This Week in Word from the Bird

Posts for 6-11 June

Monday: I'll Say it: Certain Theologies Enable Sexual Abuse (Free Sign-Ups)
"What we do see, especially in more conservative circles is a viewpoint of women that views women primarily by their sexuality. They are either dangerous to a godly man because of their sexuality or they are means to sexual fulfillment.” - Rachael Denhollander.

Tuesday: 1 Clement: An Introduction (Free Sign-Ups).
1 Clement is a great letter that tells us a lot about leadership structures, use of Scripture, atonement theology, veneration of the words of Jesus, and incorporation of philosophy in the early church.

Wednesday: How to Find Yourself: (Free Sign-Ups).
Brian Rosner, my Ridley colleague, has written a gem of a book called: How to Find Yourself: Why Looking Inward Is Not the Answer. The premise for the book is that today in the 21st-century West, identity is everything. Never has it been more important, culturally speaking, to know who you are and be true to yourself. But the whole “Be true to yourself” is just a farce Rosner argues.

Friday: Talking About Sin in a Sinless Age (Subscribers)
Speaking to people about sin is hard if people no longer believe in sin. These days “sin” means “naughty, but fun.” To be a sinner is to rage against the machine, to live by your own rules, to be a rebel who refuses to knuckle under any authority. The only people who are against sin are moralizing geriatrics found in churches. So how do we explain sin in this context?