I guess I have to admit to being a “recovering pastor” - perhaps suffering from all kinds of unknown post-traumatic stress which rises to the surface when I come into contact with things such as: church politics; people walking away from church because of some kind of dissatisfaction; and, the Sunday morning Church event. I’ve got lots of questions [...]
Archive for April, 2009
Preaching and Transformation
Posted: April 28, 2009 in Preaching, TransformationTags: liminality, Preaching, Transformation, Victor Turner, Walter Brueggemann
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Rachel Getting Married – The Reality of Forgiveness
Posted: April 23, 2009 in Forgiveness, MoviesTags: Anne Hathaway, Forgiveness, Rachel Getting Married
Think about the parable of the Prodigal Son… then imagine instead of two sons there are two daughters… and instead of a party being thrown for the younger daughter after she comes home imagine the younger son coming home to a party being thrown for the older daughter… and imagine that the younger prodigal daughter only comes home because she [...]
A Definition of Theology?
Posted: April 17, 2009 in Theology, Theology and MissionTags: Andrew Kirk, Definition of Theology, J Andrew Kirk, Theology, Theology and Mission
I’m just starting on a new chapter (or maybe it will be a section) in my PhD and I am currently working on a paragraph in which I want to define what Christian theology is. Here is what what my supervisor, Andrew Kirk, says in his book “The Mission of Theology and Theology as Mission“… [...]
Body of Lies
Posted: April 16, 2009 in Movies, The IncarnationTags: Body of Lies, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe, The Incarnation, W H Auden
Well… I’ve actually been sick (as they say in Canada) with the flu for the last couple of days. As part of my recovery I watched, in my bed of sickness, Body of Lies (a movie which I know that Ruth wouldn’t really like). It’s directed by Ridley Scott and is fairly typical of his movies [...]
Jesus is for Losers
Posted: April 13, 2009 in Jesus, MusicTags: calamateur, Jesus, Jesus is for losers, steve turner
… the self-made need not apply! I just came across an amazing album by Scottish artist Calamateur called Jesus is for Losers. You can download the album for free here, plus give a donation if you wish (for which you will get an extra 5 song EP download). The album is made up of 11 songs about [...]
A Song For Good Friday
Posted: April 9, 2009 in Music, The CrossTags: Faith Folk and Anarchy, Good Friday, Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar, Martyn Joseph, Strange Way
I’m a Martyn Jospeh fan – incredible wordsmith and also pretty nifty guitarist as well! I’ve been listening to this song fairly regularly over the last few months – reflecting on the various ways in which “the cross” can be thought about. The Apostle Paul says the cross is a stumbling block to both Jews and Greek [...]
Heroes – A Prayer for God to “Just Show Up”.
Posted: April 8, 2009 in Forgiveness, TV ShowsTags: Confession, Heroes, Jesus Christ, Prayer
I’m watching “Heroes” with the girls (not quite Ruth’s thing). There is probably not another TV show at present which mentions God as much. Until recently there was a voice over introduction and conclusion to each episode which asked profound questions about who we are as humans – and often in relation to God and [...]
The Boy in the Stripped Pygamas
Posted: April 5, 2009 in Movies, The IncarnationTags: Incarnation, The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas
We’ve just finished watching “The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas” – a “Holocaust story” about a young German boy and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish child. The movie has had very mixed reviews. It gets a 63 on Rottentomatoes and on metacritic gets a 55 (with ratings ranging from 100 to 0). But 3 out the [...]
Getting Beyond the Bible
Posted: April 3, 2009 in Book Reviews, Contextualization, HermeneuticsTags: biblical interpretation, Contextualization, Hermeneutics, Howard Marshall, Kevin Vanhoozer, Stanley Porter, the development of doctrine, the parables of Jesus
I’ve just finished reading I. Howard Marshall’s ”Beyond the Bible: Moving from Scripture to Theology”. I’m just starting a new PhD chapter/section which will look at theology as a third level missional “speech-act” (of the church). My previous chapter/section looked at Jesus Christ as the first level missional “speech-act” and the Bible as a second level missional [...]
