May 2009
3 posts
Changes
I am in the process of migrating everything over from this tumblr blog to a wordpress blog. All of the posts have already been migrated over, but the comments did not remain. I hate this, but the best export tool I found did great, but just apparently missed the comments. Oh well.
The web address will remain the same, please bear with me, as this is a first for me.
If things go south for a...
4 tags
Buechner on Remembering
I was looking for this quote the other night, but mistakenly thought it was a Bonhoeffer quote. Glad I found it. Frederick Buechner on remembering:
When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us....
2 tags
2 tags
Churchgoers More Likely To Support Torture
CNN has just posted an article about a disturbing survey that has just come out.
Survey: Support for terror suspect torture differs among the faithful
White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified — more than six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only four...
April 2009
10 posts
2 tags
1 tag
Will Starve for Food
This weekend me and about 30 youth and adults from my church are going to go 30 hours without eating. Why are we doing this, you may ask and, on top of that, why am I telling you about it. I assure you that I am not telling you to bring favorable eyes upon us or to gain fame or attention for ourselves. Instead, we want to bring attention to other people and an issue that is plaguing our world:...
8 tags
Paul and the Law: The New Perspective
Below is a paper I have written on the “New Perspective on Paul” and that I am presenting on today in class.
Enjoy and please post comments/responses.
Paul and the Law: The New Perspective Publish at Scribd or explore others: Research paul early Christianity
1 tag
Copyright Update
I have updated my copyright statement as a response to a commenter to make it more clear. It now reads:
Please note that all original posts, as opposed to links to other news stories or sites, and any photographs I have taken myself are Copyright © 2008 - 2009 Thomas Whitley. All Rights Reserved. I fully support Fair Use, and generally have no problem with others using my photographs or...
2 tags
Disclaimer and Copyright
Since I have had this blog on this domain I have had a disclaimer, but have just tonight added a blurb about copyright. I have not had an experiences with copyright being abused on my site (I’m guessing my low number of visitors helps keep things this way), but know that many others have. One blog that I read on a regular basis is having to go to “members only” requiring a login...
1 tag
What Twitter "Needs"
I received a new follower over on Twitter (follow me here) just now and went to the person’s profile to glean from the general information on his twitter page. While I was there I had two thoughts; one I’ve had before, one I haven’t. There are two things that I “need” to make Twitter more useful for me.
Thought 1: I need some way to tell how that person found me....
2 tags
“…hope is one of our duties. A part of our obligation to our own being and...”
– Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community by Wendell Berry
3 tags
Passover
The Jewish festival begins tonight at sunset and ends at sunset on 16 April. If you’re not familiar with Passover, it celebrates the Israelite Exodus from Egypt. Here is the basis from Exodus for the festival:
And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you...
Urgent Business Proposal
All my dreams can now come true. This came in to my e-mail inbox (spam-box) today:
Good Day,
My name is Mr. Song li. I work with the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong. There is a sum of $19,500,000.00 in my bank unclaimed. There were no beneficiaries stated concerning these funds which mean no one would ever come to claim it. That is why I ask that we work together.
I do solicit for your assistance in...
March 2009
8 posts
5 tags
How I Do What I Do
I really enjoy reading about what others use to do what they do. Sam Harrelson has a great post on what he uses to do what he does here. So, for some while I have wanted to post about how I get things done on a day to day basis, from hardware perspective and a software perspective.
Hardware
Most of my computing is done from one computer, my laptop is a Dell Inspiron 640m. I used to use a laptop...
3 tags
Saying What is Heard
That was the title of the final sermon by Dr. Fred Craddock at this past weekend’s CBFNC General Assembly. As I have reflected on all that I took in this past weekend I have come back to that message and a few quotes that I jotted down during it.
“Don’t let our culture dictate to you that words don’t matter.”
“The most difficult thing in the world to do, if...
3 tags
Why Churches Should Twitter
I am in Fayetteville, NC at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina’s (CBFNC) General Assembly. One of the break out session that I went to today was “Communicating Faith in an Online World.” On the whole it was pretty good, though it was aimed more at those who were less involved in the tech/online world.
The session leader, Richard Wood, gave out a short list of...
1 tag
3 tags
3 tags
2 tags
3 tags
February 2009
18 posts
2 tags
24
In honor of today being my 24th birthday, “24” by Switchfoot.
