Why "rewire" the church? Church has been at the centre of my identity. It’s formed me, frustrated me, deeply angered and hurt me, guided me, and protected me. Some of the most challenging ideas I have ever met, far more radical than the lawn meetings of my student days, have come from the theologians of the church. There has been a sense of connection to the tradition and wisdom of millennia. And, inevitably, the frustration of tradition hide-bound. I remember singing the words of a hymn one Sunday morning, “nothing changes here...” and one of the youth group muttered sotto voce to his girlfriend, “God, you can say that again!” What worked for our parent’s church doesn’t necessarily work for us. I notice it often doesn’t work for them anymore, although older people are sometimes more gracious about their frustrations! Life changes, we change, and constantly need to reassess where we are going.
This little church on the web is modelled around the metaphor of an old and treasured house. It's the house our parents lived in and inherited from someone we never knew. The house is strong and robust, but needs rewiring. Our ways of thinking and being need to change to make the house liveable and practical. Otherwise it will be a burden, not a base camp for life.
Some Biblical Resources
Resources for Biblical Study
This page seeks to provide a doorway to critically aware biblical resources. Please feel free to alert us to sites you find useful.
Oremus: Oremus has a range of resources. Among these is a fast, searchable online bible.
Greek Translations: This interlinear bible is great for people like me whose New Testament Greek is limited.
Gospel Parallels: Seeing the differing interpretations and presentation of the Jesus traditions side by side is illuminating, to say the least.
The New Testament Gateway: Welcome to The New Testament Gateway, the award winning web directory of internet resources on the New Testament. Browse or search annotated links on everything connected with the academic study of the New Testament and Christian Origins. This major upgrade of the site improves navigation and introduces lots of new features. For all the latest information on the site, please visit the NT Gateway blog.
The Synoptic Problem: More information than most of us will need! The Synoptic Problem concerns the literary relationship between the first three "synoptic" gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Synoptic Problem Home Page surveys proposed solutions and provides a clearing-house for materials related to its resolution.
Lectionary Sites
The sites are organised around the Revised Common Lectionary. See here for what a lectionary is. There are plenty of commentaries on the Internet. These few provide a range of insight which is critically aware and informed.
Bill Loader is an Australian New Testament scholar.
John Petty is a Lutheran pastor. His reflections are creative, working from his own translation. He often has insightful psychological comments on the lection for the week. Look to the right margin for the list of lectionary comments.
Robert Linthicum's commentaries have a strong social justice emphasis.
a church (re)wired is us! First Impressions are just that- a brief response to the gospel, or other reading of the week.
John Shearman: Post-Modern Sermon and Bible Study Resource
Brian Stoffragen: Characterised by detail and creativity
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