Henry Imler December 8th, 2006

Here are some things I found interesting this week. There are some
that I have read and some things that I want to read, but have not had
the time. I hope to revisit them after I turn in my papers and grades
this next week.

Tête-à-Tête-Tête » Science & Religion: The Most Definitive Article You Will Probably Never Read

Communication professor examines media bias in president’s speeches

This goes beyond reporting alternate points of view. “In
short,” Kupyers explained, “if someone were relying only on the
mainstream media for information, they would have no idea what the
president actually said. It was as if the press were reporting on a
different speech.”

Ben Witherington: Misanalyzing Text Criticism–Bart Ehrman’s ‘Misquoting Jesus’

In
sum, Ehrman’s latest book does not disappoint on the provocative scale.
But it comes up short on genuine substance about his primary
contention. Scholars bear a sacred duty not to alarm lay readers on
issues that they have little understanding of. Unfortunately, the
average layperson will leave this book with far greater doubts about
the wording and teachings of the NT than any textual critic would ever
entertain. A good teacher doesn’t hold back on telling his students
what’s what, but he also knows how to package the material so they
don’t let emotion get in the way of reason. A good teacher does not
create Chicken Littles.

The Puritan’s Sword: A
Commentary on Philosophy and Theology: A Brief Defense Of the Doctrine
of Original Sin From Its Modern Opposition (Part I)

The Economist :: The [Iraq Study Group's] report in brief, Details, details

HE
Iraq Study Group (ISG) admits that “there is no magic formula to solve
the problems of Iraq.” But it has 79 recommendations it hopes will
help. They divide into three strands, which the authors say must all be
pursued at once…

…Some recommendations under this head are banal: one is that
George Bush keep in touch with Iraq’s prime minister. Others are
striking: members of the Baath party, who all lost their jobs after the
war, could now be allowed back into government. The 2003
de-Baathification was America’s most terrible blunder in Iraq. And it
would probably do no harm for Mr Bush to restate, as the report
suggests, that “the United States does not seek to control Iraq’s oil.”

The Economist :: Don’t do it

The Baker-Hamilton analysis of what has gone wrong feels
right… But the group strays on to much more treacherous ground when
it proposes a way to correct this… He should not ignore it. The
report contains many useful recommendations… What will not help is
scuttling from Iraq before exhausting every possible effort to put the
country back together.

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