We met the Switzers at Haagen-Dazs yesterday to celebrate Derek's 40-something birthday, and stopped at Granny and Granda's on the way home...

A couple of weeks ago I finished John le Carre's novel, The Mission Song. The blurb states:

Bestseller le Carré (The Constant Gardener) brings a light touch to his 20th novel, the engrossing tale of an idealistic and naïve British interpreter, Bruno "Salvo" Salvador. The 29-year-old Congo native's mixed parentage puts him in a tentative position in society, despite his being married to an attractive upper-class white Englishwoman, who's a celebrity journalist. Salvo's genius with languages has led to steady work from a variety of employers, including covert assignments from shadowy government entities. One such job enmeshes the interpreter in an ambitious scheme to finally bring stability to the much victimized Congo, and Salvo's personal stake in the outcome tests his professionalism and ethics. Amid the bursts of humor, le Carré convincingly conveys his empathy for the African nation and his cynicism at its would-be saviors, both home-grown patriots and global powers seeking to impose democracy on a failed state.

It wasn't the best novel I have ever read, but it did keep my interest, and highlighted some of the major issues between the West and the developing world, particularly the difficulties of bringing democracy. Anyway, I bring this up because there is real life voting going on in the Congo at the moment that is fairly momentous. Please pray for the peace of the Congo at this time.

Sad day for basketball fans as legendary coach Red Auerbach passed away yesterday. There's a very nice article about him at ESPN.

We had our friends Mat and Liz Farland over tonight with their kids to do some serious pumpkin carving. Jess, Asher and Keziah did a bang up job, as you can see below. And Molly was, well, Molly.

Had a great few days in Durham for my research visit. One of the fantastic things about the place is the diversity of views that simultaneously offer serious engagement of relevant issues. For istance, this year the Institute of Advanced Study is hosting a public lecture series entitled Reading Genesis After Darwin, part of a larger series engaging with Darwin and interdisciplinary studies.

Anyway, the Genesis series looks great, and kicks off with a lecture from my supervisor, Walter Moberly. The schedule looks like this, and I'm sure will turn into some great edited volume of essays:

Reading Genesis After Darwin: Public Lecture Series

Tuesday 14 November 2006: Professor Walter Moberly, Durham University

How should one read the early chapters of Genesis?

5.15-6.45 pm

Elvet Riverside 157

Monday 4 December 2006: Professor Francis Watson, Aberdeen University

Jesus, Genesis and the Creator: meeting the gnostic challenge

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 142

Wednesday 17 January 2007: Professor John Rogerson, Sheffield University

What Difference did Darwin Make? Genesis in Nineteenth Century Biblical Interpretation

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 141

Thursday 25 January 2007: Professor Andrew Louth, Durham University

The interpretation of the six days of creation in the Greek Fathers

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 142

Monday 5 February 2007: Dr Stephen C. Barton, Durham University

"Male and female he created them": interpreting gender after Darwin

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 142

Wednesday 14 February 2007: Professor Robert Hayward Durham University

Jewish Thinking on Creation in the Context of Ancient Philosophy

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 141

Wednesday 21 February 2007:

Day Conference in the Leech Hall at St John's College

i. Dr David Wilkinson, Durham University

Reading Genesis 1-3 in the Light of Modern Science

ii. Dr David Clough, Durham University

Reading Genesis 1-3 in the Light of a Theology of the Non-Human Creation

iii. Professor Jeff Astley Durham University

Evolution and Evil: The Difference Darwin Makes in Theology and Spirituality

Wednesday 21 February 2007: Professor Keith Ward, Oxford University

Genesis, Creation and Evolutionary Cosmology

5.30-7.00pm

Appleby Lecture Hall, Science Site

Wednesday 28 February 2007: Professor David Brown, Durham University

Nature as Divine Creation in 19^th and 20^th Century Art

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 141

Tuesday 6 March 2007: Dr Mathew Guest, Durham University

Creationism in Social Context

5.15-6.45 pm

Elvet Riverside 157

Wednesday 25 April 2007: Professor Ellen Davis, Duke University

Looking into Relationships: Reading Genesis 1-3 from an Ecological Perspective

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 145

Wednesday 2 May 2007: Professor John Hedley Brooke, Oxford University

Genesis and the Scientists: Dissonance among the Harmonisers

7.30-9.00 pm

Elvet Riverside 141

A few weeks ago when my parents were here my dad and I were wandering through a bookstore and I saw Richard Dawkins' new book entitled The God Delusion. Dawkins is an Oxford professor, and one of the more well known cultured despisers of religion (as my supervisor would say). I'm not planning on reading the book, mainly because I've got too much else to read at the moment. But Jamie Smith points to some very good reviews - Marilynne Robinson, Terry Eagleton, and Jim Holt. My favorite line in the reviews is from Eagleton:

Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology.

off to Durham for a few days for a full night's sleep and some rest & relaxation to do some research on my thesis, take in an OT seminar at the department, and catch up with some friends. back in a few days.

