Sunday, August 24, 2008

It’s Sunday. Let’s do something religious.

I thought I would provide you with a few links to some sites I frequent. Inclusion of a site in the list does not in any way imply that I necessarily agree with every last detail of the blogger’s doctrinal stance. Some of the blogs are “all religious, all the time” but some are not. In some cases, the comments are often just as interesting as the original posts. I find all of these blogs to be thought-provoking and well-written. If you’ve never visited any of them, give them a try sometime. Some have more of an “academic” bent than others (hermeneutics, anyone?), but all are interesting. Here’s my list, in no particular order:

1) Jesus Creed is the home of Dr. Scot McKnight, a professor at North Park University in Chicago, Illinois. I believe North Park is affiliated with the Evangelical Free folks, a denomination we don’t encounter much in the South. The posts are always carefully constructed and the comments represent a variety of points of view. A lot of book reviewing goes on here. Dr. McKnight’s closest friends call him “old one-T.”

2) Internet Monk. Michael Spencer, a Southern Baptist who lives in Kentucky, is the internet monk, or iMonk for short. He has a lot to say and is always a very interesting read.

3) Jesus Shaped Spirituality is also by Michael Spencer. Michael has been undergoing quite a religious upheaval personally in the last year or so because his wife, Denise, is in the process of converting to Roman Catholicism.

4) Jesus The Radical Pastor is the blog of John W. Frye out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Challenging and thoughtful. John is the author of a startling book entitled Out of Print, which is about the sudden disappearance of words, then books, from the Bible.

5) The Deacon’s Bench is the place where Roman Catholic deacon Greg Kandra ponders the world. Greg, who is married, lives in Queens, and serves the Diocese of Brooklyn, has been a writer and producer for CBS-TV for 26 years. He became a deacon last year. A Roman Catholic deacon, it turns out, is a bit different from a Baptist one.

6) Credenda Agenda is written mostly by “the Dougs,” Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson. They concentrate on issues affecting classical Reformed Theology, but they once devoted an entire issue of their online magazine to Flannery O’Connor, a favorite of mine.

7) Ben Witherington is a professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury College (Methodist) but that doesn’t make him dry and uninteresting. His last three posts have been about Eric Liddle (of Chariots of Fire fame), Paul Simon (of Simon and Garfunkel fame), and Biblical and Impressionist Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (of Art Institute of Chicago fame). I lose track of time in this blog.

8) Verum Serum bills itself as “An Eclectic Christian Blog Run By Two Guys From O.C.” -- Orange County, California, that is. John and Scott comment on current goings-on in both the secular and sacred arenas.

These sites are where I spend a lot of my time when I’m not blogging or checking out your blogs. Next time you’re sitting around wondering what to do, check one of these out. You might be glad you did. You might also learn new phrases such as “Federal Vision” and “New Pauline Perspective.”

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the list. I'll check them out.

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  2. These look like some great sites. I will head on over soon....perhaps after my little grandkids go home. We are headed out to pick green beans and dig for potatoes in the garden.

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  3. Hey, thanks for the link to the Ben Witherington blogpost with info about the Smith Museum of Stained Glass!! I've never heard that it before. You know, Chicago is only five hours from where I live......perhaps I can swing by the Navy Pier someday!!

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