“Shouldn’t there be forgiveness, or at least a statute of limitations, for minor offenses—particularly if there is no clear pattern of behavior? How do we balance this with society’s and employers’ need to know about patterns of behavior that would put others at risk—say, a school’s need to know if a person has a pattern of sexual or verbal abuse or violence?.”
—
L. Gregory Jones, dean and professor of theology, in the “Faith Matters” column, published in the June 12, 2007, edition of The Christian Century.
“When the emphasis becomes so much on marketing, the Bible becomes just another commodity in the marketplace and this practice can reinforce a kind of commercialism that is in a deep sense at odds with a lot of what the Bible is trying to communicate.”
—
Stephen Chapman,, assistant professor of Old Testament, quoted in the June 16, 2007, issue of The News & Record, Greensboro, N.C., on biblezines, contemporary publications that often combine elements of the Bible with glamour magazine-style articles.
“Instead of living out that story of journey toward a new creation, we tend to live out the stories of nationality. And then we forget what it means to
journey. It’s not difficult to see why we settle, because our nations or tribes
or races try to convince us that life can’t get any better than this.”
—
Emmanuel Katongole, associate research professor of theology and world Christianity, quoted in the July 2007 issue of Christianity Today.
“At stake is our ability to envision a world in which all can flourish, a world
that religious ignorance undermines. More than ever, we need the guidance
of diverse perspectives in distinguishing the often blurred lines between
religious history and belief and the unvarnished propagandizing of religious
history and belief.”
— J. Kameron Carter and Tammy Williams, both assistant professors of theology and black church studies, in the op-ed “Diverse Religious Schooling Vital” in the June 2, 2007, issue of The Charlotte Observer.