What's happening in Ireland lately:

• road deaths continue to rise. this has turned into a veritable epidemic in the country.
  
• The government finally proposes a metro to service the airport from downtown for the over 30 million people now using the Dublin airport. except they forgot to mention how much it will cost, and are getting some schtick for it.
  
• A bit of turmoil in the Irish Universities and higher education at the moment.
• Ryanair tries to take over Aer Lingus, and threatens that if not accepted Aer Lingus's life will be not so fun. oh yeah, there are other people jumping into the circus now as well.
  
• With over 200,000 non-Irish born people working in the country, and 70,000 having arrived this past year, folks in the public and private sector are finally starting to realise how they do things needs to change.
  
• Finally, there's been some developments in Northern Ireland with the St Andrews negotiations. and what may be the unifying factor? money.
  

well, it's probably wind, but still, i couldn't resist...

When undertaking doctoral work, you experience extreme ambivalence when something is published in your general area, especially if from a renowned scholar. On the one hand, you're excited that there might be new information to aid your study; on the other, you're paranoid they're going to say exactly what you want to say.

Such was the case when I read (via paleojudaica) that James Kugel (formerly of Harvard, now at Bar-Ilan in Israel) has a new book out on Jacob and his progeny entitled, The Ladder of Jacob: Ancient Interpretations of the Biblical Story of Jacob and His Children. I don't think it will tread too much on my topic, so maybe I'll be able to pick it up and enjoy it without acquiring an ulcer! There's an article on the book at the NY Sun.

David Fitch has a recent post on missional education, as the institution he works at would like him to develop a missionally focused MA program. This naturally caught my eye as missional education has been on my mind for some time, and the paper I presented (here are parts two and three) at EPTA this past summer was on this issue. Anyway, Fitch's post is worth a read, and for those of you considering theological graduate work in the midwestUSA, the program might be one to look at for...

A couple of biblical studies blogs (Jim West and Chris Heard) ran the sad news recently on the passing of OT scholar James Barr. His memorial will be held today.

From West's site:

James Barr, Distinguished Professor of Hebrew Bible at Vanderbilt University from 1989 until his retirement in 1998, died on 14 October 2006 in Claremont, California. Prior to his tenure at Vanderbilt he was on the faculty of Oxford University from 1976 to 1989, first as the Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture and later as the Regius Professor of Hebrew.

He is survived by his wife Jane Barr and children Catherine, Allan, and Stephen. A memorial service will be held in the chapel of Claremont School of Theology, 1325 N. College Avenue, Claremont, California, on Wednesday, 18 October 2006, at 3:00 p.m.

Two weeks ago Georgie took Molly to the local health clinic where she weighed in at 6lbs. Today she took her again, and she weighed in at 7lbs 12oz! As you can see, she's taken after her father and decided to concentrate her weight in her cheeks and (double) chin...she'll work on growing a belly later on.

As many of us keep harping on about, Ireland has gone through immense change in the past 15-20 years. Social, economic, religious - and sexual. New study from the Economic and Social Research Institute and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland shows that Ireland is sexually pretty much like every other country in the West, and that ignoring issues doesn't mean they're not changing under your nose.

Really interesting article at Newsweek on how the US population is approaching 300 million, and the environmental effects based on mass consumption in the country. Worth a read - and a think as to what implications this has for the church and Christians.

it's a little embarassing that my first blog is about a bucket but i suppose we all have to start somewhere. as a first time mother i am rather proud of the fact that i didn't succomb to the temptation to purchase every cool looking gadget on the market for babies. however our local eco shop stocks the tummy tub (for bathing) which i spent much time debating about before making my purcase. my hesitation was due mainly to the fact that the tub was met with raised eyebrows and on occassion open oppostion from friends and family- my mother said she would wash her floors but not her child with such a contraption! the tub is advertised as allowing the child to bath in the foetal positon which is reassuring to them, and i'm happy to announce that molly loves it; and i love the calming effect it has on her!

...it's saturday, i'm in love.

