Whatever Happened to Evangelicalism?

Posted on September 30, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

From the wacky [HT: Chrisendom]…

…to the weird, to the more sinister.

Is there any section of the Church that is more messed up than what passes under the name of Evangelicalism? Like it or not, most people who call themselves evangelicals in the US and the UK today are holding a form of religion that only bears a tenuous relationship to the historic Christian faith. Whilst we would like to quibble about the historic meaning of the term and complain that it has been hijacked by fruitcakes, there comes a time when we simply have to accept the fact that the term ‘evangelical’ now carries a radically different meaning to anything that it ever held in the past. The weird, the heretical, the fad-driven, the fruity, the fanatical, the culturally and intellectually bankrupt has become the mainstream.

People, evangelicalism is a greater threat to Western civilization than Islam is. Islam may oppose the Christian faith, but modern evangelicalism trivializes, parodies and cheapens it to the extent that it is no longer deemed worthy of opposition and cannot be taken seriously. With all of its handwaving emotionalism, kitschy culture, intellectual vacuity, collective narcissism and blinkered politics, modern evangelicalism demands all the respect of a shabby circus freak.

Posted in The Church, Video | 31 Comments

Heaven and Hell

Posted on September 30, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

I have always liked this illustration.

Posted in The Blogosphere, Theological | Leave a comment

Would You Let A Video-Blogger Lead Your Country?

Posted on September 30, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

David Cameron
What is the world coming to? David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, is now video-blogging.

(The next thing you know we will discover that he is really an actress from New Zealand.)

Posted in In the News | Leave a comment

My News

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

This week I started back into lectures and tutorials again. I am studying Biblical Exegesis and Theological Explorations this semester, both of which I am enjoying so far. Most of my modules this year will be exegesis-based; next semester I am studying the Pentateuch in Hebrew and John’s Gospel in Greek. I am not exactly playing to my strengths, but I thought that it would be healthy to push myself to achieve in the areas in which I am slightly weaker. I was disappointed to find out that I wasn’t going to be able to take another Hebrew module this semester, although I will probably be permitted to audit it. I was even more disappointed to discover that I will not be able to audit Richard Bauckham’s classes as they are so full. Bauckham retires at the end of this year. His long-term replacement, Marcus Bockmuehl has already started and will be leading the John’s Gospel module that I am taking in the second semester.

Life in my new accommodation is great. The friends with which I am sharing — Simon and John — are both great housemates. Our lifestyle is generally a bit removed from that of most undergraduates; being out of the centre of town helps on that front. The meal from a few nights ago provides a good example: roast beef off Royal Doulton plates, followed by apple crumble and fine port, with candles and classical music. We don’t eat that way every day, but we will do so at least once or twice a week. We entertain quite a lot at the moment. Simon and I cooked enough lasagne to feed over thirty people over the weekend, which was a lot of fun.

At present my reading schedule has been set back a bit, largely due to indiscipline and lack of motivation. I have bought over a dozen books since returning to St. Andrews (mostly ficition) and have already started to read some of them. John picked up a number of large boxes of books on two separate occasions at a local auction for about £1 a box and has graciously sold on some of the books at a very cheap price.

At present I am reading Richard Bauckham’s Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World (whilst I wait for my pre-ordered copy of Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony to arrive), John Milbank and Catherine Pickstock’s Truth in Aquinas, Justification and Variegated Nomism: Volume 2—The Paradoxes of Paul, John Barton’s Reading the Old Testament: Method in Biblical Study and Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park (watching the fabulous BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with my brother Jonathan encouraged me to read more Austen).

Posted in What I'm Reading | 5 Comments

In the Blogosphere

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

John Pettigrew links to some spectacularly bad website designs.

On the subject of bad website designs, here is a site that Peter directed me to a while back. One of the worst sites that it links to is one for Pope John Paul II. Try using it in Firefox or another such browser!

The Pontificator is no longer allowing comments on his blog. Despite my theological differences with the Pontificator, Pontifications has been one of my favourite blogs for some time now. It is consistently thought-provoking and I believe that it is fair to say that it has become a benchmark of quality for theological blogs.

