Month: January 2014

Harvard Bible edX Course ‘Early Christianity: The Letters Of Paul’ Draws 22,000 Students From 180 Countries– And Counting

January 28, 2014

Harvard professor Laura Nasrallah’s edX online course “Early Christianity: The Letters of Paul,” has been called the largest and most concentrated scholarly discussion of Biblical studies in history, according to edX. Nasrallah told The Huffington Post via email, “The day the course launched was astonishing—like drinking from a fire hose. The edX discussion threads couldn’t … More Harvard Bible edX Course ‘Early Christianity: The Letters Of Paul’ Draws 22,000 Students From 180 Countries– And Counting

How Christian Missions influenced democracy…

January 28, 2014

Via Q, an article from Christianity Today which demonstrates the link between the work of Christian missionaries and modern democracy. The Surprising Discovery About Those Colonialist, Proselytizing Missionaries They didn’t set out to change history. But one modern scholar’s research shows they did just that. Andrea Palpant Dilley For many of our contemporaries, no one … More How Christian Missions influenced democracy…

The Cunning Linguist

January 23, 2014

Why are Liberals and Conservatives so far apart on many issues, seemingly unable to come to any common viewpoint through discussion?  Some neurological explanations have been put forward, such as that Conservatives tend to have a larger amygdala in the brain – which makes them more sensitive to feelings of fear and disgust.  However this … More The Cunning Linguist

16 Ways Progressive Christians Interpret the Bible

January 23, 2014

January 21, 2014 By Roger Wolsey  I’ve long stated that Atheists and fundamentalists each tend to read the Bible in the same wooden, overly literalistic manner. The difference is that atheists reject what they read in that manner, while fundamentalists believe it. There’s a lot of truth to that – enough that it tends to piss off … More 16 Ways Progressive Christians Interpret the Bible

The Scandal of Grace

January 18, 2014

Anthony Venn-Brown writes: On Sunday 18 August 2013, a sermon, ‘Scandal of Grace’ preached by Pastor Brian Houston, was broadcast to all Hillsong Church campuses around the world. Below is the relevant extract. “The one elephant in the room for churches around the world at the moment is the gay situation. What would Jesus do? … More The Scandal of Grace

The Greens don’t have a prayer…

January 17, 2014

From a wise Editorial in the Australian… NO book has had a greater impact on Western civilisation than the Bible. Believers or not, few would disagree. The Bible has shaped our language, art and institutions. Its Christian teachings have informed our development from exploration to enlightenment, through customs to laws, forging countries and cultures. So … More The Greens don’t have a prayer…

PC UK fines parents for taking children on holiday…

January 17, 2014

Be warned, Australia, the future of a Politically Correct overbearing nation looks something like this… From the BBC: Stewart and Natasha Sutherland fined for term-time holiday A couple who took their children on a week-long holiday during school term time have been ordered by magistrates to pay £1,000 in costs and fines. Stewart and Natasha … More PC UK fines parents for taking children on holiday…