Category: References (Page 3 of 5)

Looking at something else.

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes Du Mez

July 19, 2021 / Joseph Ginder

Jesus and John Wayne is the eye-catching title of a book by Kristen Kobes Du Mez. The subtitle is even more provocative: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. It’s a fine historical account written for a general audience detailing exactly what the subtitle says, with extensive documentation of sources. I lived through much of it what she is writing about. It is troubling, indeed, and helpfully contextualizes much that is troubling in the church today.

To learn more about the author, one can find a set of four interviews Skye Jethani did with Kristen Kobes Du Mez on The Holy Post podcast. These interviews summarize some of the points covered in the book:

Lastly, Jim Lyon did a really fine, more personal, interview with the author on the All That to Say podcast. He interviews Kristen Kobes Du Mez about her background and faith in a very wholesome and helpful manner. I found this interview quite helpful.

This is a book that many are talking about, and rightfully so. Kristen Kobes Du Mez will take some heat for this work – just like her Lord did, when He told the truth.

On the Cost of War: A Demonstration of Extreme Love and Loyalty at Great Cost

June 21, 2021 / Joseph Ginder

A recent trilogy of Rough Translation podcasts tells an amazing story of two people who make great sacrifices. I was struck by the display of the often unseen cost of war and violence and by the great display of love demonstrated by one who joined in with the sacrifice of a hurting veteran for whom she grew to care a great deal. There are many dimensions to the story and its implications; I’m still processing. The humanity, vulnerability, loyalty, love, sacrifice…

Here are links to the three podcast episodes that tell this story. They are worth your time. Beware if you are squeamish; the first episode tells the story of terrible injury and suffering in war.

Lectio Divina between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday

March 27, 2021 / Joseph Ginder

Well, I don’t believe any one week is holier than another, but here’s a set of links for the Long Beach Friends Church lectio divina readings from 2020 at the start of the pandemic, one for each day of the week leading up to the Sunday on which many Christians traditionally celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

1 Palm Sunday – Matthew 21:1-17

2 Monday – John 12:1-10

3 Tuesday – John 12:20-26

4 Wednesday – Mark 14:1-11

5 Thursday – Matthew 26:17-30

6 Good Friday Readings

What happened to Saturday? There are no videos to watch or audio tracks to listen to for Saturday, the day after Good Friday. Traditionally this is a day of silence to remind us of when Jesus was in the tomb. If you missed any of the weekâ€™s readings, Saturday might be a good day to catch up.

Women’s History Month articles at Barclay College

March 18, 2021 / Joseph Ginder

Barclay College has put out several short blog articles for Women’s History Month. Check them out!

The first one is a brief comment on women in pastoral and other forms of leadership in the church and in society. It opens with an introductory defense of women in leadership and closes with a call for the church to do better at supporting God’s call to women in leadership positions. It is confounding that there are a few churches today claiming to be Friends who do not allow women as elders or in senior pastoral positions, in spite of our Faith and Practice! What?

The second is a short article on Margaret Fell, one of the first Quakers and a great early leader whose writings on women preaching remain relevant today. She’s not called the “mother of Quakerism” for nothing!

And lastly, there is a very short article on Mary Fisher, a pioneering Quaker missionary who undertook a dangerous mission to travel overland to meet with the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire to tell him about Jesus. Even some of her supposed “helpers” tried to undermine her efforts! But she was faithful to her calling, met with the Sultan, and afterwards refused his offer of protection: she was already was under God’s protection!

Links to a 2020 Advent series by Max Jeganathan

December 13, 2020 / Joseph Ginder

These brief Advent videos by Max Jeganathan are quite good.

Is Music Joy? – a Lecture by Dan Chua

December 6, 2020 / Joseph Ginder

This is one of the most remarkable lectures I’ve heard ever, and it is on video at YouTube! It is Dan Chua, a scholar at the University of Hong Kong considering the question, “Is Music Joy?” He is speaking in the Bartlett Lecture Series at Yale Divinity School. Daniel Chua is a University of Hong Kong music scholar who studies the intersection between music, philosophy, and theology. The lecture proper begins after an introduction that introduces an introduction speaker who gives an introduction… Not bad, just not the lecture. These prelims take nearly 4 1/2 minutes. The lecture itself is about a hour. It was for me an hour well-spent! I found it deeply satisfying – even joyful! So, if you are into music in a serious way, or just enjoy thinking deeply, give it a listen. I mean, seriously. Joyfully even!

