A Thinking Reed

  • Gospel meditation for Advent 2

    Reading: Mark 1:1-8 (Common English Bible) The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah: Look, I am sending my messenger before you, He will prepare your way, a voice shouting in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make…

  • Common English Bible blog tour

    After I posted and tweeted about the new Common English Bible, I was invited to participate in a “blog-tour” for the new translation. I don’t think this makes me particularly special; it seems anyone who wants to can participate. In any event, what participating bloggers are asked to do is to post entries during the…

  • Mumford & Sons, “Winter Winds”

    I’m not feeling very metal this week; I have, however, been enjoying the heck out “Sigh No More”–Mumford & Sons’ album from last year, which I first heard only recently. It’s also happens to be chock-a-block full of Christian themes and imagery, which is pretty interesting for a mainstream pop album. Hope everyone is having…

  • Black Sabbath, “After Forever”

    Prety sure this contains the most weirdly pro-Christian lyrics of any Sabbath song.

  • The miracle of King James’ Bible

    Here is the miracle of the King James Bible in action. Words from a doubly alien culture, not an original text but a translation of ancient Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, made centuries ago and thousands of miles away, arrive in a dusty corner of the New World and sound as they were meant to—majestic but…

  • 25 books every Christian should read(?)

    That is, according to a book recently published by Harper under the auspices of Renovare, the evangelical-ish spiritual renewal movement. (Actually, since this book has the list, aren’t there 26 books every Christian should read? Seems like some sort of paradox there…) In any event, here’s the list, with titles I’ve read in bold. An…

  • Resurrection and Docetism

    People sometimes argue against “spiritual” interpretations of the Resurrection of Jesus on the grounds that they are “Docetic”–that is, they deny the full reality of the Incarnation after the fashion of the ancient heresy of Docetism, which said that Jesus only appeared to be fully human. Specifically, it held that Jesus’ body was an illusion…

  • The Common English Bible–a new translation

    My dear wife got me an Amazon Kindle for my birthday, which I’ve been enjoying immensely. Poking around in the Kindle store, I decided I should download a version of the Bible. But which one? I usually read either the New Revised Standard Version or the Revised English Bible. But the Kindle version of the…

  • American “multarchy”

    Philosopher Gary Gutting writes that America doesn’t have a democracy, but a “mutlarchy”–a system that includes elements of the five types of government delineated by Plato in The Republic. These are —aristocracy: “rule by the ‘best’, that is, by experts specially trained at governance” —timarchy: “rule by those guided by their courage and sense of…

  • Metallica, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”