Generosity!
The recent natural disasters brought out a lot of generosity in ordinary folks. A human chain that saved an older gentleman. The “Cajun Navy” of Louisiana denizens who drove hours from Baton Rouge, boats and all, to rescue those in distress. Lincoln, Nebraska, that sent 80 of its finest (from police and fire departments) to Texas to be there even before the storm hit. “Mattress Mack” (Jim McIngvale) of Gallery Furniture that opened his store to house refugees.
“Is it Bad to Be Single?”
My fellow preaching prof, fellow Evangelical Homiletics Society member, and good friend Dr. Hershael York, of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Lexington, Kentucky, has this to say about the question posed in the title of this post …
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
Psalm 34:10
God bless the singles!
Deception!
Well, everybody deceives. Students taking an exam: a few years ago, about half those in a government class at Harvard were charged with cheating, and about seventy expelled. Runners in a race, breaking rules to enter into the 2015 Boston marathon. Having an affair: the hacking of the website of Ashley Madison revealed 37 million users subscribing to the “Life is short. Have an affair” mantra. Software piracy costs $63 billion each year. Nearly 75% of employees have
Pragmatics and Preaching—A Dialogue
Please consider this an invitation to peruse and respond to:
1) Article by Abraham Kuruvilla, “‘What is the Author Doing with What He is Saying?’ Pragmatics and Preaching—An Appeal!” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 60 (2017): 557–80;
2) Response to my article by Buist Fanning, Senior Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary; and
3) Rejoinder to Buist Fanning’s response by me (Abe Kuruvilla).
Article, response,
Ambitions!
Another “graduation” occurred last week.
One of my teachers went to be with the Lord: Dr. Stanley D. Toussaint, Senior Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition, who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary from 1960 (before I was born!) to 2012. He was 89.
Charming, sharp, full of parrot jokes (yup!), and an amazing knowledge of the Scriptures. I count it a privilege to have been one of his “small-fry” students, but the man has taught Dallas Seminary stalwarts
Language!
Mark Twain is reported to have said:
Let us swear while we may, for in Heaven it will not be allowed.”
The great man would have been happy with the results of a recent study. Jean Twenge, prof of psychology at San Diego State, and her co-researchers analyzed titles of English books published in the US between 1950 and 2008, looking for profanity, specifically for seven words I am ashamed to repeat here. They were, BTW, the “seven words you can never say on television,”
Honesty!
George G. Klein, 96, is a World War II Veteran acclaimed as “one of the great celebrities” and a war hero as a veteran of the battle against the Germans in Normandy. He was celebrated during the 73rd anniversary of Normandy during a ceremony recently, honored as one of the 90 survivors in the elite 2nd Ranger Battalion that fought on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc on June 6, 1944.
The guy participated in several commemorative events and, wearing his “Ranger” hat, signed
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.