On World Magazine's daily webzine World on the Web you can find a brief review/interview of Thomas Oden's new book How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind.

The Western church needs to begin a discussion of our perceived dominance of Christianity as a foundational myth, something that Oden argues in this book, as well as can be seen in the purposeful denial of Eastern Christianity in discussions until recently.  The vast majority of "Christian" textbooks published in America deny that the Eastern church or the more recent Global South churches exist on a intellectual, philosophical, and theological level.  The Western church perceives itself as the light on the hill bathing all other christianities with its orthodox radiance, yet some scholars are beginning to admit that this simply isn't true. ... more

Just as an update, Scot McKnight articulates about every point I miserably failed to do so in my absurd post on the topic yesterday in his opine on the subject. ... more

I picked up the startling news from Jesus Creed that Shane Claiborne received the Benedict Arnold treatment from Cedarville University.

Now I went to Philadelphia Biblical University (yes, they have by far the crappiest website of any D3 school), a conservative Christian institution of learning known to be reactionary at times. N.T. Wright was called "anathama" during chapel and the school liked C.S. Lewis but hated his tobacconizing, brandy drenched ways. But like most Christian institutions of higher education they grimaced at liberalism or radical behavior but did not dismiss someone from the podium. It was conservative, it was right-wing, it was legalistic, but it still was a University---contrary views were frowned upon but you were never refused for holding them.

Now comes Cedarville. Instead of being a place of unity-in-diversity, they let a rabble of reactionary bloggers deny a plurality of voices at a University. This is not a church, a non-profit, or ministry people, this is a University we are talking about here! A place of learning, of exploration, of new ideas and concepts. But when push-comes-to-shove they deny their duty as a place of learning and let themselves become a place swayed hysteria and propaganda.

It is sad that a school such as this would feel threatened by a bunch of bloggers. Do I expect Cedarville to bow down to me and cower at my digital pen? It would be nice for my ego, but I sure hope they would put their integrity before their marketability and commercial viability amongst fundamentalist Christians.

Alas, they just might care more about their image than about their institution's heart and soul... ... more