Taking Back Christianese: The Complete Series
This past Summer, I completed the ten-part series, “Taking Back Christianese.” Below is the complete and final list of articles.
The motivation for this series was that our Christian lingo–“Christianese” if you will–can sometimes be mistaken. Or at least partially so. It can attempt to express a theological truth that (sometimes) bring more confusion than clarity.
So, this series addresses the way we talk as Christians. It is designed to analyze a number of theological phrases or practical bits of Christians wisdom that may simply be wrong, or at least misunderstood. Or maybe both.
As a reminder, I am not be suggesting that the instances of Christianese below are necessarily… Continue reading...
Looking for More Than Blog Posts? Here are Some Recent Academic Articles on the Origins of the NT Canon
For those reading this blog, I trust you’ve benefited from the variety of posts that deal with issues related to the origins of the NT canon. I have written those posts with a wide audience in mind, hoping they are helpful for just about anybody who wants to learn more.
At the same time, I know some of you may be interested to know of some more academic articles I have written over the last few years that deal with the NT canon, or NT manuscripts, on a more technical level. Those kinds of articles, because they are not “blog” articles, tend to get lost in the shuffle. And even … Continue reading...
My New Book on the Second Century is Now Available!
As many of you know from prior posts (for example, see here), I have a forthcoming book on the second century entitled, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church (SPCK, 2017).
I am excited to announce that it is now available! (technically July 20th). Since the book is a joint publication between SPCK and IVP Academic, it releases in the UK now (under SPCK) and then will release in the USA in the Spring (under IVP Academic).
Not sure why there is such a big gap of time between the two releases, but there you have it. Of course, you can … Continue reading...
Five “Fake News” Stories That People Believe about Early Christianity
There’s been a lot of chatter about “fake news” in recent months. Some stories, even though they have no basis in fact, are told so often, and with such conviction, that large numbers of people end up believing them anyway.
And some of these fake news stories even dupe legitimate political figures who repeat the story without realizing it is false. And, of course, once a mainstream political figure repeats a story then it becomes even more entrenched in the national psyche.
While some of these fake news stories are rather harmless, others have become quite dangerous. Most famous perhaps is the “Pizza Gate” incident in 2016 where … Continue reading...
What Is So Important about the Second Century? A Preview of My New Book
Due out this Summer (hopefully by July) is my latest book: Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church (London: SPCK/IVP Academic, 2017).
For some, the rationale for a book on the second century is quite obvious. But others may wonder, “What is so important about the second century anyway?”
So, just a few quick thoughts on why I wrote this book:… Continue reading...