Voting: A Moral Dilemma?

The 2010 elections are now behind us, other than a few close races pending recount. Some Republicans are claiming a mandate for change—a vague but all too familiar promise made across the aisle two years ago—but chances are good that the two parties that have been making a mess of our nation won't be stopping anytime soon. . . . Read more » 0 comments

The NEW New International Version

The church I grew up in used the New International Version as the source for the lectionary readings as well as most other activities. Out of the churches I have joined since, all except one used this Bible translation. Therefore, you can imagine my great interest (and apprehension) when I discovered that Biblica announced a sweeping update of the translation in September 2009. The Frequently Asked Questions gave only minor insights about the nature of the changes. For example, 95% of the text was said to be the same as the 1984 version; in other words, a frequent 1 in 20 words would be changed, on average. Both the old NIV and the newer TNIV would be conglomerated into this NIV 2011 revision. The old versions would no longer be available. . . . Read more » 2 comments

The Simple Life

A couple months ago, we stayed in a yurt in rural Minnesota. And again, a few weeks ago, we escaped to a cabin in northeast Indiana for a retreat. The lack of telephone, television, computer, electronics, and other distractions was quite refreshing. These adventures weren't merely a novel way of camping, but an experiment with a different perspective on life: a simpler, more fundamental one. . . . Read more » 0 comments