The evangelical churches decided to raise money and, together with others, acquire a rescue ship and run a rescue mission. They operate with the hashtag #wirschickeneinschiff (#wesendtheship). A bishop speaks for them – and so the media write about the scandal of death on the high seas. The constant supply of bodies keeps the moral scandal on the radar.
In this short post, I address the issue of biblical counts of pots and pans, Jeremiah’s ‘inaccurate’ prophecy of 70 years of exile, and the tension between human agency and God’s sovereignty. I consider what the Jewish historian Herodotus said about why Cyrus invited the Jerusalemites to “go home” and pose a question about appealing to Bible texts in matters of public policy.
I reflect on why I’m a Christian, why I’m often so frustrated and how listening to a 19-minute talk on Public Theology by Prof Juliana Claassens of Stellenbosch University – in a series published by the Lutheran World Federation – has reinvigorated me.
As Christ-followers, as members of a minority community in Malaysia, how should we respond to refugees? What do theologians, immigration officers, police, RELA members, social workers advise? What ‘special treatment,’ if any, can refugee members of a faith community (e.g., Christians, Muslims) reasonably expect from members of the same community in Malaysia?
Using as launching pad the (Greek language) Septuagint translation of the Hebrew scriptures prepared by Jews in Egypt two to three centuries before Christ, this article introduces readers to the challenges of translation. It includes an example of translating a Malay idiom into English and examples drawn from the two English versions dated c. 500 years apart (KJV and ESV).
Ever heard of the Masoretic Text? Know what it means? Know why it’s important? The Masoretic Text is relevant to this series on Nehemiah because the introduction in my commentary on Nehemiah says “the Masoretic notes on EzraNehemiah were not placed after each book, but after Nehemiah, a proof that the Masoretes regarded EzraNehemiah as …
What have you put in your pockets? Before I went to school, only two items could be found in my pockets: sweets and coins. After I was able to blow my own nose, a handkerchief was added to the list. I don’t think I’ve owned a handkerchief for several decades now. The handkerchief has been …
Pockets, cargo pants and self-interpreting Bibles Read More »
The language of daily commerce and interaction in Nehemiah’s Jerusalem was Aramaic. But Nehemiah was very passionate about Hebrew. He even cursed, beat, and pulled out the hair of some fathers whose children hadn’t been taught Hebrew. Why? In Nehemiah chapter 8, we read of a day when a great crowd of people camped …
I attended church services during my last two years as a student – also my first two years as a Christian. The preacher was invariably our pastor. I later learned that the elders, who had discerned God’s voice and called him to be pastor, had been adamant that God had called him to preach and …
It was Monday, 6.47 am. I’d been walking for about 15 minutes. Panting. Glad to be on a flat stretch of road. Glad to pause. I saw a string of lights on the road beneath the overpass I was on. The headlights of cars funnelling towards the road shoulder. I went to get a better …
