Category: Books

  • Buying a Bible is Confusing

    Buying a Bible can be confusing as I was reminded when someone in my Monday morning Bible study class brought up that they may be purchasing one.  So, we had a discussion today about which one I would recommend.  That’s a little simpler for me because as a Catholic I generally (at least for classes…

  • The Old Testament and New Testament Separate?

    The Old Testament and New Testament are separate in the New Revised Standard Versions currently being produced for the Kindle.  Not sure what the publishers were thinking or if they have ever handled a Kindle for that matter, but this is very annoying.  Essentially, there are two separate books with two separate tables of contents. …

  • "Absorption with the past is …" (QOD)

    I was reading Paul Tillich’s Theology of Culture again today and was struck by this quote, for which he is drawing on Heidegger who in turn was drawing on Nietzsche: Mere historical knowledge is not man’s real role as an historical being. Absorption in the past is an estrangement from our task as the makers…

  • War in the Bible & Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century Review

    My friend Karyn has written a very thorough review of the book War in the Bible and Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century.  It is in three parts here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.  Violence in scripture is a topic that preoccupies my mind a great deal as I am sure that it does…

  • On Marking My Spot in a Book with a Pen

    Sometimes I mark my spot in a book by just sticking the pen I’ve been using to underline and mark up the text into the book and closing it. Here’s what happens when I leave said book within reach of my two year old (Katherine):

  • A Nice Little Intro to Barth

    I now consider my seminary theological formation thoroughly deficient (though I consider my Biblical Studies training to have been excellent).  Rather than reading Barth, we mostly read about Barth.  Too much time in Spiritual Formation class I guess … Ha!  I wish I had read Barth in Spiritual Formation.  Anyway, for those like myself who…

  • Last Day for Audible Platinum Program Free Trial

    I just got an e-mail from Audible.com saying that January 13th is the last day to get a free trial of their Platinum Program.  This trial allows you to download 2 free audio books over a 2 week period.  At the end of the 2 weeks (or before) you can decide if you want to…

  • 3 Kindle Shortcuts

    I’ve been doing a good bit of my Biblical Studies reading on my Kindle.  And, the main problem I was having at first was that it was cumbersome to add notes and mark places in the text.  Also, going into menus to start text-to-speech was a bit annoying as well.  But, here are three shortcuts…

  • The Doctrine of Man in Sherlock Holmes

    I’ve been reading Sherlock Holmes stories here recently and been a bit surprised by the number of theological-type statements that come up from time to time.  This quote is from the The Sign of Four: “Dirty-looking rascals, but I suppose every one has some little immortal spark concealed about him. You would not think it,…

  • What I've Been Reading

    I’ve been posting quotes from a lot of books here recently and wanted to consolidate.  I’ll post here what I’ve been reading along with if I’d recommend reading it by a scale of 1-10, with 10 being “yes, read it” and 1 being “don’t bother.”  5 might mean something like “only if your interested in…