Saturday is my new favorite day. especially since the arrival of dearest Molly. why a saturday is so special:

A lie in. nothing like an hour or two more sleep than you usually get.

whipping up some special breakfast. crepes or french toast are my favorites.

not getting showered and dressed until approximately 11:30 am. earliest.

reading fiction that I can get lost in. (on a fiction buzz at the moment, having just finished Joseph O'Connor's Star of the Sea and John Le Carre's The Mission Song.)

going to the farmer's market in Greystones. Honestly, this place is like the highlight of my (very unexciting) life. For instance, yesterday we walked away having purchased fresh sushi, a Basque dish of meatballs, palestinian falafel pitta, belfast bread and dublin smoked mackerel.

finally, settling in for the night to watch numerous DVDs. at the moment we're plowing through season six of the West Wing, and already dreading it's absence after season seven.

congrats to Detroit and my friend Jason, who's probably wearing his Tigers gear with a bit of pride at the moment...

very thoughtful post from Dan Kimball on pews, pulpits, pastors and preaching, and how these relate to being the church.

DMB finally caves in for a 'best of' album, apparently 'volume 1', entitled 'Best of What's around'. news on the album including track list here. (HT to nancies.org)

so we have this great bouncy chair that lights up and plays music and shakes and all that. But Molly's just not too sure about it yet. and just in case we're giving the impression that everything's coming up roses...

A quote on liturgy that could only come from Stanley Hauerwas:

One reason why we Christians argue so much about which hymn to sing, which liturgy to follow, which way to worship is that the commandments teach us to believe that bad liturgy eventually leads to bad ethics. You begin by singing some sappy, sentimental hymn, then you pray some pointless prayer, and the next thing you know you have murdered your best friend.

(HT to Catholicanarchy)

Molly turns 4 weeks old tomorrow. time flies when you're...not sleeping, etc.

the conversation around the church and postmodernity is continuing at churchandpomo.org. The new series of posts will revolve around Pete Rollins' How (Not) To Speak of God (my review here). The first post is a summary by Adele Sakler that nicely lays out the gist of the book. After the last set of posts on Jamie Smith's Who's Afraid of Postmodernism, it should be an interesting discussion....

some good reading from this week:

• Andrew Jones on some of the issues surrounding the atonement debates still circling two years on.
• Will links to a couple of lectures on the Iraq war, pacifism, etc taking place at Asbury.
• Paleo Judaica points to a NYTimes article on a new book from Harvard's Jon Levenson.
• Lessons on faith and forgiveness from the Amish community struck by tragedy.
  
• Jamie Smith with a critical review of Greg Boyd's The Myth of a Christian Nation at CT.
  
• Tony Jones recounts a lunch with John Piper discussing some differences and some frustrations with Tim Keller and comments on the emerging church.
  
• finally, Ben Witherington posts his take on postmodern biblical interpretation. Sometimes i think witherington has great things to say, other times he is very simplistic in his approach. this post is one of the latter. i don't have the energy at the moment, but i wish someone would take on this argument, which seems to be a defense of his beloved historical method, and CAPITALISING WORD OF GOD, which apparently shows you take scripture seriously. hmm.
  

ok, so i'm having a hard time keeping track of when and where things are happening. but below are photos that include a visit from uncle Tony, a trip to barberstown castle (where we were married 3 years ago!) for high tea, a bad hair day, a trip out in a new coat, and other miscellany.

One of the highlights of last year for me was being able to attend my first Society of Biblical Literature conference in Philly with my friends Joel and Rob. I'm not going to be able to make it this year to the event in DC, and I'm a bit bummed about it, not least because there is going to be a panel discussion about Walter Moberly's book Prophecy and Discernment (which I reviewed here). The panel is a biblical and theological powerhouse, including some of my favorite OT & NT scholars - AKM Adam, Gary Anderson, Markus Bockmuehl, and Chris Seitz. Should be a very interesting couple of hours...

Christian Theology and the Bible
11/19/2006
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: 206 - CC

Theme: Walter Moberly's Prophecy and Discernment

Andrew Adam, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Presiding
Daniel Hardy, University of Cambridge, Panelist (20 min)
Gary Anderson, University of Notre Dame, Panelist (20 min)
Markus Bockmuehl, Cambridge, UK, Panelist (20 min)
Christopher Seitz, University of Saint Andrews-Scotland, Panelist (20 min)
Walter Moberly, Durham University, Respondent (20 min)
Discussion (50 min)

SBL
Old Testament
Hebrew Bible
biblical studies
Moberly

Labels: biblical studies, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, SBL, Walter Moberly

A few more pics of Molly with Grandpa and Grandma, as well as a visit from our friend Amy from Durham...

No, not in that way you silly people... my brother Alex got engaged yesterday to his girlfriend Corrine. When we were growing up it was 3 boys to one girl - my mom versus dad, Alex and myself. Now with the addition of Georgie and Molly, and soon to be Corrine, the girls will have outnumbered the guys! Anyway, here are a few pics of the happy couple....