Quoting the blurb from several Yale Divinity School Bartlett Lecture announcements: “The Bartlett Lectureship was created in 1986 with a gift from the Rev. Robert M. Bartlett â€™24 B.D. and his wife, Sue Bartlett. The purpose of the lectureship is to foster understanding of, among other issues, democracy, human rights, and world peace.”

This is the text of the link: https://youtu.be/lNyeA-XsA2E

Dr. Michael Osterholm’s Covid-19 Podcast

October 14, 2020 / Joseph Ginder

Dr. Michael Osterholm runs CIDRAP, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, at the University of Minnesota. He has a Covid-19 podcast that is full of good information and… surprise… even encouragement!

I listened to his latest episode today as I walked this morning. It was entitled COVID in the Capital. Dr. Osterholm starts out with a sentimental story about a cat (!) and then starts talking about the best science and medical information regarding the Covid-19 outbreak in the Whitehouse without getting political. He is very kind and encouraging, but straightforwardly tells the truth from his perspective as an expert in epidemiology who strictly follows where the data leads.

So, in this episode, expect a sentimental encouraging story, a clear-headed non-partisan outlook on Covid-19 with practical advice, and kindness. You can find the podcast at CIDRAP’s website. Or you can find it on your favorite source for podcasts. I used Pocket Casts on Android.

10 Principles for Reading the Bible (a link)… and a note on Everett Fox’s Hebrew Bible translations more generally

September 16, 2020 / Joseph Ginder

Everett Fox has a really, really excellent set of principles for Bible readers. He calls it For First Time Readers of Bible Stories. I would add that I find them generally useful even if you have read the stories in the Hebrew Bible many, many times. Appreciation of these literary qualities of the Hebrew Bible is sorely missing in most Christian readings in my experience. Well, maybe I should add: with the exception of The Bible Project. (You can be the judge as to whether that’s an indictment of my experience or an indictment of Christian readings more generally!) In any case, check them out here, from his page at Clark University.

On a follow-up note, I have found Everett Fox’s translation of the Torah to be the most helpful that I have ever read. I highly recommend it, and that you listen to it read aloud rather than just “reading in your head”. The first time I heard a friend read the first few chapters of Genesis aloud from it was eye opening, to say the least. Or would that be ear opening? It is entitled The Five Books of Moses. It’s available in print and in Logos. Why it is not available as an audio book is beyond my comprehension. Fox has also published a second set of translations of books from the Hebrew Bible entitled The Early Prophets. His notes on the Samson (Shimshon) cycle (from the Book of Judges) are available online and very helpful.

Footnote: For those who have done one of the Hardcore Bible Studies in past years at Long Beach Friends Church, I would definitely have included these principles had I been aware of them at the time. I will include them going forward.

“Postmodernity, Critical (Race) Theory, Cultural Marxism, and you” – links to a series of articles

September 14, 2020 / Joseph Ginder

John Stackhouse is a theologian who teaches at Crandall University in Canada. He’s from a Plymouth Brethren background, educated at Queen’s University, Wheaton Graduate School, and the University of Chicago. He generally has a pretty sensible Christian view of most contemporary issues. (aka: I generally find him sensible… 🙂

In this series of popular articles, he summarizes a bunch of influential academic trends that are influencing our culture these days. Of course, any such summary leaves out a lot that aficionados would find important. But then, he’s not writing for them. Maybe he’s writing for you?

Postmodernity, Critical (Race) Theory, Cultural Marxism, and you: Part 1

Postmodernity, Critical (Race) Theory, Cultural Marxism, and you: Part 2

Postmodernity, Critical (Race) Theory, Cultural Marxism, and you: Part 3

Postmodernity, Critical (Race) Theory, Cultural Marxism, and you: Part 4

Postmodernity, Critical (Race) Theory, Cultural Marxism, and you: Responses

Lectio 365 – An App Recommendation

July 24, 2020 / Joseph Ginder

A number of us at Long Beach Friends Church have been using the Lectio 365 app for a few months. We really appreciate how it leads us through a 10 minute prayer and scripture devotional each day. I found today that they have a promotional video on Youtube.

Check out the video and get it from the Google play store or the iPhone app store. (That is, it’s available on both Android and Apple phones and tablets.)

It’s free. No ads. God’s people did something very good for the wider church here!