St. Chad the Pedestrian
So, another week, another feast for an Anglo-Saxon saint: February 2, the Feast of St. Chad. Don’t remember Chad? Oh, surely you recall those obnoxious little flecks of paper in…
The Verse Right Before: A Reflection on the Lectionary Texts for 7 March 2010
Revised Common Lectionary Page for 7 March 2010 (Third Sunday of Lent, Year C) Isaiah 55:1-9 • Psalm 63:1-8 • 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 • Luke 13:1-9 Two of this week’s readings feature some…
Just a Dumb Ol' Conservative Theist
So, as I lazily surfed the internet this morning, I pulled up ScienceDaily, my favorite one-stop-shopping site for scientific news of all sorts. (Yes, I do have scientific interests: technology,…
A Note on Marriage
Last week’s Christ the Center podcast (a show I almost always enjoy but always find something to get angry about) featured an extended interview with Michael Haykin, who has apparently…
The City that Kills Prophets: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 28 February 2010
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for 28 February 2010 (Year C, Lent) Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 • Psalm 27 • Philippians 3:17-4:1 • Luke 13:31-35 Abraham’s story is one that tempts me towards sloppy thinking…
Of Dragon-slaying and Human Dignity
I’ve always been a sucker for a good monster story. As a boy, I would browse through my parents’ books, especially the encyclopedias, and stop whenever I saw an illustration…
A New Kind of Christianity: A Review for The Ooze Viral Blogs
A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith By Brian D. McLaren 320 pp. HarperOne. $24.99 When I praise Plato and defend my teaching Republic to…
Getting the Story Right: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 21 February 2010
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for 21 February 2010 (Lent, Year C) Deuteronomy 26:1-11 • Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 • Romans 10:8b-13 • Luke 4:1-13 I’m a bit ashamed to admit that, although I could…
Fads, Fundamentals, Shibboleths, and Such
What I Have Learned in 50 Years as a Theologian part 1 by Jack Cottrell Yes, that’s my tradition. As some of CHB’s readers know, I was baptized into Christ…
The Body and the Glory: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 14 February 2010
Revised Common Lectionary readings for 14 February 2010 (Epiphany, Year C) Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration is one of those stories that I’d like…
Self-Promotion
For anyone who’s interested, I have an article (“William Faulkner’s Failed Augustine”) in the current issue of The Explicator (January-March 2010). Here’s the webpage. But if you want to read…
Kings and the Kingdom
Today, the third of February, is feast day of St. Laurence (Laurentius) of Canterbury. He was an early figure of the branch of Christendom we might style “Germanic”: St. Laurence,…
The Strangeness of Sin: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 7 February 2010
Revised Common Lectionary readings for 7 February 2010 (Epiphany, Year C) Isaiah 6:1-13 Psalm138 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 It’s not hard to affirm or criticize youth ministers’ commonplaces. I…