First, I gotta brag: I have a son! He was born 9/17 and he’s just the cutest darling ever. Yay! I’ve been greatly blessed.
Now, I have still put together some awesome posts for your persual, dear readers! Here we have a nice variety of topics from the need to realize the dangers of a hardened heart to the Jesus seminar to talking about atheism with kids (I’m sure this last one won’t be controversial). Check them out and let me know what you thought!
Chemostratigraphy: silent objector to ‘Flood Geology’– Young Earth Creationists often argue that the Noachian Flood is to be seen as the explanation for the layers of sediment we find all over the planet. Can this claim stand up to scrutiny?
Who Were the Jesus Seminar? Should anyone have taken them seriously?– Christians have long faced challenges thrown at the historical faith by historical critics like those in the Jesus Seminar. But should the Jesus Seminar really be (or have been) taken seriously? Check out this post which addresses some issues related to this group.
14 Ways for Christian Parents to Teach Kids about Atheism– How might we as Christians approach the topic of atheism when speaking with children? Natasha Crain provides some much-needed insights into this area. I think this is a must-read even for those who are not parents so that we can think about how to interact in age-appropriate ways.
The Dangers of a Hardened Heart– The heardening of one’s heart presents a number of dangers for both a life of faith and a life without faith. Eric Chabot addresses these dangers in this thought-provoking post.
Is Your View Falsifiable?– Luke Nix points out a number of helpful ideas regarding whether one’s view is falsifiable. Does this matter? Read the post for many insights related to falsifiability and the Christian life.
J.W. Wartick - Reconstructing Faith 
Thanks for these suggestions – and congratulations especially on the blessing of your new son! By all means brag away.
Posted by littlecloudsong | September 26, 2014, 6:42 AMThanks! He’s amazing.
Posted by J.W. Wartick | September 30, 2014, 8:48 PMCongratulations on the birth of your baby boy!! :)))
~~Neasha
Posted by neasha1 | September 26, 2014, 6:54 AMThank you very much.
Posted by J.W. Wartick | September 30, 2014, 8:47 PMCongratulations on your family’s blessed event, J.W.! Enjoy every minute of the adventure!
Posted by Michael Poteet | September 26, 2014, 8:21 AMThank you! I have been!
Posted by J.W. Wartick | September 30, 2014, 8:47 PMCongratulations on the birth of your son. I hope that you’ll still have time to do your weekly “Really Recommended Posts.” I look forward to them each week, because there are always at least two good items that I would have otherwise missed. Thank you for your efforts. They are appreciated.
Posted by Paul Bruggink | September 26, 2014, 7:01 PMPaul- I certainly plan on doing so! They don’t take me a lot of time to write and it is so awesome to hear they’re appreciated.
Posted by J.W. Wartick | September 30, 2014, 8:45 PMCongratulations!
Posted by SLIMJIM | September 26, 2014, 11:58 PMThanks!
Posted by J.W. Wartick | September 30, 2014, 8:45 PMCongratulations on the birth of your son!
In regards to the Jesus Seminar — The new pastor of the ELCA church I grew up in (and which I still attend with my mother about once a month on Saturday nights) is a big fan of Marcus Borg. Listening to the pastor’s preaching and reading some of his sermons online leads me to the conclusion that he, like Borg, rejects much of the Nicene Creed, such as the virgin birth and resurrection. The church no longer has confession of sins in the liturgy, and the wine at communion is no longer distributed as “the blood of Christ, given for you.” I’ve recently listened to sermons on passages that are about God’s grace to sinners that are transformed into messages about self-realization.
I’ve heard that Borg has many fans in the ELCA, which saddens me deeply. There is very little in Borg’s teaching that I regard as either Christian or Lutheran.
Posted by geochristian | September 28, 2014, 2:13 AMThat also saddens me. I haven’t run into anyone who has pressed Marcus Borg on me within the ELCA, and it frankly seems surprising that any Lutheran would, but I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when/if it comes up. I’d be more than willing to engage on it!
Posted by J.W. Wartick | September 30, 2014, 8:43 PM