Chaplainmike

My Ancestors’ (not so great) Interaction with the Church (Part 1 – Reginald Fitzurse)

Pull up a chair, and put up your feet. It’s story time! I don’t know if you have ever researched your family tree, but I have had some success in finding out a fair bit about mine. Among the more interesting stories have been tales of conflict with the church. This is the first ofContinue reading “My Ancestors’ (not so great) Interaction with the Church (Part 1 – Reginald Fitzurse)”

A shepherd’s ambiguous apologetic

I confess. I have no apologetic. There is no defending God. There is no proving his way is right. To do so would require that I understand God, that I can substantiate the claims of truth my faith calls me to hold. I can explain what I believe well enough. I can demonstrate to aContinue reading “A shepherd’s ambiguous apologetic”

Tokah’s Journey

Note from CM: Tokah is a friend. She has been a faithful reader and commenter here on IM for several years, and we’ve had the chance to meet and enjoy a meal together. Tokah has a unique life-perspective that has enriched this blog, from her participation in an Orthodox congregation to her physical challenges. AContinue reading “Tokah’s Journey”

IM Book Review: Disarming Scripture

Disarming Scripture: Cherry-Picking Liberals, Violence-Loving Conservatives, and Why We All Need to Learn to Read the Bible Like Jesus Did Derek Flood Metanoia Books (2014) • • • Note from CM: This book review is part of a “blog tour” to which the author invited me. Occasionally, publishers will send me books or authors willContinue reading “IM Book Review: Disarming Scripture”

iMonk Classic: Letters to Santa

Note from CM: Saturday was the observance of St. Nicholas Day. Nicholas was born in the third century in what is now southern Turkey. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, hisContinue reading “iMonk Classic: Letters to Santa”

Advent with Christina Rossetti (2)

Friday was Christina Rossetti’s birthday. She was born December 5, 1830. During this Advent season we are considering some of her seasonal poems, using them as material for meditation and contemplation as we prepare for celebrating the birth of Christ. The following excerpt from Rossetti’s biographical page at The Poetry Foundation explains her religious affiliationContinue reading “Advent with Christina Rossetti (2)”

Saturday Ramblings: Dec 6, 2014

Saturday Ramblings, December 6, 2014 About 15 degrees cooler, and I would be writing you from a winter wonderland. Here in central Indiana on Friday we were expecting 1″-2″ of rain and there were flood warnings throughout the region. No sleigh rides for a while, I’m afraid. We don’t even like taking the Rambler outContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings: Dec 6, 2014”

Ambiguity

Discuss. Update: Only a few have commented on the word “Abiguity”. I am interested in hearing what people might think about why I used that word.

“10 Words” from the OT that guide my journey

Let me mention Peter Enns once more this week. A couple of days ago he ran a stimulating post called 10 Old Testament passages that shape how I think about God. It’s good stuff, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to read it. Well, that got me thinking about what I might put on a listContinue reading ““10 Words” from the OT that guide my journey”

Fundamental mistakes in reading Genesis 1-2

Many of the debates people have about Genesis 1-2 and creation stay on a rhetorical level: “literal” vs. “metaphorical,” “historical” vs. “mythic,” concordant with modern science or representing Ancient Near East cosmology, and so on. Today I’d like to bypass all of that and look at a few interpretive issues in the text itself thatContinue reading “Fundamental mistakes in reading Genesis 1-2”