If your work week runs Monday to Friday, by noon on Wednesday you’re ‘over the hump,’ but the Baptist in me still blushes when someone says, “Happy Hump Day!” With that, I think we’d better quickly move on to the links which you’ll find at Out of Ur.
- You can’t walk the hallways of the Christian internet without running into Calvinists, but Lutherans are stronger numerically. So why don’t Lutherans have greater influence?
- Atheists may not believe, but they want to belong. More accurately, they want to help serve.
- With the Duck Dynasty people entering into a licensing deal with a winemaker, it’s no surprise that Free Will Baptist Family Ministries cancelled an upcoming appearance by Willie Robertson to raise funds for a Christian school building project.
- Quote of the Week: John Piper — “…we really need to keep in mind that every charismatic abuse has its mirror image in non-charismatic abuses. Nothing I am going to say is unique to charismatics. In some of these cases, the non-charismatic church is more guilty than the charismatic.” Read more.
- While Pope Francis has changed the style of the papacy, it is creating ripple effects that are changing the style of American bishops.
- So who exactly set the guest list and invited “the Tea Party Power Players” to Billy Graham’s birthday bash?
- In light of decreased attendance and giving, James MacDonald has taken a 20% pay cut. One writer says that this seems noble, but looks at the Harvest Bible Chapel founder’s larger financial situation.
- A world away, Filipinos worship in churches ravaged by wind and rain.
- “The Mormon church was already one of Florida’s largest landowners. For more than 60 years, the church has owned … a 290,000 cattle, and citrus operation straddling three counties south of Orlando.” Now they’re going into the forestry business.
- Raising kids while serving on a foreign mission field is full of challenges, and singing, “This world is not my home, I’m just passin’ through;” is probably not very helpful.
- With the current interest in Christian feminism, is there room for complementarians? A serious discussion followed.
- Author Rachel Held Evans doesn’t want to be divisive. Nor does she want to be silent.
- A Canadian priest is facing 76 sexual abuse charges involving dozens of victims dating back to the 1970s in Canada’s far north.
- The Church of England, says a former Archbishop of Canterbury, is one generation away from extinction.
- You’re not that busy, or you wouldn’t be reading this. So it’s time to play Bible Jeopardy. (What is, “Don’t tell my senior pastor my score?”)
- If this is true I’m in trouble: What your sleep patterns say about your personal theology.
- Essay of the Week: At Aljazeera America (of all places) an exhaustive article on how sexual assaults are handled at Bob Jones University.
- Same sex attraction: Vimeo removed this pro-change 32 minute video, then it was put on YouTube. Let’s see if it’s still there by the time you read this…
- …Meanwhile a Methodist pastor in Pennsylvania faces defrocking after presiding over his son’s same-sex marriage.
- With nearly 200 comments, you’d expect some of the answers to the oft-asked question, “What is the gospel?” But maybe different answers when it’s Marcus Borg doing the asking.
- With the anniversary of C. S. Lewis’ death just days away, some still-applicable quotations.
- Nadia Bolz-Weber’s sermon — in her church a 10-12 minute homily — for All Saints Sunday included a “saint” from her own local congregation. (Click the link to listen as you read.)
- Add another Bible narrative to the scrap heap of stories that never happened, as this blogger categorically dismisses the story of Jonah.
- Break out the Petra and Daniel Amos albums; it’s a campaign to bring back the print edition of CCM Magazine…
- …and here’s one Christian artist’s best kept secret. What if there had been a girl in The Beach Boys?
- Finally, in our Christian music link trilogy, a story you can’t live without: Singer Mandisa is launching Simply Mandisa, a line of clothing and accessories, ’cause that’s what you do next, right?
- The Creation and Earth Museum in San Diego has been denied a place on the local museum council.
- Was a bus driver at Rutgers University fired for not properly securing a wheelchair, or does it have more to do with his praying for a passenger in a wheelchair?
- While I wouldn’t want to be able to put a check-mark next to #5 on my first visit, here’s one writer’s seven things to look for in a church.
- Your teaser title for this week: Eldering and Economics.
- Regular viewing of R-rated movies can have a negative impact on faith; at the same time as some church-produced films are being rated R.
- Question of the Week: How many gamers will skip church to spend more time on their new Play Station 4?
- Here’s what happens when a PhD in Theology takes seriously the idea of a Mark Driscoll Scholarship for Women Pastors.
- Jamie The Very Worst Hugger admits that when it comes to wrapping your arms around someone, she does not have that particular spiritual gift.
- A UK Church blog offers you the opportunity to calculate your social media influence rating.
- Well, we could keep going all day here, but I see by the clock on the clubhouse wall that it’s time to go. If Christmas is leaving you without ideas, here’s a can’t miss suggestion for that special person in your life, also pictured below.
The Wednesday Link List is written by Paul Wilkinson who blogs the rest of the week at Thinking Out Loud and Christianity 201. Professional stunt blogger. Do not attempt at home. Offer not valid in Wisconsin or Hawaii.
Thinking Out Loud 
You’re doing Fred Clark a disservice if you think he’s ‘categorically dismissing’ the book of Jonah. I know from his previous writings that he holds that book in the highest regard. I’ve found his exegesis of it profoundly helpful, especially the parallels he draws between the story of Jonah and the story of the prodigal son.
Comment by trevor — November 20, 2013 @ 1:54 pm
* “No, the book of Jonah cannot be read as history” (his title)
* “That’s satire, kids. It’s pretty much the textbook example and definition of satire.”
* “These are jokes people.”
* “The book of Jonah, they say, is a historical account.”
* “This book cannot be read as a history. The text itself will not allow that.”
I rest my case.
If he enjoys the “story” and finds it beneficial, then he is not ‘categorically dismissing’ it. But in an environment (even an Evangelical environment) where most of Genesis is being tossed on the scrap heap, it simply hurts to do that here, too. A century ago, the first rule of hermeneutics was, “Anything that can be taken literally should be taken literally.” That idea has been left in the dust.
Was a man really swallowed by a great fish, survived three days, and was burped out onto dry land? I don’t know. It just hurts to see more and more of the Biblical narrative unraveling.
Comment by paulthinkingoutloud — November 22, 2013 @ 3:37 pm
You are right in that he is categorically dismissing the book of Jonah as an historical account. But he is not categorically dismissing the book of Jonah.
I’m sure the book can be approached from many different angles. But no one has helped me more than Fred Clark in grasping the underlying message of the book. Although I guess Phil Vischer came close. Archibald the Asparagus shouting “Come on – fire, brimstone – you choose!” pretty accurately captures how badly Jonah missed the point.
Comment by trevor — November 22, 2013 @ 4:26 pm