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The Idol You Were Made To Be
Read more: The Idol You Were Made To BeWhether you know it or not you’re an idol. Many people have role models and they call these people idols. At the moment the world is watching the greatest athletes competing in the Olympics. Many of these athletes are ‘idolized’ in their home countries. This year American television audiences are gearing up for the tenth…
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Album Review: ‘Weight & Glory’
Read more: Album Review: ‘Weight & Glory’Rapper KB dropped a killer debut last month with Weight & Glory, an album that puts to rest all debates on whether hip-hop is good or bad. If we’re judging by music, lyrics, theology and phat beats, the verdict is in: behold, it was very good. Weight & Glory is a musical sermon that urges…
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I Still Believe
Read more: I Still BelieveI know it’s the 21st century, but here’s the thing: I’m a Christian. By definition, I have old-school beliefs. That might be a newsflash to the critics, who often react to biblical, traditional and altogether unsurprising beliefs with dropped jaws, as if Christians haven’t preached these things for two thousand years: “Do you seriously believe…
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Christian Beer and the Question of Weed
Read more: Christian Beer and the Question of WeedThis week I’m in Amsterdam for the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. Yes, that’s right, a Bible conference in Amsterdam. I can already say that this city is one of my favorites. It is absolutely wonderful. The canals and architecture are picturesque and make me wish I intended to stay longer. Of course,…
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(UN)Christian Music
Read more: (UN)Christian MusicLast week I reviewed mewithoutYou’s new album, Ten Stories. As I wrote the review I thought about the idea of “Christian Music.” This is something that I’ve been wrestling with for a while. For some Christians, they only listen to “Christian Music” and deem it a sign of impiety to do otherwise. I imagine this…
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We’re All Born This Way
Read more: We’re All Born This WayIf you haven’t heard it from Lady Gaga, you’ve heard it from those who struggle with (or embrace) homosexuality: “I was born this way.” Do you believe them? The catchphrase might match your theology more than you think. In a Christian worldview, the “born this way” theory fits squarely into the doctrine of original sin—the…
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mewithoutYou – Ten Stories (New Album): A Review
Read more: mewithoutYou – Ten Stories (New Album): A ReviewMaybe you’ve never heard of mewithoutYou. That saddens me. This post-hardcore melodic folk band from Philadelphia is certainly one of my favorites. Their 5th studio album, Ten Stories, was just released on May 15, 2012. This is their first album released after their record-label contract with the Christian record company, Tooth & Nail, expired. What sets mewithoutYou apart…
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Sleight of Hand: What Flannel Graphs Failed To Teach Me About Jesus
Read more: Sleight of Hand: What Flannel Graphs Failed To Teach Me About JesusWhen I was kid, I learned all about Jesus’ miracles from boards covered in flannel. An old Egyptian woman named Anna would use tiny—also flannel—cutouts of biblical characters to painstakingly illustrate the story of Jesus raising Lazarus, walking on water, or feeding the five thousand. This was great because watching Anna stick the fuzzy characters…
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Women Be Silent in Church! …Uhm, Did Paul Actually Write 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36?
Read more: Women Be Silent in Church! …Uhm, Did Paul Actually Write 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36?What I want to discuss here is controversial. Additionally, what I want to address is not novel. Here is the thought I’d like to ‘think aloud,’ so to speak, in the provocative world of the blogosphere: Is 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36 original? I should say up front that my focus is not on Complementarianism vs. Egalitarianism per…
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What I’m (Not) Giving Up For Lent (Guest Post)
Read more: What I’m (Not) Giving Up For Lent (Guest Post)To be honest, I have always had something of an aversion to Lent. I generally dread this time of year: February drawing to a close, Lent is in full steam, and all my holy friends are giving things up for God. Part of me doesn’t see the connection between not eating chocolate and knowing God…