My latest Tribune column:
What is, "like," the point of saying "like"? Turns out linguists have an answer...

The idleness of this blog belies the blogging energies I've been pouring into (among others) the CICW Worship Weblog, including posts on Eugene Peterson's new book, Neal Plantinga on why preachers should read The Grapes of Wrath, and a series of reports from the Preaching Apocalyptic Texts conference at Calvin Seminary.

At my language blog, meanwhile, I've mused about 'which' as a coordinating conjunction and whether the Greek words agrammatoi and idiotai, as used in the New Testament, were insulting.

I'll soon be posting a new issue of Calvin's e-zine Minds in the Making, which I've agreed to edit. I see it as a prime example of how Christianity can be synonymous and symbiotic with intellectual vitality and broad curiosity. One of the regularly featured writers there is sure to be Jamie Smith of Calvin College. Some of the intriguing things Jamie has written or referred me to in the last 24 hours:

- his essay Prophecy and Predestination in Harry Potter.

- his blog post critiquing Jim Wallis' evident (and probably unwitting) Constantinian alignment of religion and politics

- the painting Christ in the House of His Parents

So much for the lazy days of summer...