Nov 29
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The Regulators | Richard Bachman

The Regulators © 1996 Viking: Penguin 475 pages Bachman’s been referred to as King without a conscience. The Regulators certainly fits this description. Released concurrently with King’s Desperation, Regulators deals with the same cast of characters in an alternate reality. The entire book is essentially one big blood-bath. The fast-paced excitement is also the problem [...]

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 26
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Metaphors and Creeds | James D. G. Dunn

I read some wise words today—especially astute since they came from such a fine scholar. In summing up Paul’s participatory language about Christ (in Christ, with Christ, etc.), he said this (in The Theology of Paul the Apostle). If you listen closely enough, you can almost hear Eugene Peterson saying “amen” in the background: There [...]

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 24
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The Theology of Paul the Apostle | James D. G. Dunn (§16)

Ah, we’ve made it to the chapter that torments Pentecostals: The gift of the Spirit. Why doesn’t Paul’s discussion of this theme follow the pattern established in Acts? It will be good for this Pentecostal-trained boy to hear what Paul has to say on this topic without Lukan interference! . . .

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 22
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Tennessee Williams

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof © 1955 Signet: Penguin 158 pages I know I’m supposed to adore this book. It’s one of America’s premiere plays. “Winner of the Pulitzer Prize” is proudly stamped on the cover. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t seem to resonate with me. Perhaps it’s because I’m a minister, and this is [...]

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 19
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The Fires of Hell and Heaven | Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Here’s the last of four posts from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s The Divine Milieu. This reminds me of George MacDonald’s sermon, “The Consuming Fire”: The fires of hell and the fires of heaven are not two different forces, but contrary manifestations of the same energy.

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 17
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A Sigurd F. Olson Documentary

I just found out that filmmaker Peter Olsen is working on a documentary of one of my two paddling heroes: Sigurd F. Olson (the other being Bill Mason, of course). Here’s a little preview of a man who lived life outside. Updates on the film can be found at his website, www.SingingWilderness.net .

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 15
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Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites… | Bradley R. E. Wright

Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites…and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media © 2010 BethanyHouse: Baker 249 pages As the title suggests, Wright decided to set the story straight on Evangelical Christianity. Too many statistics are misinformed and misinterpreted. A sociologist familiar with the proper use of statistics, [...]

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 12
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Not My Will But Thine . . . | Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Here’s the third of four posts from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s The Divine Milieu. Not my will but Thine . . . He is pure, on the other hand, who, in accord with his placed in the world, seeks to give Christ’s desire to consummate all things precedence over his own immediate and momentary advantage.

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 11
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Walking Along the Border: A Sermon | N. T. Wright

I found a sermon today that’s so inspiring I had to share it. In it, N. T. Wright discusses the need to avoid imperialism and anti-imperialism. Instead, we need to walk along the border between heaven and earth, anticipating the day when the earth will again be filled with the knowledge of the glory of [...]

Author: Stephen Barkley
Nov 08
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The Passage | Justin Cronin

The Passage © 2010 Doubleday Canada: Random House 766 pages I have to agree with most of the other reviews on this book. It’s an interesting take on the vampire motif that grabbed you at the beginning, slowed down a bit in the middle, and ramped up at the end. Many people compare it to [...]

Author: Stephen Barkley