Category Archives: Bible Study

How I Became a Successful Writer & An Independent Publisher (The short version) – Part 3 of 3

Part 3 Part 1 is here Part 2 is here Actually, the publishing revolution started nearby, in South Carolina. A company there originally called BookSurge, and later CreateSpace, began using a machine, not much larger than a good-sized office copier, that could print and bind paperback books one at a time, quickly, automatically, at a … Continue reading How I Became a Successful Writer & An Independent Publisher (The short version) – Part 3 of 3 →

Embracing the New Resegregationist Gospel in a Chapel Hill NC Church

Washington Post — April 8, 2023 Michael Emerson, professor of sociology at the University of Illinois, said that church racial inclusion efforts suffered under President Donald Trump, who often made incendiary comments about immigrants and Blacks. Many church leaders faced a dilemma, Emerson said: “Do I repudiate it and risk losing many of my White … Continue reading Embracing the New Resegregationist Gospel in a Chapel Hill NC Church →

Sex, Jesus, Woodbrooke, & Finland: Memories & Epiphanies . . .

The collapse of the Woodbrooke Quaker center (err, “centre”) in October 2023 was a big deal, but a shock cushioned for most American Friends by the Atlantic. .Recently there was a notice online that someone is compiling entries for a projected book of memories by staff, students, and other participants . I wish the … Continue reading Sex, Jesus, Woodbrooke, & Finland: Memories & Epiphanies . . . →

Elias Hicks: It’s All His Fault (Until ChatBot Came Along)

There’s a story about an earnest young Quaker grad student and a wise and wizened elder scholar. One day they were working in one of the best Friends archives, and — “I’m having trouble making sense of this old Quaker journal,” said the graduate student to the venerable Quaker historian. “The Friend who wrote it … Continue reading Elias Hicks: It’s All His Fault (Until ChatBot Came Along) →

Bible Study: Two Subversive Parables

[NOTE: This is the substance of a message offered at Spring Friends Meeting this morning, March 5 2023.] “[T ]he one thing about Jesus that can be known with certainty,” wrote the late New Testament scholar William Herzog II, “was that he was executed as an enemy of the state and the Temple.” Yes. We’re … Continue reading Bible Study: Two Subversive Parables →