13 Jan 2009

Here. There. Everywhere: Good Stuff on the Net

Author: Bobby Valentine | Filed under: Bobby's World, Books, Ministry, Mission

Ours is a changing world. The good old days (if they ever existed) are gone and will never return. Though America has never been a “Christian” nation there was a time when most folks knew the basic stories of the Bible. That day, too, is past. Sadly most folks who claim the title Christian are not much more biblically literate than non-Christians. My friend Beth pointed to a fascinating article on Christianity Today by Brian Lowry “Biblical Literacy Reaches New Low” on how John 3.16 was the number 1 item on Google search after the Florida/Oklahoma game.

Here is another article on John 3.16 posted by Jonathan over on the OOZE called “John 3.16: Is it Focused on Just People or Something Bigger?”

History can teach us many things if we will just have ears to hear and eyes to see. There are massive “Battles for the Bible” going on in Protestant Christianity today … even among Churches of Christ. Often we fail to see how our own battles are couched in in cultural terms unawares. Mark Noll, one of the best Evangelical historians in America, has written as short and enlightening account from a previous battle that can help us see our own today: Battle for the Bible.

Readers of English Bibles are often confused by the use of textual notes and how they are represented. Holger Szesnat shares a slightly more beefy article in the Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism called “Some Witnesses Have …’ The Representation of the New Testament in English Bible Versions.” Actually a helpful piece.

Just to be WOWED! Some pictures of God’s Amazing Creation.

China has nearly 300 million people on the NET.

And if you are not familiar with the hoopla over the Bible Illuminated then here is a short look at one person’s view of the project.

Enjoy.

Seeking Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 4:52 pm and is filed under Bobby's World, Books, Ministry, Mission. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Here. There. Everywhere: Good Stuff on the Net”

  1. Tim Archer Says:
    January 13th, 2009 at 6:07 pm    Reply

    To me, the whole Tim Tebow thing just reminded me of the foolishness of people holding up Bible verses in public places and expecting non-Christians to respond to them in some way.

    If someone knows what “John 3:16” means, they’ve already read it. If they haven’t read the passage, the reference will mean nothing to them.

    Grace and peace,
    Tim

  2. nick gill Says:
    January 13th, 2009 at 7:25 pm    Reply

    Tim,

    I want to agree so badly it hurts, but the evidence just doesn’t agree. People knew it was a Bible verse, and they looked it up!

    Non-Christians (I can’t imagine Christians looking it up) responded amazingly! Will it have any long-lasting effect? We’ll have to watch for it and leap at the opportunities. I don’t think anyone expects someone to see John 3:16 in the endzone and rush to a church to become a member — but I’d rather see Jn 3:16 than “Kill the Colts!” or whatever.

  3. Justin Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 3:18 am    Reply

    Was this post a follow-up to some earlier conversation? I didn’t really get the point of it.

  4. Stoned-Campbell Disciple Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 5:31 am    Reply

    Justin I suppose if there was a point to this particular point it was simply “here are a few good things that are worthy of your attention” … But no it was not really a follow up to anything. From time to time I post some links like this just to point to what is out there. 🙂

  5. Frank Bellizzi Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 6:18 pm    Reply

    I hate to say it, but biblical illiteracy is alive a well here in Christianized Amarillo. I never cease to be amazed at how little my students know and understand. Only a few are well-read in the Scriptures. The others seem to be nearly clueless. Guess that’s why I’m here.

  6. Anonymous Says:
    February 3rd, 2010 at 3:56 pm    Reply

    My friend and I were recently talking about technology, and how integrated it has become to our daily lives. Reading this post makes me think back to that debate we had, and just how inseparable from electronics we have all become.

    I don’t mean this in a bad way, of course! Societal concerns aside… I just hope that as technology further advances, the possibility of uploading our brains onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It’s a fantasy that I daydream about almost every day.

    (Posted on Nintendo DS running [url=http://kwstar88.livejournal.com/491.html]R4[/url] DS BB)

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