The ever-thoughtful Dennis Hou has some observations to make on the conversion of the Apostle Paul.

A blogging cardinal.

The blog for updates of the BiblicalStudies.org.uk site

Another blog to follow: La Nouvelle Théologie

Posted in The Blogosphere | 3 Comments

In Praise of Lyle’s Golden Syrup

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

Lyle's Golden Syrup
Britain’s oldest brand and the only product that I can think of that has a quotation from the book of Judges on it. Lyle’s Golden Syrup is also one of my favourite things to eat. I have it on bread, pancakes, in cakes, biscuits and all sorts of other things. Five minutes ago I ate a Lyle’s Golden Syrup flapjack. Last night I made chocolate fudge with it.

Lyle’s Golden Syrup also brings back all sorts of memories from my childhood. I still vividly remember when Geoff Thomas visited my parents while we still lived in the Republic of Ireland and spun us a wonderful yarn about a transmogrifying mouse and his addiction to Lyle’s Golden Syrup. I must have been under ten at the time. Geoff Thomas was a favourite visitor, as he always gave a lot of attention to us when we were children. When he left I sent a card with a picture of a mouse sucking Lyle’s Golden Syrup through a straw. He wrote back with an extremely funny illustrated poem, which I still have somewhere.

In the constant swirl of new and improved products, where historical continuity is so rare, it is wonderful to have a product that does not feel the need to change its recipe, or have a facelift every few years. When choosing syrup there is no choice; it must be Lyle’s every time. The wealth of choice in the modern supermarket doesn’t always make me feel any better off and it is comforting to know that there are still a few products that we have more than ephemeral connections to. The constant presence of the unchanging Lyle’s Golden Syrup tin in the cupboard in the kitchen and on the table since childhood is reassuring in a world where most products chase off novelty and continually cast off old images like a snake with its skin.

Posted in In the News | 5 Comments

Broadband

Posted on September 26, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

We now have broadband in our house, which will probably result in more regular posting.

Posted in Public Service Announcement | 12 Comments

US threats to Pakistan

Posted on September 22, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

The president of Pakistan claims that the US threatened to bomb Pakistan “back to the stone age” if they did not co-operate with the ‘war on terror’.

Posted in In the News | 13 Comments

Wright Questions Please!

Posted on September 20, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

Over the next week or two I hope to follow up my talk on Wright’s understanding of Jesus with talks on his understanding of Paul. Within those talks I will particularly focus on Wright’s understanding of justification. My aim is to preemptively address most of the criticisms that are levelled against Wright by exploring his theology on its own terms. I don’t want to spend more time than necessary responding to the critics.

I intend to conclude this series of talks with a talk responding to any burning questions that people might have regarding Wright’s work on Jesus and Paul, or even about the man himself. If anyone has such questions please send them to me. If you have encountered a particular criticism of Wright and you are not sure how best to answer it, if there is an aspect of his thought that simply puzzles you, if you want clarification of his position on a particular matter, please leave your question. You can write them in the comments of this post or my audio posts, or send them to my e-mail address. I will try to answer the best questions in my final talk. The best questions will be searching, relevant, helpful and of interest to a number of listeners. Critics of Wright are especially welcome.

Posted in Controversies, N.T. Wright, NT Theology, Theological | 12 Comments

Booty from the Blogosphere

Posted on September 19, 2006 by Alastair Roberts

Aarrggh! ‘Tis Talk Like a Pirate Day an’ me hold be burdened with booty from the four corners of the blogosphere. At present the old sails are tattered an’ me ship is limping along at under 50Kbps, but no fear shipmates, my powers have not deserted me, mutinous crew though they be. Here be a guide to hidden treasure the like of which is ne’er to be found in many fair lands.

Insulation, Isolation, & Implosion
Intra-Trinitarian Covenant
Leithart on Proof
In Defense of Pluralism
Dennis on Ratzinger, Van Til and Rationalism
Drink up, me hearties!

Posted in The Blogosphere | 2 Comments