Andy Rowell

Church Leadership Conversations

  • Dissertation Proposal Approved

    My dissertation proposal was approved today.  The title is "Exemplary Church: John Howard Yoder’s interpretation of Karl Barth’s ecclesiology." Stanley Hauerwas and Curtis Freeman are my co-directors. Allen Verhey and Will Willimon round out my committee. Now, 250 pages to write.  Thanks to many of my blog readers for cheering me on. 

    Andy

  • A few resources on Mormonism

    We were talking with friends today about their conversations with their Mormon neighbors about: coffee (best not to repeatedly invite Mormons over for it), premarital sex (Mormons are proud of their strictness on this), Dr. Pepper (the Mormon husband sometimes gives in to temptations), and Monday Family Home Evening (it is best not to ring the doorbell lest you interrupt devotional times). 

     

    A few resources I came across:

    A Christianity Today article on the state of relations between Christians and Mormons.  This is the place to start:

    http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/november/11.23.html

    Most Improbable Dialogue
    Mormon Tabernacle revival service is latest sign of openness to evangelicals.
    Richard N. Ostling | posted 10/30/2009 10:04AM

    This 1997 book also looks good and is referred to in the article.  Craig Blomberg is a highly respected New Testament scholar.    

    How Wide the Divide?

    Craig L. Blomberg,…

    Best Price $0.39 
    or Buy New $12.28

    Richard Mouw (also referred to in the CT article), president of Fuller Seminary, says there is some common ground with Mormons in Jesus Christ but also serious differences, and that Mormons should engage in dialogue more openly.   

    http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2004/11/We-Have-Sinned-Against-You.aspx
    http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/06/A-New-Opportunity-For-Mormonism.aspx

    See also the PBS Frontline documentary:
    http://www.pbs.org/mormons/

    which I don't think I have seen. 

    But I have seen this one which takes on similar issues:

    http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/

  • Official versions of Hebrew, Greek Bibles and Septuagint now available online for free

    From the German Bible Society's http://www.academic-bible.com/ at their page Online Bibles

    Our online Bibles are the official Internet editions of individual academic biblical texts. They are always the most up to date versions. This is only possible because the German Bible Society oversees these editions itself as publisher.

    The following editions are currently available:

    • Hebrew Old Testament following the text of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
    • Greek New Testament following the text of the Novum Testamentum Graece (ed. Nestle-Aland), 27. Edition
    • Greek Old Testament following the text of the Septuagint (ed. Rahlfs/Hanhart)
    • Latin Bible following the text of the Vulgate (ed. Weber/Gryson)

    This is big news as there have only been the less official versions available online until now or you could buy them with Bible software. 

    See other resources at:

    http://www.biblegateway.com/

    and

    Duke professor Mark Goodacre's http://www.ntgateway.com/

    The letter from the German Bible Society just came in the mail yesterday announcing this.