The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King is a revelatory work that reshapes the North American mind on their relationship with both the past and present native community.
Book Review: Fragments of Christianity
Fragments of Christianity: Fragmentary Witnesses to Early Christian Liturgies, Hymns, Homilies, and Prayers, is an excellent resource on early Christianity. Every early Church historian or lay reader interested in the daily goings-on in the primitive church should have this work.
The author, Rick Brannan, has put much effort into analyzing, comparing, translating, and commenting on the various texts he has collated.
His work reveals the depth and beauty of the various facets of early church liturgies.
Book Review: My Jesus Year
My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith is a humorous and sometimes insightful look into the smorgasbord of Christian religions in the United States.
Benjamin Cohen, a journalist and a Jewish observer, ventures into Christian wrestling, Catholicism, Anglicans, Mormons, Christian mystics, and more, including some off the beaten-track.
The Rehumanization of a Christian Zombie
A candid look at faith, fears, loss, and hope through the lens of a zombie religious pilgrim.
A mirror hangs in the foyer of my house. Until recently it was the lone adornment on my freshly painted walls; my adult daughters eventually put up some pictures to hide what was, to them, an emotional desert, naked of any image, portrait, or memory. I walk through the house like a dead man among the living. I have become numb, like a zombie, finding that this is the only way to avoid the pain.
She is gone, and our children have grown up and left the house. After 38 years its many rooms stand empty. Old friends take sides, and some ghost me. Acquaintances shy away. My mother died some months ago; my aging body aches more profoundly with each passing day. God does not hear, and I am alone.
Speaking in Tongues Examples
Video samples of the sights and sounds of glossolalia/speaking in tongues around the world. Prepared for those curious about the phenomenon and want to know more about it.
A Canadian Made Solution for Abortion
A better choice in the pro-life/pro-abortion mudslinging: both parties working together. A point of view from a now moderated pro-lifer.
Any pro-life victory has to go hand-in-hand with better protection of women and motherhood. One cannot promote the unborn at the expense of the mother. Nor the mother at the cost of the unborn.
There is a common ground between the polarized parties that address the unborn and the mother. But to arrive at that, challenging discussions and structural social changes are necessary to make this happen.
A Traditional Jewish Marriage Contract
A translation of an 1872 Jewish marriage contract, commonly called a Ketubah, completed in the South American country of Curaçao.
Miracles, Suffering, and a Magic Wand
Perspectives of miracles and suffering from a seasoned Charismatic Christian.
If I had a magic wand like the historical characters in the Bible had with prayer, then my little brother’s cancer would be gone.
The wand for my late friend, Mark Typa, whose cancer ravished his body and stole him away. A wish to have walked in his room earlier and confidently stated that he is healed, just like Jesus did with St. Peter’s mother-in-law. Then later to play billiards and have him annihilate me in yet another game.
Hildegard of Bingen and Her New Language
The myth or reality of Hildegard of Bingen speaking in tongues.
Hildegard of Bingen was a remarkable twelfth-century German abbess–a rock star in her time. She even invented a primitive language for her convent. Was it glossolalia, speaking in tongues, singing in tongues, or jubilation?
She is a figure whom some academic Pentecostal whisper support. They allude that Hildegard was part of a tradition passed to them.
An examination reveals that her speaking or singing in tongues or similar rites is a myth. It has nothing to do with ecstasy and everything about her intellectual creativity. She did invent a primitive language, but it was not glossolalia.
Of course, readers of the Gift of Tongues Project won’t accept such a brief explanation. A more detailed description follows.