Bible

Old Testament Celebrities! (Part 3 of 4)

Jun
08
2010

donny

Part 1; Part 2; and now: Joseph Flamboyant dresser. One of Jacob’s twelve sons. The ultimate victim of sibling rivalry: his brothers sold him into slavery. Had “a beautiful body and handsome face,” which (due to lustful wife of powerful master) ended up getting him thrown into prison. Unique ability to interpret dreams ended up [...]

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Old Testament Celebrities! (Part 1 of 4)

Jun
06
2010

Something Old Testamenty seems to be happening here

You’ve heard their dramatic tales! You’ve gasped at their wondrous adventures! You’ve been amazed at how little space their stories actually take up in the Bible! You’ve tried to imagine what they actually looked like! Some of them you’ve kind of pretty much forgotten about, because … you know, it’s the gargantuanlly dense Old Testament.

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What is the Latin Vulgate?

Jun
04
2010

stjer1

(To understand the “Okay, Fine:” part of this post’s title, read yesterday’s “What Am I Going To Do With You People?“) By the early fourth century A.D. there was circulating throughout the young Christian church in Europe and North Africa countless versions of the Bible translated into Latin, by then widely spoken throughout the Roman [...]

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Should Christians Care About the Old Testament?

May
24
2010

714639_bible_study

A young Christian guy wrote to ask, “Do I really have to care all that much about the Old Testament?” My answer: If you want to care about something Jesus himself was deeply passionate about, then, yes, you need to care about the Old Testament.

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My Answer to Christians Denouncing R. Crumb’s “Genesis Illustrated”

Dec
03
2009

church_lady

Yesterday I wrote that I fail to understand how any Christian could not welcome R. Crumb’s Monumental “History of Genesis Illustrated.” Naturally enough, a Christian or three wrote to tell me how. So I thought I’d present the Christian arguments against the book of which I’ve been made aware—and then (in order to save time [...]

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R. Crumb’s Monumental “The Book of Genesis Illustrated”

Dec
02
2009

rcrumbbook

I fail to see how any Christian could not welcome R. Crumb’s monumental “Book of Genesis Illustrated.”

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Posts by Theme

Christian Issues

Evangelicals and Muslims: Both Love Jesus

Aug
18
2010

muslims_believe_in_jesus

Today at lunch I asked Pastor Bob, “If you could say any one thing about Islam or Muslims to American Christians, or to Americans generally, what would it be?” As he started talking, I started taking notes. This is what he said.

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Relationships

When Your Heart Leaves Home

Aug
27
2011

panddaughter

The reflections of a good man upon the occasion of his daughter leaving home for college.

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Christian Spirituality

What Jesus Left Out of The Great Commandment

Oct
31
2011

1343788_radio_antenna

“Why would Jesus leave something important out of the Great Commandment? I believe it was so that we could discover that thing for ourselves.”

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Humor

Why Aren’t Fundamentalists Telepathic Comedians?

Feb
28
2011

mindboy

I knew I’d end up in hell! There’s such a dangblangit fine line between “Funny!” and “Meet Snikky and Snarky, the two fanged minions who throughout eternity will be jabbing at you with searing tridents. Have fun, funny boy!”

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Pastor Bob's Corner

A Primer on Islam: The Basics (Lesson 1 of 6)

Sep
30
2011

pastorbob1

Hi. I’m Pastor Bob. This is the first lesson of a multi-week class on Islam I taught for a large gathering of folks from multiple congregations: Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, recovering agnostics, etc.

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Personal

My Five Reasons For Not Having Children

Nov
20
2009

world

When young my wife and I decided not to have children. Here’s why.

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