When Dallas Theological Seminary professor Daniel Wallace examined New Testament manuscripts stored in the National Archive in Albania last June, he was amazed by what he did not find. The story of the woman caught in adultery, usually found in John 7:53-8:11, was missing from three of the texts, and was out of place in a fourth, tacked on to the end of John’s Gospel.
Theologians have grappled with the issue of why God allows evil and suffering in the world since the book of Job–and likely before. Beliefnet is hosting a very interesting debate/dialogue on the problem between Bart Ehrman and N.T. Wright.
New research shows for the first time that we process cash and social values in the same part of our brain (the striatum)—and likely weigh them against one another when making decisions. So what’s more important—money or social standing? It might be the latter, according to two new studies published in the journal Neuron
If you love me, Jesus says, you will do something and I will do something. You will do what I have set out for you to do: Love one another. Serve others humbly. Reach out to those in need. Be an agent of healing and life. And, if you love me, I will provide you with another Friend. I will not be with you in the flesh, but Someone will be with you always: the Spirit of Truth.
The Archbishop of Canterbury was interviewed on Britain’s Radio Channel 4 yesterday, addressing topics such as financial literacy among youths, the credit crunch, and the government’s role in addressing the wealth gap.
Douglas Todd, who maintains the Vancouver Sun faithblog “The Search,” has written about theologian James Packer’s recent announcement that he is affiliating with the Southern Cone. Packer, named one of the 25 most influential evangelicals by Time magazine, announced his departure from the Diocese of British Columbia earlier this week, condemning what he calls “poisonous liberalism.” Todd also quotes the Rev. Kevin Dixon of St. Mary’s Anglican Church, who points to Packer’s literalism as leading down the same path of logic that could be used to support slavery.
USA Today takes a look at the phenomenon of podcasting sermons and other faith-related content, with commentary focusing on editorial practices that keep the message on target, however subjective the target might be. The article looks as sites such as God’s iPod (which, it should be noted, now has an application called God’s iPhone), SermonAudio, GodTube, and RabbiPod.
For many Episcopalians—indeed, many people of faith, every day is Earth Day. The Rev. Sally Bingham founded Interfaith Power and Light (then Episcopal Power and Light) in 1998 as an initiative to allow churches to purchase renewable energy and is part of The Regeneration Project, an “interfaith ministry devoted to deepening the connection between ecology and faith.”
The Episcopal Public Policy Network, an official part of the Episcopal Church can only participate in initiatives that have clear sponsorship by the General Convention or Executive Council. So far, in the years following the most recent General Convention, this work has focused on native american initiatives, climate change, immigration, and economic parity.
The author, James Baldwin spoke about the danger of allies with savior complexes. Have any of us had experiences with allies who thought of their role in that way? Have we fallen into that mode of acting ourselves?