I like to promote the 7 Rules of Interreligious Dialogue that was put forward by Max Warren (Anglican Missiologist) back in the 1960s. In my Interreligious Dialogue class, I asked my students to explain the 7 Rules in their own words. I stopped in the middle of grading because I began thinking. They did a …
Continue reading Our Uniqueness in Common Humanity (Max Warren and Anton Boisen)
I was listening to sports radio yesterday. The issue brought up was about an audio file of Rick Patino, a very successful college mens basketball coach. He was ripping into his team verbally and swearing at them. The question posed was whether today's student athletes can handle this sort of coaching... or are they now …
Continue reading Being a Bad Coach, and How that May Relate to a Bad Minister
I wrote an article for our counseling center the answers the question "Aren't You the Counseling Center that Doesn't Use the Bible?" My view is that we do use the Bible... while SOME of the groups that use the Bible are using it... sub-biblically. Anyway... you can decide for yourself: http://bukallifecare.org/2023/07/19/arent-you-the-group-that-doesnt-use-the-bible/
Continuing from Part 1. CLICK HERE if you haven't read Part 1 yet. #3. "RTV" Counsleing often devolves into bad hermeneutics on two levels. On the first level, there is often bad hermeneutics (process of interpretation) of the Bible. For example, a common RTV passage for counseling is Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things …
Continue reading Critique on RTV (“Read This Verse”) Counseling— Part Two
I used to be a mechanical engineer working for one of the larger defense contractors in the world. Sometimes we would have short-cut solutions to problems. In people's homes, one of the big shortcuts is duck tape (also spelled duct tape, incorrectly, at times). We did not use duck tape however, but one of our …
Continue reading Critique on RTV (“Read This Verse”) Counseling— Part 1
Christian Missions seems so opposite to Pastoral Care. Christian Missions is usually linked with proclamation and apologetics. Pastoral Care is more tied to listening and eductive learning. Christian Missions usually seeks to change others. Pastoral Care is usually more focused on empowering others to change themselves--- or at least understand themselves better. But there are …
I have been reading a book--- Jerome: His Life, Writings and Controversies, by J.N.D. Kelly. Jerome is... complex. He has done some great things, such as recognize and support the importance, especially in the Western Church, of taking Biblical languages (1st Century Greek, and ancient Hebrew) seriously in both translation and interpretation. However, in his …
My wife is a certified pastoral counselor, so I sometimes get pulled in on CPE (Clinical Pastoral Training/Education) groups to lead a small training session. This weekend, I led one in Pastoral Theology. I utilize the definition for Pastoral Theology used by Margaret Whipp, in her book "SCM Guidebook: Pastoral Theology," PASTORAL THEOLOGY IS THE …
Okay, it happened again. I was reading some commentary on a Biblical passage. This one was from when Jesus said to His disciples in the garden, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, …
Continue reading Jesus Caught Being Weak in the Garden of Gethsemane?