The Tim Tebow commercial was fun and made a simple point. Look at the life my "miracle baby" has given me as a Mom. The point was subtle but profound. Nothing angry, just joy about life. Well played. Just pause and consider the life that might be lost. 

Before one protests about an ad, it might help to see it. 

The following is a blog report by Dr. Gary Yates on my visit to Liberty University. It focuses on issues I will raise in my book on the gospel that will be released next fall. Thanks to him for this. Here is the blog entry from him:

In the next two days I complete 5 days and 15 hours of teaching on Jesus for new Young Life staff. I am sitting in my room near Fraser, Colorado, at Crooked Creek Ranch (a Young Life property) looking at the snow capped Rockies and reflecting on the time I have had here with about 160 new staff.

News last week out of Israel of the deciphering of an inscription from 1000 BC. If so, it is the oldest piece of Hebrew writing we have. Details can be found at this site:

http://www.physorg.com/news182101034.html 

This entry is in response to a question I received today from Steny. Here it is:

The initial report on this story can be found here:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gau86WiP40-jUcR3edModbbeWmYA

First of all, let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas season.

I have been away for a while. I had a full load this semester and several projects to complete, so the docket was full and the blog went silent. I am back now.

Christianity Today is reporting that Bill Mounce, who was a key figure in the ESV, has joined the NIV translation committee. Bill is a good friend from Aberdeen days and has interacted with Mark Strauss, another good Aberdeen friend, over these translations as well as the TNIV for the last several years. This includes an exchange of papers that will be a part of the ETS meetings this year.

In one of the more unusual theories to come out about Genesis, a professor of Old Testament in the Netherlands claims that Genesis 1:1 is not about creation of the material world but separation within it, removing God from being the Creator in line with the rest of the Bible and the literature of Mesopotamia. The view was announced in the London Telegraph last week. The URL is:

ABC just opened a series on Nightline on whether the 10 Commandments are relevant in today's world.

I do not often promote from the blog site, but today I make an exception.

This entry is an mp3. A few months ago I did an interview with Preaching Today, a wing of Christianity Today, on the gospel. I am working on a book on the gospel. So this is a piece of the point I will be making in the book.

Listen, enjoy, and if you wish, respond.

Here is the link:

I am in New York at the Transform World meeting that is looking at an initiative to have the believing community and organizations concentrate on children ages 4/14, called the 4/14 window. There is much to say here and much that can be misunderstood about this effort. Today I only want to use three statistics that were cited today.

I finished my 7 nation, 10 city tour today with two lectures at Ridley College in Melbourne (Home in the past of Leon Morris). It was a great close to a wonderful trip that had me away for almost two full months. So tomorrow will be spent all day on a plane working my way back to Dallas.

Last Friday I interviewed with John Dickson of the Centre for Public Christianity in Sydney (a lovely city by the way). John and I discussed the historical Jesus. That interview (both podcast and video interview) will be released shortly. For now, this interview of Christopher Forbes on the Jesus fragments in Josephus is worth viewing.

I had the chance to visit a church in Taichung, Taiwan that has a marvelous ministry model. The Thank God for Grace Church there has worked out a deal at the request of a elementary school to help at risk kids. These kids do not have a father or have a mother who does not speak Chinese or is being raised by grandparents.

Last Thursday I received the sad news that Martin Hengel, my Humboldt Scholarship host in Germany, had died after a battle with cancer at the age of 82. My three sabbaticals in Tübingen were special because of him. He was a mentor in every sense of the word. He pushed for thoroughness and excellence. He encouraged. He dialogued. He cared about the state of Christianity in the world.

It has been a while since I discussed Bible tools for the Mac (Sorry PC folks, only Apple is worthy). My tool of choice for years has been Accordance, which is an excellent search resource. I still use it regularly.

I am in Berlin to lecture tonight and tomorrow at a Messianic community here on the gospel. Yesterday I was roaming around Berlin, a fascinating city. I went back to one of my favorite spots, the Kaiser Wilhelm church. It stands in semi-ruins as it was struck by bombs one night during the World War II, The new sanctuary, built to its side, is modest but stunning.

The opening of the Enoch Conference on 2 Enoch and various Jewish mediatorial figures opened in Naples today. We heard a lecture on new Coptic manuscript fragments (4 total) of 2 Enoch discovered in Southern Egypt in the 1970's but just now identified. This are the first manuscripts of this book not to be in Slavonic.

Friday I leave for a two month trip to various locales.

I start at the Enoch Seminar in Naples, Italy (I know, someone has to do it). This group meets every other summer and brings together experts in Second Temple Judaism, Early Christianity and Rabbinics from around the world.

My time in Jordan is almost done. It has been a great time. The students are eager to learn and the issues here are fascinating. I have seen two ministries up close here.

I am headed to Jordan and Israel for the next three weeks. I will try to report on any relevant biblical news I pick up. I know the blogs have been few and far between lately, a combination of getting ready for the summer's travel, finishing a semester on a tight clock, and responding to previous posts.

Just a quick note to point to a fine detailed review of Ehrman's latest by my friend, Ben Witherington. It is at:

http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2009/04/bart-interrupted-detailed-analysis-of.html