Flotsam and jetsam (1/28)

• Blog post title of the day: I Read Dead People, from Skye Jethani.

People ask me all the time, “Who do you read?” In most cases they’re looking for book recommendations. (Some people, particularly Calvinistas, are trying to determine if I’m safe–are my ideas and my theology grounded in what they see as credible sources.) But my answer usually surprises them: “I read dead people.”

• Mike Bird addresses the question, When Did Jesus Become the Messiah?

One of the problem in the origins of christology is the question, “When did Jesus become the Messiah?” Scholarship has often assumed that Jesus’ life was non-messianic, not only that, but Jesus in fact repudiated the messianic role.

• Jeff Dunn talks about Our Intimate God and our problems with grace.

I refuse. I absolutely refuse to go back to a god who is only interested in what I do, not who I am. I have no interest in a god who keeps score, who I have to appease by doing good things and avoiding bad things. A god who is more interested in institutes and forms and structures than he is in relationships.

• Jerome Wernow responds to Michael Jenson’s post on suffering, arguing that suffering does have inherent value.

To sum, I appreciate his provocative introduction of the subject but find his primary notion that “suffering has no inherent value in biblical faith” seriously wanting

• D. A. Carson has a thorough review of Four Views on Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology. (HT)

• Mark Goodacre offers a couple of good videos from E.P. Sanders and John Dominic Crossan on the historical Jesus.

• And, here’s a list of 10 Things You Might Not Know about Xena Warrior Princess