World magazine has run an important article on the work being done by former Marine captain Brian Steidle to get the United States involved in the crisis in Darfur. The atrocities that are happening there are just too awful to believe.If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you need to read Priya Abraham’s piece, “Spectator to Genocide.” Then you need to go fill out an electronic postcard to President Bush at the “Save Darfur” website: http://www.savedarfur.org. Proverbs 24:10-12 10 If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited. 11 Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering…
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Southern Pride and American Idol
This is something I hate to admit, but I am an American Idol fan. Yes, it’s true. My wife and I both are hooked.Today’s Washington Post may have unlocked the mystery of why we like the show so much. It turns out that the most successful people on the show are southerners who learned to sing in church. Here’s an excerpt: For five years, the most wildly popular talent contest on American television has been dominated — thoroughly, totally and completely — by kids from Southern Hicksville, USA. Seven of the eight top-two finishers in the first four years were from states that once formed the Confederacy, and five of…
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N. T. Wright on the Necessity of Believing the Resurrection
I used to think that the “N. T.” in N. T. Wright stood for “New Testament.” He’s such a fine scholar of the New Testament, it only made sense. However, having read his comments in The Australian, I am not so sure (HT: Al Mohler). Contrary to 1 Corinthians 15, and Romans 10:9-10, and a host of other scriptures, the Bishop of Durham thinks that belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ is unnecessary in order for one to be a Christian. He says,
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Good Friday and the Ransom to Satan
Several years ago on the Saturday before Easter, I heard Paul Harvey share a story on his radio program. It was a sweet story, but it represented a fairly common misunderstanding of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. My aim is not to criticize Paul Harvey; I’ve always loved to listen to his show. However, I think the anecdote does reflect an unwitting error that Christians are prone to make–namely, that Jesus’ death was a payment to Satan. You can read the story here: “The Bird Cage.”
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Peggy Noonan on Immigration
When she’s good, she’s really good. Noonan’s Op-Ed this morning is right on the mark: “At the Immigration Rally: Having an open heart doesn’t mean supporting open borders.”
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New Podcast
For anyone who may be interested, I am now podcasting. Right now, some of my appearances on the radio show here in Dallas are available. Here’s the feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DennyBurk-Podcast I will keep a link to this feed on the right sidebar. To add this podcast in iTunes, follow these directions: 1. Click on the “Advanced” button at the top of iTunes 2. Select “Subscribe to Podcast” in the drop down menu 3. In the box underneath “URL:” enter this address, http://feeds.feedburner.com/DennyBurk-Podcast 4. Press “OK” It’s done! You are now subscribed to my podcast!
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Who’s afraid of Derek Webb? (part 3)
(Click here for Part 1) (Part 2) As I said in part 2, there is much to commend on Derek’s new album, “Mockingbird.” But as I also indicated there, I will now address some items that I think are not so good. First, pacifism plays a big part on this album. That Derek embraces pacifism as the only Christian alternative comes through loud and clear in the song “My Enemies Are Men Like Me.” I don’t know how else to understand the following lines except as condemnation of anyone who might argue for the possibility of a just war: peace by way of war is like purity by…
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Radio Show on the Emerging Church
Some readers of this blog have requested the audio of the recent radio show I hosted. The show was about the emerging church, and I did an interview with Scot McKnight, professor of religious studies at Northpark University in Chicago Illinois. I also interviewed Jim Hamilton, professor of biblical studies of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Right click on the following link, and select “save as” if you want to download the MP3 of the interviews. Denny’s interviews with Scot McKnight and Jim Hamilton on Jerry Johnson Live The most important thing about this show is that it is probably the only time that the Indigo Girls have ever or…
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Who’s afraid of Derek Webb? (part 2)
(Click here for Part 1) When I got home from the Derek Webb concert on Tuesday night, I shot off a blog that was in protest of what I thought was an overtly left-wing political message on Webb’s new album “Mockingbird.” But I later deleted what I wrote because I came to the conclusion that Derek’s message actually deserved a little more serious consideration than I had given it. So that is why this has turned into a three part series. My initial response, however, was provoked in part by how the concert-goers received Derek’s lefty-friendly message. Consider, for example, the response from the crowd when Derek sang these lines:…
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The Gospel of Judas: A Transparent Fiction
What should we make of the discovery of this new Gospel of Judas that has been unearthed in the sands of Egypt? The media and unfortunately some biblical scholars of note would have us think that this document represents voices from the early centuries of Christianity that need to be given a hearing as we assess who the Jesus of history was. Bart Ehrman and Elaine Pagels are among those scholars of the opinion that earliest Christianity was not a monolithic movement. There were many different Christian groups in the first century, but we just don’t know much about the “other” groups because their voices were suppressed by the orthodox…