My Weekly Meanderings will be sparse this week with so much of our time spent traveling and with family.
You thinking of blogging? (HT: Henriet)


Dave Dunbar posts a new missional journal on materialism. This might be the best one yet. [I got the link in an e-mail; the new piece is #11.1 so if it is not up on the webpage, check back later.]
New Blog of the Week: Dan deRoulet.
I want to highlight one of my former NPU student blogs about once a month so here is Sarah (Park) Johnson’s blog — check out chubby chew. Drop in and say hello to her from me.
Serious, moving, wise piece by Christine Scheller that reminds us of what Christmas is really all about.
Another new blog — with Susan Hogan Albach at the Chicago Sun Times.
This should give my friend David Fitch plenty to chew on, and my question is this: How much of a spectacle have been the European Cathedrals and the Eucharist in the same churches? I see these megachurch events as theatrical performances of the Christmas story. Is there a place for such in the Church?
1. Here is a NY Times hatchet job review of <a href="There is a God“>Antony Flew’s conversion from atheism to belief in God.
3. Good interview with J.K. Rowling, including statements about her faith.
4. A bleak piece by Garrison Keillor. An interview with Keillor and some pictures of his home.
5. Bob Smietana, of The Tennessean, writes a fine piece about Mary and Protestants. (Yes, he interviewed yours truly.)
Take a break, take a quiz. (HT: pepy)
6. The Sidneys 2007.
7. Capital punishment divides the Christian community; here is a piece in the NY Times and of all the books I’ve read, this book by David Clinton Owens and Virginia Stem Owens is my recommendation.
8. McKnight and Mozart brought together for the first time! (Thanks sam i is).
9. Lots of evangelicals jumped up and down for joy when Bauckham argued for the reliability of the Gospels on the basis of eyewitnesses, but his specifics are not without some need for greater clarification and support. See one response to Bauckham by Chris Tuckett. I’m inclined to think Bauckham has much in his favor, but my read of his stuff is that in this oral hypothesis at times he goes beyond what we can really know.
10. HT to Brad Boydston for this link to Terry Mattingly on racial reconciliation in American churches — where is it found?
Sports:
What about that crazy Bears game!
Good lists.
On steroids: nothing good will come until the players and the players union willingly say “It’s time to be open and honest. Test us for what you want; we are honest.” As long as the union protects the players, the players can appeal to the union to protect them from transparency. For the good of the game, which assumes a level playing field, tell the truth.