4 tags
Obama v. Jesus and Baptists & Lent
Those are just a few of the topics covered in the most recent episode of Thinking Baptists.
Thinking Baptists is a weekly podcast that I do with Sam Harrelson. We had a lot of fun recording this episode and I think I’m actually getting better at this whole podcast thing. Anyway, go check it out here and let me know what you think.
3 tags
Untranslatable
The best sentence I’ve read so far today. (I expect it will be the best I read all day too)
“…we must let God be God—untranslatable.”
Read the rest of Trevar’s post, Stepping Into the River and Translating YHWH.
4 tags
Guest Post by Trevar Simmons: The Enlightenment...
The Enlightenment Never Happened
The Enlightenment never happened.
The modern period didn’t exist.
Postmodernism is a fairy tale.
The Enlightenment, Modernism, Postmodernism, the Romantic Period, the Victorian Age, the Industrial Age. These names are paradigms, particularly worldview paradigms. They are umbrella terms that are heuristic. That is, they group a massive amount of people...
2 tags
"Ash Wednesday" A Poem by T. S. Eliot
Today in the Western Christian Calendar is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of Lent. In honor of that, I have posted “Ash Wednesday” by T. S. Eliot. This is the first poem he wrote after converting to Anglicanism in 1927.
“Ash Wednesday”
I
Because I do not hope to turn again
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man’s...
4 tags
I Hope
There has been some request that I post the sermon I preached recently on Psalm 130. I am posting it below.
I Hope
Psalm 130
My goal is to be as honest with you as possible this morning, because if I can’t be open and honest and vulnerable in my church, then where can I be?
For those of you who don’t know, I lost someone very close to me 3 ½ weeks ago. Daniel Goodman was my professor...
1 tag
Happy President's Day
Today, as you sure know, is President’s Day here in the United States. In honor of this day, do yourself a favor and learn more about the President’s our country has had. Head on over to this great site:
THE PRESIDENTS:
Since George Washington’s election in 1789, 43 men have served as President of the United States. They have led in times of peace and war, hardship and plenty,...
7 tags
Thinking Baptists, a.k.a. A Must Listen
I’ve been eager to announce this for a while now and finally can. Thinking.FM is officially up and running. The site’s creator, mastermind and Chief Thinker said this about Thinking.FM:
As you can probably tell, this is a podcast network composed of niche shows in various areas. Being a longtime podcaster and web content fanatic, I’m incredibly excited about the opportunities in this...
1 tag
Kindle 2 Video
I recently posted a brief introduction to Amazon’s Kindle 2. Below is a video that tells you all about the amazing features and the ease with which you can read from the Kindle 2. Enjoy.
4 tags
Moving in the Right Direction
The Pope issued this statement today:
“any denial or minimization of this terrible crime is intolerable,”
The Pope is, of course, speaking of the Holocaust.
The Pope is also planning to visit Israel soon, possibly in May. This is an important step forward in the recent relationship between the Vatican and Jews worldwide in the wake of comments made by Bishop Williamson, a member...
4 tags
The Divine World and the Feminine
Below is a recent presentation I did in my Old Testament Seminar on the divine world and the feminine as espoused in chapter one of Patrick Miller’s The Religion of Ancient Israel.
The Divine World and the Feminine Publish at Scribd or explore others: Presentations Academic Work judaism ancient israel
2 tags
The REAL Cause For Our Current Economic Situation
Oh how I love where I live. The newspaper in our town just published the following letter to the editor:
North Carolina is listed as one of the highest unemployment rates in America. We used to be a state that would lift up the name of Jesus and not be ashamed to say, “I am a Christian.”
Our former Gov. Easley and his staff brought in the lottery. Our mayors will not have the...
3 tags
Get Your Kindle 2 Today
The new Kindle 2 is ready to buy. The Kindle 2 is Amazon’s eBook reader. What’s the difference between the Kindle 1 and the Kindle 2?
Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or...
1 tag
Free Book...well, maybe
Head over to The Voice of Stefan and check out how he’s giving away a free book: the late Anthony J. Saldarini’s Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees in Palestinian Society (1988; reprint, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001).
It’s a great book that I have not read and I have entered myself to win this book. Also, it would not hurt you in the least to spend some time on his site checking...
3 tags
Is Obama "Blurring the Line"?
