I right like Joel Watts …
I saw every one doin the I right like thing. So I though I’d give it a trie. It toll me I right lick Joel Watts. I cant figur out why, specially sense hes alwyas makin fun of me.
BiblioBlog Rankings June 2010
Well, I took last month off. I know it was very hard to get on without me, but I’m back to it this month. You may have noticed how much I have dropped in the rankings. Because I know that’s why all of you check … “Where is Jeremy at in the rankings this month?” Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine 
… Joel on the other hand will never be alright … For the third month in a row he is in the #2 spot behind …. imagine drums rolling …
*** Jim West ***
Check out where everyone else is too …
Rank Blogger Blog Name Alexa Rank 1 Jim West Zwinglius Redivivus 70113 2 Joel L. Watts Church of Jesus Christ, The 94016 3 James McGrath Exploring Our Matrix 156984 4 Todd Bolen Bible Places 179674 5 Matt Dabbs Kingdom Living 235397 6 Matthew and Madeleine MandM 238548 7 Dan Wallace Contra Mundane 262632 8 Neil Godfrey Vridar 264385 9 Tim Bulkeley Sansblogue 291817 10 Glenn Peoples Say Hello to my Little Friend 298094 11 John Loftus Debunking Christianity 302751 12 Jeremy Thompson Free Old Testament Audio Website Blog 307442 13 Scott Bailey Scotteriology 321898 14 Jason Skipper, et al Re: Fundamentals 335653 15 Jason Skipper Pastoral Musings 361879 16 Ferrell Jenkins Ferrell's Travel Blog 365623 17 Nick Norelli Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth 407781 18 Mark Stevens Scripture, Ministry, and the People of God 408297 19 Stephen Smuts Biblical Paths 436961 20 Michael F. Bird, Joel Willitts ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ / Evangelion 451889 21 Jeff Oien Scripture Zealot 460528 22 Gavin Rumney Otagosh 469151 23 Andy Naselli Thoughts on Exegetical, Biblical, Historical, Systematic, and Practical Theology 474107 24 Mark Goodacre NT Blog 478407 25 Bob Hayton Fundamentally Reformed 515702 26 Ari Ari's Blog of Awesomeness 520409 27 Robert Cargill Official Blog of Robert R. Cargill, The 562450 28 Michael S. Heiser Naked Bible, The, PaleoBabble, UFO Religions, Every Thought Captive 576332 29 T.C. Robinson New Leaven 582209 30 Doug Chaplin Clay Boy 625223 31 Dave Black Dave Black Online 628861 32 Michael Barber, Brant Pitre & John Bergsma Sacred Page, The 648474 33 Phillip Long Reading Acts 658425 34 Rick Mansfield This Lamp 691704 35 Tim Bulkeley 5 Minute Bible 704261 36 Brian LePort Near Emmaus: Christ and Text 705508 37 Tommy Wasserman, et al Evangelical Textual Criticism 706159 38 R. Joseph Hoffmann R. Joseph Hoffmann, Hys Blogge 728717 39 Paula Fether Words of a Fether 734008 40 John Hobbins Ancient Hebrew Poetry 759840 41 Airton José da Silva Observatório Bíblico 765688 42 Bob MacDonald Matthew 815093 43 Jason Eis Doxan 829104 44 Ken Pulliam Why I De-Converted from Evangelical Christianity 893023 45 Thomas Verenna Musings of Thomas Verenna, The 909160 46 Tony Burke Apocryphicity 914760 47 Steve A. Wiggins Sects and Violence in the Ancient World 947874 48 Bill Heroman NT/History Blog 977543 49 Peter M. Lopez Beauty of the Bible 994020 50 Henry Neufeld Participatory Bible Study Blog 1045840
Tv interview
So I went in this morning for a television interview for Catholic Life Television in Baton Rouge. It was my first time to be filmed for a tv segment and was a really fun experience. It was a pleasure to meet Dina Martinez who did the interviewing and Chad Babin (I think I remember that correctly though I’m not certain about the spelling) who did the filming. I was a bit nervous going in, but getting to chat with them for a few minutes ahead of time in front of the camera before the taping started really helped.
The interview was for a series on Catholic identity and the topic was how to study scripture. I’ll let you know when the segment runs in case any readers are in a location where you can watch … that is if you want to.
What happens when I don’t blog for three weeks? …
Well, not really … nothing really changed at all. Jim is still angry. Joel is still a dufus. And, all is right with the world … unless you’re Jim, then everyone’s depraved and there’s very little right with the world.
