Scriptorium Archive
for February, 2005

MSNBC - ‘Precious’ Suffering

John Mark Reynolds | Theology | 02.24.2005

MSNBC - 'Precious' Suffering: "'The pope must suffer so that every family and the world should see that there is, I would say, a higher gospel: the gospel of suffering, with which one must prepare the future.'"This is so powerful and so true that I am in awe at this man's testimony. Christianity is about the cross. It is the religion of suffering and of the suffering. Secularism tries to avoid suffering and so never grow... Read More...

Beirut’s Berlin Wall is Falling

John Mark Reynolds | Politics | 02.24.2005

Beirut's Berlin Wall is Falling: "The leader of this Lebanese intifada is Walid Jumblatt, the patriarch of the Druze Muslim community and, until recently, a man who accommodated Syria's occupation. But something snapped for Jumblatt last year, when the Syrians overruled the Lebanese constitution and forced the reelection of their front man in Lebanon, President Emile Lahoud. The old slogans about Arab nationalism turned ... Read More...

Additional Scriptorium for February, 2005

Doug Wead acts like a gentleman and a Christian

John Mark Reynolds | Politics | 02.23.2005

Man who secretly recorded Bush says he regrets publication: "An old friend of President Bush who secretly recorded their private conversations and released them to the media said he has regrets and is turning the tapes over to Bush."I was hard on Wead, justly I think. He has said he was sorry and done the right thing. It cannot have been easy to do this and his actions were th... Read More...

WorldNetDaily: Bill Maher: Christians have neurological disorder

John Mark Reynolds | Culture | 02.23.2005

WorldNetDaily: Bill Maher: Christians have neurological disorderThis is my favorite fun read for the day. My comments in italics.Bill Maher: Christians have neurological disorderSays parents 'drill' religion into kids' heads using biblical 'fairy tales'Posted: February 18, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern© 2005 WorldNetDaily.comBill MaherTelevision personality Bill Maher, host of HBO's ... Read More...

The Days of Trollope

John Mark Reynolds | Culture, Politics | 02.23.2005

In the days of Trollope, men who sold their friends down the river for money would have received a good caning by the gentlemen in the community. (Says Trollope in one of his books, "But she felt that if Bernard would thrash the coward for his cowardice she would love her nephew better than ever she had loved him." ) Of course, that was wrong and justice cannot be a private af... Read More...

Why the TNIV Bible is Important

John Mark Reynolds | Education, Theology | 02.22.2005

Why the TNIV Bible is ImportantHere is the argument, such as it is, supplied by Zondervan (note: I have edited a book with Zondervan and think they are swell folk.) for why we need a new translation. My comments are in italics. Zondervan says:Part of the reason for this mass exodus is that today's generation thinks differently than previous generation.I dispute this as a gener... Read More...

Hugh Hewitt Revealed!

John Mark Reynolds | Misc. | 02.22.2005

HughHewitt.comI may or may not have tapes of Hugh Hewitt speaking candidly to me about many subjects. I am preparing a book on the topic ("Flogging Bloggings Best Blogger: the Book on Hugh Hewitt.")Hewitt has mere days to respond in order to suppress these tapes which may include, though not necessarily, revealing tid bits that may or may not include shocking information that ... Read More...

A Splenda Bible Translation!

John Mark Reynolds | Culture, Theology, Literature | 02.22.2005

markdroberts.comDr. Roberts continues his helpful (and on the whole) excellent series on Bible translation.However, I find his case for relevant language change almost totally unpersuasive. Of course, English changes, but standard English changes very, very slowly. The kind of English that a good translator will use has not changed that much at all in thirty years. Doubt this?... Read More...

The Pursuit of Happiness

John Mark Reynolds | Theology | 02.17.2005

Virgil forces the reader to visit the place of the dead. Homer did the same. Dante begins his trip that ends in Paradise with a journey through Hell. Plato begins and ends the Republic with visions of a downward journey, the last to the place of the dead.Why do so many great writers take us to Hell? They do so, because it is in the place of the dead that the scales of justice ... Read More...

Is the TNIV Good News?

John Mark Reynolds | Education, Theology | 02.17.2005

Is the TNIV Good News?Mark Roberts is, in many ways, the model pastor. He is very well educated, even better read, and has a heart for his people. I am enjoying his series on Bible translation a great deal. However, I wonder about one assumption running through it: young people need a new translation to help them read the Bible. My grandfather, with his eighth grade education ... Read More...

WSJ.com - The Sick Man of Europe — Again

John Mark Reynolds | Politics | 02.16.2005

WSJ.com - The Sick Man of Europe -- Again: "Turkey could easily become just another second-rate country: small-minded, paranoid, marginal and -- how could it be otherwise? -- friendless in America and unwelcome in Europe."I cannot understand the anti-Turk bias in some of our media. I hardly ever read a good story about Turkey. Americans are right to condemn things in Turkish c... Read More...

Heaven In Her Eye

John Mark Reynolds | Theology, Literature | 02.16.2005

Milton famously describes Eve as having "heaven in her eye."As a young adult, I loved that line, because it seemed such a perfect description of the beloved when I found her. She would have heaven in her eye. Her gaze would promise paradise in the raptures of two folk in love.Of course, this was a crude and foolish misreading. Milton is picturing Eve as an image of Paradise. H... Read More...

Pick me! Pick me!

John Mark Reynolds | Culture | 02.16.2005

HughHewitt.com: "'Are there people of a particular faith (Jewish, Baptist, Catholic, other) who feel ignored? What if media organizations gave them blogs and let them reflect religious life in the community, under your banner? Are there people who believe your news report is too liberal? What if you gave them a blog and let them reflect conservative life in the community? Are ... Read More...

Cheer Up!

John Mark Reynolds | Politics | 02.15.2005

We are about to get good news in Iraq and North Korea! I have developed what I call the New York Times Rule.Here it is:Just at the moment that the Times says a problem cannot be solved, then it is within ten months of being solved. This particularly applies to dealing with communist dictatorships. If the Times thinks a dictatorship is here to stay, then it is doomed. See for e... Read More...

O Death

John Mark Reynolds | Culture, Theology | 02.15.2005

I never liked going to funerals. In my childhood, they were sad affairs and fairly formal. Later they became full of false cheerfulness and endless speeches about the departed. Secular funerals were the worst of all. Such events are full fo courage, but not much else. Death is a bad thing for a secularist, or at least the decline that leads to death is, and no amount of stiff ... Read More...