Honzo March 13th, 2008
1. What translation of the Bible do you like best?
Depends on what I am doing. For personal use, I like the NLT because I am a vernacularist. When it comes to indepth academic study, I go with the NRSV and the NASB.
2. Old or New Testament?
While the correct answer is both, in reality, I go with the New Testament. I am a Christian and not a pre-rabbinic Jew, so the NT gets the nod when I am asked.
3. Favorite Book of the Bible?
Romans, hands down… and Genesis and John.
4. Favorite Chapter?
John 3
5. Favorite Verse?
Romans 8:1
6. Bible character you think you’re most like?
Depends on who you ask - I am sure some ’round here and other parts would liken me to those pesky prophets of Baal. But, self identification? Lamech, because when I have lived 182 years I want to become the father of a tike named Noah. That, or I am skirting the question because I don’t like throwing myself onto those people.
7. One thing from the Bible that confuses you?
Paul and the Law - What gives?
8. Moses or Paul?
Paul, all the way.
9. A teaching from the Bible that you struggle with or don’t get?
The stuff that the people writing in Paul’s name tell women to do.
10. Coolest name in the Bible?
Not in the Bible, but the coolest renaming of anyone in the Bible is God himself, when certain Gnostics equate the OT God with the demiurge and name him Yaldabaoth. I know he becomes the evil creator of matter and is holding all of us back and that we need to gets that knowledge, but I still want to name one of my children after him.
Andrew Pflaum December 8th, 2007
Here is an interesting (new?) Bible that is published by the International Bible Society, called The Books Of The Bible. It is very interesting. What it does is it first takes out all of the chapter and verse titles that you would see in a standard Bible. Then it places the books in Chronological order. I think that it is very interesting because it takes away many distractions that are in the Bible and allows for a better reading, because it reads more like a novel. Some differences in order seen is that the New Testament starts with Luke-Acts, two volumes of the same history, the follows into Paul’s letters. The Old Testament ends in Daniel.
While this may not be the best study tool, it appears to be a better read than a typical Bible. It uses the TNIV translation. It may also make it much easier for a new Christian to read and understand. I encourage everyone to check it out.
Honzo October 15th, 2007
BOOK REVIEW : A Review of “Become a Better You” by Joel Osteen from Challies Dot Com
A scathing review of our favorite Bible exegete.
Osteen seems unable or unwilling to bring the power of the gospel to bear on life–real life. Life, he teaches, is not a meant to bring glory to God, but is meant to bring blessing and ease to the individual.
CHRISTIAN HISTORY : Skarsaune and the Jerusalem Council from The Forbidden Gospel’s Blog
DeConnick talks about a plausible explanation of the Jerusalem council, given the contradictions in Paul’s letters and Acts.
- Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem: Gal 1:18=Acts 9:26-30
- Paul’s second visit to Jerusalem: Gal 2:1-10=Acts 11:30; 12:25
- Antiochean Affair: Gal 2:11-14=Acts 15:1-3
- The writing of Galatians: before the council in Acts 15
- Paul’s third visit to Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Council: Acts 15:2-29
DeConnick thinks that there are some problems with this, but that it is a good start. She follows up this post with What about this scenario? where she proposes a new sequence of events that is too long to quote here.
RELIGIOUS THINKING : Inerrant, infallible, inspired from 4Simpsons Blog by Neil
A devotional conclusion on Christians and the [un]holy trinity of loaded i-words: inerrant, infallible, and inspired.
We can read the Bible with confidence that God has transmitted his Word to us accurately. Sometimes the words inerrant and infallible are too loaded with various meanings to be helpful, so I like to emphasize that the original writings of the Bible turned out just the way God wanted them to.
RELIGIOUS LIVING : The Center from Bentch.com
“Each day you have to decide, am I going to be Christ-centered or self-centered?”
I love this because it reminds me that life is not all about me. It is about showing others Christ’s love.
BIBLE TRANSLATION : Gender language literally speaking from the Better Bibles Blog
I have to wonder if most people really do think that gender neutral language is less literal than gender specific language. Each case has to be assessed in isolation and then the group as a whole.
First, brothers and sisters…