Book Review: One Bible, Many Versions
by Dustin Walters The twentieth century has witnessed a significant increase in Bible translations for the church. Such a plethora of versions force Christians to find a compelling reason to select one over another. Yet this topic has certainly seen its fair-share of controversy as well. English-speaking Christians are often divided over the particular translation(s) God might use to accomplish His work. At the same time, most...
Why the Book Is Almost Always Better Than the Movie
Originality is not a virtue often found in Hollywood. This claim is counter-intuitive, of course. Yearly we are ushered into a cinematic world of 3-D creatures, romances with unlikely characters, and thrillers with unexpected killers. The annual profits are staggering when one considers the billions invested in production and earned in ticket sales. Surely the film industry is a place where we can encounter cultural and aesthetic...
Is Technology Neutral?
After conversing with a 22-year-old following a service, I realized my mistake. I had used iPods in a sermon illustration as a point-of-contact with my twenty-first century, media-saturated congregation. Yet the young man disagreed—“I don’t think most of them knew what you were talking about”—and he was right. I remembered that over half my congregation was 65+ years old. Few iPod owners were in my midst. Though many Americans today...
Greek Tragedies & Christian Churches: Musings and Observations
Modern-day generations tend to think in groups and categories. This tendency, while helpful for critical analysis, has its dangers, however. When notions that are otherwise connected in an organic way are split apart, harmful consequences may follow—the relationship between substance and form, for example. As evident in biblical and extra-biblical precedent, notions of substance and form are intricately related. Some critics object to...
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