Announcing his upcoming debate with Bill Nye, the Science Guy, Young Earth Creationist Ken Ham said:… [Read more…] about Creationist Ken Ham versus the Truth
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Christmas Comes But Once a Year
I know some of you out there aren’t feeling Christmas this year. Maybe for this reason; maybe for that. But if you’re feeling that way, this rant is for you.… [Read more…] about Christmas Comes But Once a Year
A love "bigger than two": one polyamorous relationship
(A woman wrote to share with me that, in all ways but legally, she is equally married to both a man and a woman. I asked my new acquaintance if she would be willing to let me interview her about that. At first she was reticent—but, as she put it, “the opportunity to share with others a glimpse into our life is too good to pass up.” So here’s our interview.)… [Read more…] about A love "bigger than two": one polyamorous relationship
Pastor Jack of Omak takes no flack
The town of Omak, Washington is here:… [Read more…] about Pastor Jack of Omak takes no flack
Keep the X in Xmas
I recently created this meme for the Unfundamentalist Christians Facebook page:
The intent of this picture was to refute the silly notion that replacing “Christ” with an “X” is part of a sinister plot against Christianity.
The truth of the matter is that abbreviating nomina sacra (sacred names) is a tradition that dates to the earliest days of Christianity. To preserve space and save valuable writing resources, scribes often used such abbreviations for references to God and Christ, usually by writing only the first and last letter of a word with a bar across the top.
In the meme above I included a transcription from Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th century manuscript of the Bible. Here’s the actual text from Matthew 16:16b as it appears in Sinaiticus:
In this verse we find three nomina sacra: ΧC, short for χριστὸς (Christ); ΥC, short for υἱὸς (son); and ΘΥ, short for θεοῦ (God). If you’re reading carefully you’ll notice that the letters in the abbreviations don’t seem to quite match up with the letters from the full word. That’s because Siniaticus is written entirely in uppercase letters, also known as uncials. Just as in English, many of these letters change form from uppercase to lowercase. In the nomina sacra above, C is an uppercase sigma (ς) and Υ is an uppercase upsilon (υ).
But enough with the Greek lesson. The important point is that the Greek letter X has been used as a substitute for the name of Christ since Christians started writing the… [Read more…] about Keep the X in Xmas
Killing us with kindness
Last night I was hanging out at the corner of faith and sexuality. There I witnessed a violent mugging. The perpetrator pretended to befriend his victims before suddenly attacking them with a crowbar. He smiled his toothy grin, and assured his victims of his love for them—and then left them bloodied, broken and writhing on the ground. It was monstrous.… [Read more…] about Killing us with kindness
The Beatitude Attitude: 9 Tips for Managing Your Family Stress Over the Holidays
This is the time of year when I start getting emails from people looking for tips on how to remain in a healthy emotional space whilst visiting with family over the holidays. So this is also the time of year that I republish the piece below. It’s a way of looking at each of the Beatitudes delivered by Jesus in his famous Sermon on the Mount, and finding there wisdom that anyone can use to make visiting their family over the holidays something they can not only endure, but great enjoy.… [Read more…] about The Beatitude Attitude: 9 Tips for Managing Your Family Stress Over the Holidays
Five reasons why "God works out all things for those who love him" is awful advice
I recently received this letter:
John,
I am a follower of your blog as well as a huge fan of Unfundamentalist Christians.
I was raised in an Evangelical home and was schooled at an Evangelical Christian school for most of my life. I have slowly begun to discover my own faith, as opposed to just simply believing what I had been told all my life.… [Read more…] about Five reasons why "God works out all things for those who love him" is awful advice
Christians: Would you hang in your house this pro-Islam painting by Muhammad Ali?
In the desert town of Lancaster, California, I once attended a charity’s silent auction, where I was so struck by the fairly large (28 x 24 inches) painting above that I took what for me then was quite a leap, and bid $80.00 on it. Weirdly enough (to me anyway), I was the only bidder. Victory! While paying for it I learned the painting had been done the boxer Muhammad Ali, who had also autographed it. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)… [Read more…] about Christians: Would you hang in your house this pro-Islam painting by Muhammad Ali?
In landmark move, Methodist bishop defies church law and colleagues to marry gay couple
Bobby Prince and Joe Openshaw (above), of Birmingham, Alabama, are getting married on Saturday, October 26. They are members of the United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States after the Southern Baptist Convention. Naturally enough, Bobby and Joe wanted to get married before their friends, family, and church family in their church home, Discovery United Methodist Church of Hoover, AL.… [Read more…] about In landmark move, Methodist bishop defies church law and colleagues to marry gay couple