This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. I had meant to add to the sermon the lyrics of a song that just happened to come on while I was finishing writing the sermon. I was listening to Johnny Cash’s At Fulsom Prison and he closed out the concert with […]
Yearly Archives: 2016
53 posts
If you are at SBL you can pick up your copy at the Brill booth (don’t forget your #TgRuthSelfie!) or ordered it at Brill’s site.
This sermon was preached at St. Bartholomew’s, Nashville, TN on Sunday, November 13, 2016. (NB: The audio is poor.) The previous week Donald J. Trump had been elected as President of the United States. Proper 28 (33) (November 13, 2016) Karl Marx famously said, [History] “repeats itself, first as tragedy, […]
This year, after nearly 20 years as both an faculty member and an academic administrator, I am on my first-ever academic leave and, as readers of the blog know, I am working my book on suffering and grace. But two months ago I was contacted and asked if I would consider […]
Elizabeth’s essay Día De Muertos: Eat, Speak, And Remember posted this weekend. It is a wonderful reflection on the importance of remembering those who have died. As some Christians create these atrocious “hell houses” and most Americans get a bit silly with their costumes, this season can also be a gracious […]
The following is an essay I wrote for the local paper that appeared in last Sunday’s edition (September 8, 2016). Tuesday was the 4th Annual Mack Brady Memorial Match. Penn State beat Ohio State 4-2. Learning to Live: Celebrate Your Love A few weeks ago I was in Pittsburgh speaking […]
Proper 19 (24) (September 11, 2016), Trinity Church, Tyrone, PA Readings: Exodus 32:7-14 Psalm 51:1-10 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Today is the 15th anniversary of the attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. Thousands lost their lives that day and thousands more have died in the conflicts since. […]
Several years ago I offered a “brief definition” of Targum and the Targumim but here is the more detailed entry I wrote for the Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. The Hebrew term “targum” (plural “targumim”) literally means “translation,” but in the rabbinic period (c. 1st century – 7th century CE) the term came to […]
The other day I came across this marvelous quote. With a wink and a smile, I offer this to my linguist friends. Of Education, by John Milton Language is but the Instrument conveying to us things usefull to be known. And though a Linguist should pride himself to have all the […]