Anticipation

Here I am with my newly painted Christmas ornament for the school tree.

Take One Guinness And Call Me In The Morning

I need one of these right now. I'm in the midst of writing two big papers, and I also have to study for a comprehensive final for our World Religions class. Blogging has been sparse for weeks now, I know. Thanks to those of you who keep checking in. I appreciate your readership!

Guinness Originally uploaded by Paul Watson.

1517

Today was the day, way back in 1517, that Martin Luther posted his "95 Theses" at the door of the church in Wittenburg. The Diet of Worms followed soon thereafter - another key inflection point in the history of Christian faith.

Gender Gaps

I haven't posted here for way too long. I'll dive back in with a tidbit from Ms. Christine Rosen, who has written an insightful article for the Taste page of the Wall Street Journal:

Interestingly, Mr. Murrow notes that, among the major Christian denominations, it is the mainline churches that suffer the largest gender gaps in church attendance. These churches, still pilloried by feminists for their patriarchal pretensions, have in fact become spiritual sorority houses. It is the more conservative denominations, such as the Southern Baptists, that have the most even ratios. In these more traditional churches, many of which do not have female clergy, parishioners hear less about cooperation and feel-good spirituality and more about spiritual rigor and the competition to win souls. Churches that embrace male leadership, including the Roman Catholic Church, remain the largest in the country, and the Mormon Church, which also does not have female clergy, is the fastest-growing.

Very interesting. I was recently advised by a seminary professor to be sure to have a vibrant ministry to the men of whatever congregation I might one day lead.

Who Knew?

Apparently, today is Family Day.

Remembering

Today, for a variety of reasons, I was reminded that gratitude and glorification should be our primary dispositions toward God, as so concisely stated the Shorter Catechism:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Hallelujah! Amen.

The Jesus Seminar - A Critique

Mark D. Roberts, a Presbyterian (USA) Pastor in Irvine, CA, has created a great series entitled "Unmasking the Jesus Seminar." Some quottage:

Robert Funk managed to convince the mainstream media that he and his fellows were discovering once and for all what Jesus really said and did. For several years Funk was omnipresent in newspapers and on television programs, assuring us that Jesus never really said most of what is attributed to him in the gospels, and that he didn't rise from the dead, and that orthodox Christianity is completely wrong in almost everything it believes about Jesus. Funk explained all of this soberly, allowing the public to believe that the Jesus Seminar was a theologically-neutral effort of well-meaning scholars to discover the truth about Jesus. By perpetuating this image, quite in contrast to his more honest remarks in meetings of the Jesus Seminar, Funk was less than fully candid. But the secular media, predictably enough, swallowed Funk's bait, hook, line, and sinker. For years we saw stories about how the Jesus Seminar concluded that Jesus didn't say much of what is attributed to him in the gospels, and that He didn't actually rise from the dead. (Gasp! What a surprised conclusion!)

The permalink to the series can be found here. Highly recommended.