the internet and in the circles of the restless-reformed crowd. Here are a few questions that come to mind:

Faith On Trial – Kevin DeYoung

A good forward by DeYoung on a book by Lloyd-Jones: Faith On Trial – Kevin DeYoung:

I suppose a foreword is kind of like a big endorsement, a really long one that gets put at the front of the book instead of the back. The prospective reader is meant to think, “Hey, would you look at that—someone I know really likes this book written by someone I’ve never heard of.” The foreword grabs your attention and makes you say, “I’ll give this book a try.”

Herein lies my dilemma with the book in your hands: I should not be writing a foreword for Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I mean, he never even asked for one!

Not Your Typical Surprise Party

a retelling of a story by Campolo: Not Your Typical Surprise Party | The Resurgence:

Wouldn’t we all? Wouldn’t we all love to join a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning?... But anybody who reads the New Testament will discover a Jesus who loved to party with prostitutes and with all kinds of left-out people. The tax collectors and 'sinners' loved him because he partied with them. The lepers of society found in him someone who would eat and drink with them. And while the solemnly pious people could not relate to what he was about, those lonely people who usually didn’t get invited to parties took to him with excitement.

The Issue Under a Lot of Issues

Driscoll is going to start a new blog on gender issues sometime latter this year: The Issue Under a Lot of Issues | The Resurgence:

Not only do the debates rage about gender in the church, but increasingly, the least likely person to be found in church is a twenty-or-thirty-something single male. So, it’s important to ponder, how can believers speak to the gender issue, which is the issue under many issues raging in the church and culture? How can the church compel men to rise up without pushing women down? And, does the Bible have wisdom for us today about such things as women and men dressing and acting in ways that are specific to their gender, as Paul tells the Corinthians, or is that culturally-outdated misogyny that inhibits the progress of our spirituality as we purchase clothes at American Apparel?

Biblical Authority in an Age of Uncertainty

A good discussion with Keller, Piper and Carson on certainty in the bible: Biblical Authority in an Age of Uncertainty – The Gospel Coalition Blog:

Does drawing lines and making clear connections from the Bible make you arrogant?