Rise in Atheism market in U.S

Interesting article on Reuters today. I've been noticing it myself both from book reviews, Internet blogs and with people I meet on a day to day.

Is God dead? Atheism finds a market in U.S | In Depth | Reuters.com

Dr. Timothy Larsen, professor of theology at Wheaton College in Illinois - "It's very important for people of faith to realize how unsettling and threatening their posture and rhetoric and practice can feel to others. So it's an opportunity for the church to look at itself and say 'we have done things ... that make other people uncomfortable.' It is an opportunity for dialogue."

They make some good points. I like this quote, also from Dr Larsen:

Some of these are people we wounded that we should be handling pastorally rather than with aggressive knockdown debate.

Christians Flee from Iraq

Another amazing blog post from Mr Witherington that really got me thinking.

Ben Witherington: Christians Flee from Iraq to Moslem Countries

The story is the same throughout the Middle East. Christians are caught between a rock and a hard place. In Israel they are caught between Moslems and Jews. In other countries they are caught between various Moslem groups, such as the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq. And the toll of being the middle man is great, and steadily mounting.

Through Genesis

Well, I got through Genesis. Other than the long lists of decendants, it was an amazing book. The creation story, and the story of Joseph's plight in Egypt were quite profound.

I'm tired, so hopefully I get a chance to write a bit more about Genesis soon. I'm about 10 days off of the reading plan :(