“James Cameron Finds Jesus”

So although everyone probably already knows about this already, James Cameron (director of the movie titanic) has recently made a documentary of sorts.  In it he claims to have found Jesus tomb, along with HIS FAMILY.

To read about it with links, click here.

To read a Christian scholars response (Ben Witherington), click here.

The Rest of Torrance’s Audio Lectures

Here is the rest of Torrance’s lecture series: pt 5, pt 6, & pt 7.

I hope that everyone will listen to this series of lectures; it will bless you.

21st Century Bible Scholar Humor

I think that everyone who has been to a bible college will find this funny.  I find it to be the most probable explanation for the Synoptic problem.

If this isn’t funny, don’t worry about it, because it won’t affect your eternal destiny (probably).

Torrance Audio Lecture #4

Here is the next part of Torrance’s lecture series given @ Union Theological College (Belfast, Northern Ireland) in the early 1980’s.

Enjoy!

Tips for reading Barth

I recently found this post by a student of one of Barth’s foremost interpreters.  In it he gives students tips for how to read Karl Barth.

I don’t know if anyone who reads this has read Barth before, but man he is tough.  I often get lost in a maze of what is to me archaic language and millions of pronouns per paragraph. 

I found his tips to be very helpful.  I hope that they help anyone who is a “Barthian.”  I want to start posting about Barth’s material, but i’m a little gunshy due to the complexity and often “counter-intuitive” nature of his thought.  He is easy to misrepresent!  I guess i’ll just have to jump in.

Thanks to Chris for sharing these insights. 

Torrance Bio

I thought that maybe giving a sketch of Torrance’s life and thought would be a good idea.  Hopefully having some context will help everyone to follow what Torrance is saying.

This bio is really long and i haven’t read it yet, but since it comes from here, i’m sure it is accurate.

Enjoy!

Torrance Audio Lectures #2 & #3

More from one of the gsreatest and most underappreciated theologians in the 20th century.  Part two of his series is here, and part three is here.  Part 3 Torrance deals with Christology, the heart of the Trinitarian-Incarnational paradigm that he helped to create (following Karl Barth).  You must listen to this!

Once again, thanks to Ben over at F&T

Torrance Audio Lecture #1

Here is a great lecture by the Scottish Theologian T.F. Torrance over Pneumatology.  He does a great job of showing how the church has a nasty habit of minimizing the Spirit’s significance theologically.  He was brilliant and always provocative.

Enjoy!

[HT: Faith & Theology]

New Toys!

Today I got a new toy on my site.  I am able to show video now.  It is a blast!  I put a bunch of academic related videos, and a couple fun ones on my “vod-pod.”  It is the last thing you’ll see on the column to the left of my posting area.  I have found a few that are actually quite interesting, and I hope that I can post on them as well. Enjoy!    

Methodology and Links

Today I want to blog about methodology in the theological enterprise.  I have found a few links to be really challenging, refreshing and informative.  I believe that we should take most of what they say to heart about method.  I also really appreciated their thoughts because it caused me to examine my heart while I engage in the learning process, and I hope it will do the same for you. So without further delay . . .   

Here is a great post regarding faith, doubt, certainty, and theology.  I really appreciated #4.  I think that it, along with Mark Twain’s quote at the end, are often an indictment on aspiring, amateur, and professional theologians. 

I pray that we will have a greater awareness of our “filters” from blinding us to what others have to say.  I believe that this goes beyond mere comprehension, into the realm of thinking through how this system would affect my prayer life, evangelism, and things like that.  We have to enter into the system to understand it, in a sense.  If we don’t do this, then we will walk away merely thinking it nonsensical or “gibberish.”  We may end saying something like “I don’t even know what that means.”

Here is a wonderful post that demonstrates this blunder.  The author points out the need to use imagination when examining another thinker’s work.  I appreciate his point that if we don’t in a sense enter into the other thinker’s paradigm and merely examine it in light of our own presuppositions, then we probably haven’t understood his intention very well.  A basic interpretative principle in Biblical interpretation is that we understand the text on the author’s terms, and not ours.  It is alarming that many use it only when they come to the Bible and not another thinker’s interpretation of it.   

After all that, I still must grant that sometimes things genuinely don’t make sense.  Johnny Dee does a great job of addressing the “I-don’t-even-know-what-that-means” objection, and when it is necessary to employ it.   

Enjoy!