Heath Thomas, Jeremy Evans, and Paul Copan have edited a very fine book called Holy War in the Bible: Christian Morality and an Old Testament Problem. It deals with the troubling appearance of God-endorsed warfare in Scripture from a biblical-theological, philosophical, and ethical perspectives. Check out the promotional videos from IVP, one that features editor […]

A month or two ago, I wrote about the relationship between a recurring comment and evangelical postures toward the Bible. I’ve been struck by something else I’ve occasionally heard.  I wonder if it, too, reflects an inappropriate posture toward Scripture and how Christians ought to relate to other people. While discussing biblical or theological concepts […]

I’ve picked up for my summer reading Frank Matera’s God’s Saving Grace: A Pauline Theology.  For Matera, three implicit narratives underlie Pauline theology: The first is the narrative of Paul’s own life.  It begins with the experience of God’s saving grace in Christ that was revealed to Paul at the moment of his call and […]

A few weeks ago, Peter Enns reflected on his move from teaching in a seminary to teaching Bible at a Christian college. I moved in the opposite direction after teaching undergrads for seven years. I loved teaching college students.  Undergrads have lots of energy and are always up for a laugh.  They have great sensitivity to […]

I’ve taken a bit of a sabbatical from the blog over the last week or two. I’ve just completed my second year of teaching at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and it’s been a supremely fulfilling season. I’m in the midst of the transition from the school year to a summer schedule and am anticipating some […]

Stanley Hauerwas delivered this wonderful sermon last month for the Duke Divinity School Closing Convocation. I love his plainspoken counsel, appropriating Jesus’ question to Peter for those headed into the ministry, “do you love me?” Do you love me?  The question cannot be avoided.  The question certainly cannot be avoided by those in the ministry.  […]

It’s that time of year again—student evaluations.  In colleges and universities, students are evaluating their professors and the classes they’ve taken. This is an essential part of quality control and offers students an opportunity to help professors evaluate their performance and improve their classes. Some thoughts on making the most of this exercise: First, when […]

A colleague stopped me in the hallway last week and passed on a positive comment from a student about one of my classes.  It was a shot in the arm and I appreciated it. It got me thinking about academic environments and passing on encouraging words.  In his memoir, Hannah’s Child, Stanley Hauerwas notes that […]

I have so thoroughly enjoyed teaching 1 Corinthians this semester.  It’s been a blast to participate in wonderful discussions with students keen to kick around every aspect of the text and its theological implications. At point after point, Paul stresses the unity of the church and the corporate character of Christian discipleship. His statement in […]

Several months ago, I reflected on teaching about cruciformity in various settings.  Some folks bristle at such talk because it sounds like passivity, resignation, surrender, or withdrawal. I suspect this is the case because in a world dominated by violence, we can only imagine inflicting violence on others or being the objects of violence.  You’re […]