Quick Takes – 2/16/2008
February 16, 2008
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Posted by Ray Fowler
New TV Episodes. Find out when your favorite TV shows will return now that the writers’ strike is over.
Tax Rebate Calculator. Find out the size of your rebate under the new economic stimulus package.
Richard Mouw reflects on hymns as compacted theology. “The hymns of the past are the shorthand poetic records of the spiritual and theological memories of the Christian church.”
Matthew Cornell identifies three indecisive phrases that mean the opposite of what they say, weaken your mind and hurt productivity. He explains why they are unhelpful and also shares the few times they are okay to use. Do you use any of these three phrases?
- “Let me think about it.”
- “Let’s get together sometime.”
- “Interesting.”
Justin Taylor shares some ideas from Old Testament scholar Gordon Wenham on picturing the sacrifices from the Old Testament. “It is very difficult for modern readers to picture the sacrifices described in Leviticus, because they, unlike ancient Israelites, have never seen, let alone participated in a sacrifice. What we really need is a video showing all the different kinds of sacrifices, the burnt offerings, the peace offering, the sin offering, and so on! Just as the stories in the Old Testament are designed for reading aloud, not silently, so these ritual texts are meant for people who already have a good idea of how to sacrifice. They are just underlining important or controversial points, so that anyone offering a sacrifice would do it in a way acceptable to God.”
Categories: Quick Takes
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In response to seeing the sacrifices re-enacted, I think I would feel about it like I did about seeing The Passion of the Christ. It was horrific and shocking, wounding and beautiful, as I “saw” what Christ did on my behalf. The last thing I want to see is animals being killed. It turns my stomach. Yet, a re-enactment, where no animals really die (!!) might show me, once again, how deeply God hates sin and how much we need His saving grace. Am I the only one who feels squeamish about this? I never even liked the National Geographic specials where we watched lions hunting for their prey. I can’t wait for Heaven, where the lion and the lamb get along…
I agree with the previous comment. I cannot watch nature programs when they show animals killing and eating other animals. I know it has to be this way for survival, but I cannot watch those killings.
The sacrifice of Christ for us, and all that it means for our salvation, I deeply appreciate, but cannot watch it portrayed on a screen. The season of Lent is a time for reflecting on His supreme sacrifice and suffering for us. And then comes the joy of Easter Sunday and celebrating His resurrection.
In the words of the Hymn: “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”
Thanks for the link, Ray.
Your welcome, Matthew. After all, your article was … interesting. 🙂
Just kidding, it was a very helpful article, and I have found myself using all three of those phrases at various times to my own detriment.