Kristen Cox: BYU and Md

Shout out to the ‘Nacle and particularly the Nacle’s feminists. Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich (R) has selected Ms. Kristen Cox as his running mate to replace Lt. Governor Mike Steele who now is running for the U.S. Senate.

Why should the Nacle care? Ms. Cox is a 1995 graduate of BYU with a B.A. in educational psychology; certificate in special education. Oh yeah. One more thing: Ms. Cox is legally blind.

“My Heavenly Father”

“That’s not what my Father in Heaven would do,” said the older gentleman in the second row. He was a first-time visitor, the step-father of a young lady who teaches her own Sunday School class, and we were about thirty minutes into the lesson when he spoke up.

Top 10 Signs You’re a Fundamentalist Christian

I saw this on craigslist.com today, and thought I’d share it with the ‘nacle. Very funny.

10 – You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

The Word We’re Looking For is “Rape.”

The GD lesson manual makes the following comment regarding the story of Amnon and Tamar:

2 Samuel 13 contains the story of David’s son Amnon and David’s daughter Tamar. Amnon was attracted to Tamar and forced her to commit fornication with him (p. 116)

Forced her to commit fornication?

A hierarchy of scripture

A while ago, I wrote a post in which I speculated on how we rank the authority of our various sources of scripture. Serenity Valley’s recent post on Mormon Theology at By Common Consent reminded me of that post and, so, I wanted to re-post it so as to invite more comments. Please follow the link and comment on the original post. Thank you.

Book of Mormon: Blessings, Righteousness, and Evil

The two principal authors of the Book of Mormon, Nephi and Mormon, for the most part share a particular world-view. Both subscribe to the idea that the wicked are punished and the righteous prosper. This idea is so ingrained in the thinking of these two authors, that it forms the entire narrative framework of the Book of Mormon. Nephi’s description of the responsibilities his people bear in the Promised Land stand as a prophetic announcement, while Mormon chronicles the history of his people as the explicit fulfillment of Nephi’s warning.

A Superior Sacrifice: Hebrews

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews also approaches the reason for Christ in terms of his superiority to the law. The nature of this superiority, however, is radically different from that of the Fourth Gospel.

A Gift in Place of a Gift: the Fourth Gospel

The question of “why Christ” is neither obvious nor uninteresting. The lack of an answer that withstands the passage of time suggests that this information is not really a practical necessity. On the other hand, it is a good exercise in the importance of context, and particularly historical context, in theology and biblical studies. To the NT authors who wrote on this subject, the issue was usually framed against the requirements of their own age. Put bluntly, the law was given by God. So why Christ?

On mysteries and unknowables…

I recently had a very engaging discussion with a Mormon. The topic of mysteries of the gospel came up, and we mutually wondered just exactly what a mystery of the gospel might be.

Is it a technical term for something more concrete or does it represent something abstract?

Who are the “spirits in prison?”

FaithHopeLove, who is more covert than emeritus these days, asked about the identity of the spirits in 1 Pet 3:18-20:

18 For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. 19 In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, 20 who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark

First, note that Christ suffered once for sin. And it’s past. Beyond that, here’s the deal.