Rounding the Bases

This week's "Monday with Mounce" at the Koinonia blog is about the differences between the KJV/NKJV and modern translations, using 1 Cor. 7:5 as a test case- are husbands and wives to abstain from sex for just "prayer" (modern translations) or for "fasting and prayer" (KJV/NKJV)? Mounce answers the (easy) question, but the article is mostly worth linking for this closing paragraph:

Apparently the early church was serious about concerted times of prayer, times when normal and good activities would be set aside so the people could focus on prayer. I wonder what would happen today in most churches if the pastors called for sexual abstinence so that husbands and wives could concentrate on prayer for, let’s say, God revealing sin in their hearts, or training their hearts to hurt for the things that hurt God’s heart such as the plight of widows and orphans, for reassessing our priorities, or perhaps just times of extended prayer in worship and adoration of our beautiful God?

Last week's "Rounding the Bases" pointed to a couple articles about the recent resignations/dismissals of Bruce Waltke and Tremper Longman III from their teaching positions. If you found yourself interested in that discussion, definitely go read the letters from Dr. Waltke and RTS-Orlando site Chancellor, Ric Cannada that JT posted.

Kevin DeYoung explains who "the least of these" are in Mt. 25. Here's a hint: they're not the poor in general- they're Christians. I've been convinced of this interpretation for some time now myself.

Dan Phillips is one of the best pure writers I know of in Christian blogging. So whether you tend to agree with him or not, you should probably go read his advice on blogging. Really good stuff.