The forthcoming volume by Niels Peter Lemche titled The Old Testament Between Theology and History. It’s due out in October. Fantastic! It’s a very fine book and one you will definitely read and refer to frequently.
Gerhard von Rad was really bad at math; and he wanted to be an M.D. but his dad didn’t think he could stand up to the pressures.
A picture is worth 1000 words. Or in this case, 100,000.
Evolution- the theory of progress. In what follows I prove that devolution is in fact what happens:
And then… the devolved form
Having easily disproved evolution and instead proved devolution I think it safe to extrapolate that people have been getting uglier since Adam and Eve and that, as time goes on, they will be truly hideous looking. It happens to us each as individuals and it will happen to the species as well.
So, take that Duane, Drew, and Dawkins!!!!! Nothing to say now, is there?!
The Associated Press reports
An elementary-school event in which kids were encouraged to dress as members of the opposite gender drew the ire of a Christian radio group, whose angry broadcast prompted outraged calls to the district office. Students at Pineview Elementary in Reedsburg had been dressing in costume all last week as part of an annual school tradition called Wacky Week. On Friday, students were encouraged to dress either as senior citizens or as members of the opposite sex.
Innocent enough, right. No big deal at all. Dress up, costumes, and the like. But alas, a ‘Christian radio group’ found it offensive and indeed said boldly
“We believe it’s the wrong message to send to elementary students,” said Jim Schneider, the network’s program director. “Our station is one that promotes traditional family values. It concerns us when a school district strikes at the heart and core of the Biblical values. To promote this to elementary-school students is a great error.”
What message? Pretend. Oh heaven forfend that kids should pretend! But what annoys me most (and regular readers know how difficult it is to annoy me) is the stupid suggestion that kids playing dress up ’strikes at the heart and core of biblical values’. I don’t know what theological imperative the Christian radio folk up in Wisconsin live by, but for the rest of us allowing kids to pretend isn’t the core of anything.
It occurs to me that, in reading this, it’s no surprise that Christianity is declining. With this sort of nonsense touted as the core of the faith no wonder the world mocks and scorns. It’s mockworthy and scornworthy to opine such a thing. Shame on you people in ‘Christian Radio’ up there in the obviously far too frozen north. You’ve not helped the cause.
Probably. But if you don’t you can pass it around to your friends or send it as a gift to David Ker or Ben Byerly. But, for heaven’s sake, don’t send it to Nick Norelli- his ‘habit’ is already much too pronounced. What’s it? Eyes That See Not by Gerd Lüdemann. And it’s on sale!
Paul-olatrous Doug Chaplin wishes yours truly to be ’shuffled off this mortal coil’ by means of being cast in cement shoes into the beautiful Limmat.
His reason- because Paul preaches love! Now I might not be the smartest person on the planet – but even I know wishing another person dunked in a permanent way isn’t necessarily the most loving thing to suggest. Unless, of course, said person is an anabaptist in which case it really does make perfect sense.
But worse than wanting me dead, Doug accuses me of Zwingli-olatry. Rubbish! Zwingli was the first Christocentric theologian since, well, Jesus. That necessitates that I too be Christocentric in my theology. Doug, on the other hand, has replaced Jesus with Paul! He (along with Tilling) is therefore guilty of Paul-olatry or the act of exalting Paul above all others.
But I won’t call for their death by drowning. Instead, in Charity and Christian Compassion, I will add them to my excessively long prayer list (which takes me 18 hours a day to get through). And along with them- all Paul-olaters.
From Jack Sasson- word of this public lecture:
May 7, 2008
7:00pm
Breasted Hall
Oriental Institute, Univ. of Chicago
1155 E. 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637Excavating Ashkelon, Seaport of the Philistines – Larry Stager, Harvard University
We once knew about the mysterious Philistines mainly from the Hebrew Bible, as they were portrayed by their archenemies, the Israelites. Through the recent archaeological discoveries at three of the five main cities of the Philistines–Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron–the Philistines are beginning to speak for themselves. And their self-portrait is quite different from the stereotypical one. Their vernacular architecture and furnishings, pottery, eating and drinking preferences reflect those of the Aegean rather than the Semitic world. Recent discoveries at Ashkelon reveal for the first time that some Philistines could read and write, using an Aegean script. Our excavations shed new light on Philistine relationships with Egyptians, Canaanites, and Israelites in the early Iron Age.
This event is free and open to the public. Reception to follow. For inquiries, contact the Oriental Institute Membership Office- 773-834-9777 or oi-membership@uchicago.edu
And Shanks and Witherington and Cross and others who showed up in Toronto and who swooned over the ‘James Ossuary’. I have embedded in my memory the video tape of Fitzmyer and Cross and others standing at the glass case and marveling over the fraud.
Oh, I guess I should describe what I’m talking about. This morning Antonio Lombatti posted the photo of the forger and he noted in his post that the fellow fooled Lemaire. So I am simply adding the names of a few more notables who were duped.
I don’t frequently disagree with Antonio, but this time I do. Rather than getting a monument, the forger should get the stocks and be subjected to public ridicule in the city square.
The Annual EABS (that’s European Association of Biblical Studies) meeting will take place in August in Lisbon, Portugal. Regrettably, the cost of airfare is prohibitive (why is it so bloody expensive to fly to Lisbon- it’s like twice as much as it costs to fly to Manchester- but I digress) so that I won’t be going along this year (next year in Lincoln!).
Thankfully, others will be attending and John Lyons has already posted a preview of the session titled “The Biblical World and its Reception“. John’s just leaped to near the top of my list of people I admire – simply because he’s a planner and I do like planners.
Anyway, give John’s post a look- and salivate.
