Cooling Twilight

Category: Misc

  • On Guns

    On Guns

    Do you feel lucky?

    Guns, gun control, gun rights — these are hot topics these days, and rightly so. They’re complex social and political issues and the rhetoric on both sides is often off-putting and entirely unhelpful. As with abortion, arguing about the extreme ends of the issue does little to address the enormity of the problem in the middle. It’s clear that we shouldn’t outlaw owning any and every firearm, and it’s equally clear that we shouldn’t allow unrestricted access to any and every firearm. But where to draw the line between those two extremes? That’s where things get messy. (more…)

  • Who said writing theological limericks can’t be lucrative?

    Who said writing theological limericks can’t be lucrative?

    Apocryphal Tony Jones cardMy thanks to Tony Jones for running his Theologian Trading Card Contest. It turns out that I was a lucky winner thanks to this limerick about Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza:

    To Schüssler Fiorenza women are indebted.
    Before her they were largely uncredited.
    She thoughtfully shared
    And with boldness declared
    A feminist theology intrepid!

    Somewhat oddly, my limerick about Schüssler Fiorenza didn’t garner me a card signed by her, but instead I won a signed Kevin J. Vanhoozer card — though I have no real complaints about what was a great contest with great prizes! (Although there was one snide comment from an unnamed significant other who said the quality of my limericks offended her sensibilities as an English Literature major and as a human being. To that sentiment I demur, though I’ll readily agree that it would be unwise to quit my day job in order to pursue a career of theological limerick writing.)

    And, even if you missed this contest, you can still purchase your own set of Theologian Trading Cards.

  • Christmas Conspiracy?

    Christmas Conspiracy?

    Cigarette Smoking ManOn Christmas Eve I received a padded manila envelope in the mail. It was addressed to me in careful script. The return address listed a PO box in North Carolina and a name I’ve never heard of (if you’re reading this, hello!). In tiny letters on the lower right corner of the envelope was written “JFK”.

    Despite warnings from my wife about anthrax and letter bombs, I tore it open and discovered a CD‑R inside, labeled “Kennedy 2hrs”. Again throwing caution to the wind, I popped it into my computer and was treated to a montage of video clips documenting the “truth” about the Kennedy assassination.
    (more…)

  • No Words

    No Words

  • It’s All Greek To Me

    It’s All Greek To Me

    When I write posts referencing Greek words or when I have discussions about the meanings of words in particular Bible verses, I’m never sure to what extent others are familiar with Koine Greek. Can I write μέτοχος? Should I transliterate it to metochos? Or maybe the answer is that you should learn Greek!

    Every Christian who is serious about studying the Bible (and that should included every Christian) should have at least a basic familiarity with biblical Greek. That means knowing the Greek alphabet, being able to read and pronounce Greek words and having a basic understanding of how the language works. Mastering these rudiments will open up vast resources for furthering your Biblical knowledge. (more…)

  • Social Media Links

    Social Media Links

    Just a reminder that we have a Facebook Page, a Twitter feed, an RSS feed and an email subscription option. There’s no excuse for not keeping up with the action around here.