Category: Interesting

Apologetics, Assemblies of God, Enrichment Journal, Interesting, TheologyLeave a comment

A Pentecostal Way Forward Through the Challenges of Science*

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Every day, it seems, scientists uncover new wonders — both large and small — in our world. These wonders redound to God’s glory, for He created them all. And among those wonders, surely the human mind ranks high. Aside from the angels, only humans are able to perceive God’s handiwork and praise Him for it. Yet many humans do not. Instead, they “suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18). Consequently, “although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (1:21). By they, … Continue reading A Pentecostal Way Forward Through the Challenges of Science*

Book Reviews, InterestingLeave a comment

Aleppo Codex: The History Of The Oldest Hebrew Bible

georgepwood

Over at HuffPost Religion, Matti Friedman writes about the Aleppo Codex: The Aleppo Codex is a book, one of the most important on earth. I wrote a book about this book. These things seemed clear to me, yet when my deadline passed and I finally looked up to find myself staring into the dead electronic eye of the Kindle Fire, I saw that the meaning of “book” had been altered and that I had just spent these years of revolution engrossed in a mirror image of the present. To prepare this codex, tanners scrubbed, stretched and cut animal hides into … Continue reading Aleppo Codex: The History Of The Oldest Hebrew Bible

Current Events, Interesting, Politics & CultureLeave a comment

Apocalypse Now and Then: Our Global Death Wish

georgepwood

An interesting post on by Jay Michaelson over at Religion Dispatches: Today is no different. For example, within the evangelical world — which, let’s remember, includes between 30% and 40% of all Americans — there is a split between postmillennialists, who believe that Christ’s peaceful reign on earth will follow a gradual improvement in human life, and the more familiar premillennialists, who believe that Christ will suddenly come back, destroy the current order, and replace it with a new one. From a progressive perspective, both of these views can be problematic.  Many postmillennialists insist that we must transform America into … Continue reading Apocalypse Now and Then: Our Global Death Wish

Interesting, Ministry1 Comment

‘I wish every church said what this church says in their bulletin …’ Jon Acuff

georgepwood

He’s talking about the bulletin of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Community in Dunedin, Florida. Here’s what the bulletin says: We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, dirt poor, yo no habla Ingles. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rail or could afford to lose a few pounds. We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or like our pastor who can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up or just got out … Continue reading ‘I wish every church said what this church says in their bulletin …’ Jon Acuff

Assemblies of God, InterestingLeave a comment

‘Mystery Guests’ Rank Churches Based on First-Time Visits: Churches with 300-500 in Attendance Perform Best

georgepwood

When it comes to making a good first impression, which church scores best? Mega (1,000+), large (300-500), or micro (<80)? First-time visitors to churches across the country say churches with 300 to 500 attendees perform the best when it comes to first impressions, according to a recent report. Their experiences at mega churches and smaller-sized congregations weren’t quite as enjoyable. Faith Perceptions partnered with church leaders and sent out “mystery guests” to rate their first-time visits at churches varying in size from dozens of members to over a thousand. They found that “large” churches – with average weekly attendance of … Continue reading ‘Mystery Guests’ Rank Churches Based on First-Time Visits: Churches with 300-500 in Attendance Perform Best

Current Events, InterestingLeave a comment

Hotel Replaces Gideon Bibles with Fifty Shades of Grey

georgepwood

Over at Forbes, Steve Cooper reports: While the eyes of the world are beginning to focus on London for the 2012 Olympic Games, my attention is diverted north toward the Lake District of England. This is where you’ll find the Damson Dene Hotel, a 40-bedroom retreat that has made the bold decision to replace the Gideon Bible in each room with the smash hit “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E. L. James. On his blog Innkeeper Jonathan Denby explained the decision noting the world is a more secular place, no one reads the bible (some even dislike that it’s in … Continue reading Hotel Replaces Gideon Bibles with Fifty Shades of Grey

InterestingLeave a comment

On the Origin of Homo Grillicus: Our love of summer barbecuing—and of meat in general—traces back to fortunate mutations in our DNA

georgepwood

Sam Kean takes a few minutes to ruminate on why humans are carnivores: Kangaroo ham. Rhino pie. Trunk of elephant. Horse’s tongue. Domestic life was a trifle off at William Buckland’s home. Some visitors to his Oxford, England, house in the early 1800s best remembered his front hallway, lined with the grinning skulls of fossilized monsters. Others recalled the live monkeys swinging around. But no one could forget Buckland’s diet. A deeply religious geologist, he held the story of Noah dear, and he ate his way through most of Noah’s ark. There were only a few animals he couldn’t stomach: … Continue reading On the Origin of Homo Grillicus: Our love of summer barbecuing—and of meat in general—traces back to fortunate mutations in our DNA

Apologetics, Interesting1 Comment

Conceding a Point is Not a Slippery Slope

georgepwood

Leah Libresco provides some good advice about having “better arguments. (She is a recent atheist convert to Christianity, by the way.) Sometimes, being honest means updating in the ‘wrong’ direction.  Although, in the long term, you should expect your beliefs to drift toward the correct answer, there’s no reason to expect that you approach that answer monotonically (always moving in the same direction). We can have better arguments if both players understand this fact, so no one treats it as a humiliating defeat if you concede that a piece of evidence meshes better with your opponent’s position than your own. … Continue reading Conceding a Point is Not a Slippery Slope