#morepolymaths
Welcome to the varied thoughts of a pastor, sometimes Algebra and Lit teacher, writer, music critic, baker…etc.
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Biblical Narrative Is Ambiguous (and Why That’s a Good Thing)
This might make your toes curl up inside your shoes, but the narratives of the Bible are ambiguous. Just to be clear, I am not saying that the Bible is false, untrue, misleading, or culturally confined. But its stories are ambiguous. Perhaps you remember being introduced to literary tools in your high school English class–simile,… Read more
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2.7 — John G. Paton and Steeled Conviction & Courage
In the mid 1850s, a call went out to the ministers of the Scottish Reformed Presbyterian Church for a new missionary to be sent to a chain of islands off the coast of Australia. John Inglis pleaded for another to be sent to help him, claiming that on his island alone “3,500 savages [had thrown]… Read more
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John G. Paton and the Death of a Young Boy
One of the great things about studying missionaries from the past is the treasury of public domain books to be had free online either at Archive.org or Google Books written by those very missionaries. Recently while reading John G. Paton’s autobiography, I was struck by an account from his years as an inner city missionary… Read more
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What If I Miss the Rapture?
So, I did a bad thing this past week. I googled “what if I miss the rapture?” For those who are not familiar with what I’m talking about, “the rapture” is a central piece of a dispensational reading of Revelation. The idea goes that when Jesus returns, he will come back secretly first and take… Read more
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God Is Fair
My children are the fairness police in our home–and most violations have to do with snacks. Here’s how it plays out. One child comes to me and asks for an apple or a string cheese or a cookie, and if they get it, what do they do? Immediately, they go into the other room and… Read more
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The Blessing of “And”
Preparing a new sermon on 2 Thessalonians last week, I carried a photocopy of the Greek text into the gym with me (as I often do). For about an hour, I couldn’t make it past the first two words of the letter: “Paul and…” 2 Thessalonians 1:1 And. Such a seemingly insignificant word. The ESV… Read more
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2.6 — David Brainerd and Power in Weakness
On March 20, 1747, a twenty-nine year old David Brainerd said goodbye to his congregation of Delaware Indians for the last time. His long battle with tuberculosis ended in Northhampton, Massachusetts, on a bed in the home of Jonathan Edwards. He passed away October 9, 1747. Brainerd had been a missionary for only four years.… Read more