Anyway, I’m hoping to pick my blogging back up a bit and I’m working on another blog project now that I’ll announce shortly. #1 BiblioBlogger slot here I come … if you’re into that sort of thing.
Cornerstone Biblical Commentary Volume 6 (Review)
I recently received the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 9 (=CBC), Volume 6 on Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs in the mail from Adam Sabados (you can follow him and Tyndale house on Twitter). I will give a brief mention of the authors and talk a bit more about the contents mixed in with a few of my own personal impressions.
The Job section was written by August Konkel and the Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs sections by Tremper Longman III. For information on Konkel see HERE and for Longman see HERE. Both authors are well credentialed and qualified to be writing on their respective books, though I should state up front that I found the volume a bit uneven as I thought the sections written by Longman were a bit stronger than the one written by Konkel. No offense intended though, the Job section was still good.
In terms of the contents, I might offer a comparison. The CBC reminds me of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary with regard to the extent (i.e. length) of comments, but with a different focus that is reflected in the layout. The comments are focused on communicating the theological message of sections of the Biblical books rather than on smaller details, though there is some focus on detail in the “notes” sections. Thus, the commentary does not move through verse by verse in the same way that some others do. This may appeal to some readers and not to others.
The commentary is decidedly evangelical in outlook. I think an example of this is found in Konkel’s insistence on making sure that he is not ruling out that Job may have been a real person: “The phrase translated ‘There once was a man’ does not imply that Job is a literary creation, as the English expression ‘Once upon a time’ does” (p. 29). I didn’t get the feel from the introduction that this was a major issue for Konkel as he talks about the timelessness of the story. And, I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would care about matters like that, but I guess it might be an issue for some potential readers.
With that said, I still found the commentary useful as a non-evangelical. The authors are familiar with critical scholarship and bring it into the discussion when needed. There are adequate parenthetical notes and good bibliographies for each book.
Particularly helpful are the introductory sections to each of the Biblical books. In a day when generalists are very difficult to find, good introductions to Biblical books written by people who are experts on those particular books are always helpful. The introductions in the CBC certainly fall into this category.
As an overall appraisal, I would recommend the volume to pastors and lay people. I’m not sure that it would make the cut for students, but perhaps that is too much to expect of one volume. It would be valuable for those who developing sermons or study lessons in a church setting.
Looks like I’ll be teaching in the fall…
On the eve of my vacation I got some great news.
Looks I will be teaching two courses related to the Old Testament come this fall. Still have to get some transcripts in and forms filled out, but I would be teaching a course through Loyola University in New Orleans and one through the Diocese of Baton Rouge in conjunction with St Joseph’s Abbey and Seminary college. The one through St Joseph’s spans the whole year so it will be like teaching one and a half classes in the fall.
In addition I will be able to start offering some certification courses through my diocese starting this summer. And that may be an ongoing opportunity.
Super excited to be back in the classroom while still being able to serve in my church parish. The best of both worlds.
A word about May biblioblog rankings …
There won’t be any, or at least not on time. I just didn’t want you to panic the day the rankings are supposed to be posted. I’m going on vacation starting on May 29th and returning on June 6th.
I’m not sure how some of you will survive the time without me. I suppose you could read someone else’s blog, someone who might blog more than I do anyway. But, I’m not your psychiatrist. You’ll have to work through the time without me on your own.
Shooting Mind Bullets
So, Jim West got hold of my mugshot. Check me out. This is a picture of me shooting mind bullets, which is actually how I escaped and am now blogging again. And, that’s why no one is coming to get me. There’s no defense against mind bullets. Better watch your back Jim … I can shoot these things hundreds of miles with great precision. I might just get an urge to snipe you …
Is it ok to hate part of God’s creation?
Just asking because I had to do yard work today. I’d rather do dishes, laundry, clean the bathroom, … you name it. Maybe I should just buy some goats and let them eat my grass …
Or maybe I’ll put in some AstroTurf and set it up like a mini golf course. Feel like I’ve written this post once before … I know I’ve had a Twitter conversation about it. If my yard was a mini golf course then I know I would love it …
Total Depravity – Child Hating BiblioBlogger
That’s right folks. Apparently we have a BiblioBlogger who hates children, or at least my children. He’s now dragging Dora the Explorer, who my daughters thoroughly enjoy, through the mud. The accusations are groundless as her show makes no comment as to her status as a US citizen.
Jim West has mentally scarred my daughters once before, but I consider this a new low … I just wonder whether there is any depth below which his depravity will not sink …. I doubt it since he is, in fact, the antichrist.