At this past week’s National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama announced that he will be establishing a White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Obama is maintaining that this does not breach the separation of church and state, but I seriously wonder. He said this of the new office:
“The goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another...
2 tags
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears...”
– Psalm 130
What I’m preaching on this morning. The title of my sermon is “I Hope.”
4 tags
Good Move, Pope
Even if it has taken worldwide outrage at his decision, the Pope has said that
Bishop Richard Williamson must “unequivocally” distance himself from his statements to serve in the Roman Catholic Church.
This is a good move, indeed, but I am concerned about another part:
The Vatican also said that the Pope had not been aware of the bishop’s views when he lifted excommunications...
2 tags
January 2009
22 posts
5 tags
Holocaust Denying Bishop Apologizes ... Sort Of
Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, reported today (original article can be found here) that Bishop Richard Williamson, who has recently been reinstated from his 20-year long excommunication by Pope B16, has written a letter and apologized. This letter, though contains no remorse for what was actually said about the Holocaust.
The letter was posted on Williamson’s personal blog and addressed to...
5 tags
Lifeway's Warning Labels
I am absolutely appalled by this. Lifeway has begun putting warning labels on books that
…may have espoused thoughts, ideas, or concepts that could be considered inconsistent with historical evangelical theology.
These waring labels are marked Read with Discernment. Should we not read everything with discernment, Lifeway? Especially books that you accept without question.
The announcement...
8 tags
Jews Severing Ties with the Vatican
A USA Today article (found here) speaks of Israel’s chief rabbinate severing its ties with the Vatican.
Israel’s chief rabbinate severed ties with the Vatican on Wednesday to protest a papal decision to reinstate a bishop who publicly denied 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
The Jewish state’s highest religious authority sent a letter to the Holy See expressing...
1 tag
“GIVE me hunger,
O you gods that sit and give
The world its orders.
Give me...”
– “At a Window” by Carl Sandburg
1 tag
SBL Executive Director Wanted
Below is the official announcement from the chair of the Search Committee, Fernando F. Segovia.
The Society of Biblical Literature invites nominations and applications for the position of Executive Director, effective July 1, 2010. The premier scholarly and professional association of biblical scholars, the SBL has a current membership of more than 9000, a staff of 25, and an annual operating...
2 tags
Delaying Digital
Just when I thought those ridiculous commercials were done for, I read this just now:
“The U.S. Senate passed a bill on Monday to delay a nationwide switch to digital TV signals, giving consumers nearly four more months to prepare.
The transition date would move to June 12 from Feb. 17 under the bill that was fueled by worries that viewers are not technically ready for the...
4 tags
Not-So-Progressive Revelation
As usual during my Ethics class we talked about something completely unrelated to Ethics. Tonight it was “progressive revelation.” Honestly, I was pretty zoned out for much of his soliloquy. I did regain consciousness long enough to see what was written on the board though:
“Progressive Revelation - Its culmination is Jesus”
In actuality, the “is” was not...
6 tags
Not a Good Move
The Pope (B16 as I like to call him) has just made a bad move. He reinstated Bishop Richard Williamson, who is:
“…a member of the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X who rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and recently said ‘there were no gas chambers’ during the Holocaust.”
Williamson was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
In...
4 tags
Lonely Society
Dr. Goodman loved the movie Into the Wild. I loved it too, mostly because it is a great move, but also because Dr. Goodman thought so highly of it. Eddie Vedder did all of the music for the soundtrack (which is fantastic, by the way, and can/should be picked up here). One of the songs on the soundtrack is called “Society.” The best line is certainly:
“Society, you’re a...
3 tags
What's Your Atonement Theory?
My wife and I were having a discussion the other night about atonement theories and that prompted this post. What is your atonement theory? Here is a list of some popular ones:
- Gusat Aulen’s Christus-victor
- Irenaeus’ ransom or bait and switch
- Anselm’s idea of satisfying a debt
- Calvin’s idea of the appeasement of the wrath of God
- Luther’s Christ as the...
3 tags
Opportunity
Tonight, the discussion that I will be leading my youth in has as its central image the Opportunity Statue (pictured above). This statue has long, flowing hair in front of its face, but is completely bald in the back. It is an odd picture, to be sure, but it does serve as a good teaching too…for me anyway. The idea that I get from this statue is the fleeting nature of opportunity. We must...