What Does Preaching Do To Your Brain? — Christianity Today Online
What Does Preaching Do to Your Brain?
When I first picked up Rewiring Your Preaching: How the Brain Processes Sermons(InterVarsity Press), by Richard H. Cox, I was a drawn immediately to its title. In today’s day and age, where virtually every scholarly endeavor attempts to pour its topic into the new wineskin of neuroscience, my concern was that this book would fall short of the title’s claim. The premise that preaching is somehow fundamentally different from all other forms of oral communication is one that the majority of people might find curious. But it could certainly resonate with many people of faith. Could it be that there is something “sacred” about active preaching? Does the brain have a unique area or cortical region that helps it make sense of religious teaching? Is it possible that pastors could use the findings of neuroscience to somehow alter their preaching and, in doing so, get the people in the pews to grasp the theological truths they are trying to communicate?
The brain scientist in me instinctively pushed back, and I found myself approaching Cox’s thesis with an element of doubt. As I read through the book, however, I gained an appreciation for what the author was trying to do, the integrative process he was engaged in, the limitations of the scientific claims being made, and the eagerness of publishers to take the brain angle.
The author is a well-known and highly regarded academic and clergyman. He brings a unique perspective to this material and a refreshing sensibility. At times the text is an awkward combination of medicine and psychology, and at other times an insightful fusion of neuroscience and theology. As a result I found myself being pushed and pulled through the different chapters.
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Read more: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/july-web-only/neuroscience-what-does-preaching-do-to-your-brain.html?utm_source=ctweekly-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=12912131&utm_content=193524605&utm_campaign=2013
Archaeological digs in Israel are winding down and the maximalists are having a great time. Today’s report comes from the excavation of Khirbet Qeiyafa which is conducted jointly by Professor Yossi Garfinkel of the Hebrew University and Saar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Here is today’s Press Release from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
King David’s Palace was Uncovered in the Judean Shephelah
Royal storerooms were also revealed in the joint archaeological excavation of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority at Khirbet Qeiyafa ***
These are the two largest buildings known to have existed in the
tenth century BCE in the Kingdom of Judah
Two royal public buildings, the likes of which have not previously been found in the Kingdom of Judah of the tenth century BCE, were uncovered this past year by researchers of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority at Khirbet Qeiyafa –…
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606 – Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
This YouTube vid features Ken Nafziger of Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, VA, leading a Mennonite group in “606” — as it is known. It recently became a feature of an extensive discussion among participants of a hymnody discussion board I’m on. Fair Warning: It might get “in your head” and refuse to go away!
I heard Ken speak about this hymn at a 2008 conference at Pepperdine University in Mailbu, CA. Using the 1709 Thomas Ken lyrics, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” it is almost universally known among acapella Mennonite churches as “606” as it was numbered in an older Mennonite hymnal. After singing it in Stouffer Chapel at Pepperdine with Ken leading, I lobbied hard to include it in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs — a new hymnal for which I was co-editor — but it is 3 pages long which could become cumbersome. Ken was gracious enough to come to a lecture I did regarding the new hymnal, and made several valuable suggestions which contributed to the project.
Below is another link to an article discussing the usage of the hymn among acapella Mennonite churches.
What do you think?
http://www.themennonite.org/issues/11-6/articles/606_When_why_and_how_do_Mennonites_use_the_anthem
Addendum:
The earliest instance of this tune in print (discovered to-date, that is) is the ninth edition of Lowell Mason’s Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection in 1830, where it was designated as “Doxology.” It first appeared in the fifteenth edition (1876) of Harmonia Sacra, entitled “Dedication Anthem,” which is its designation in the Hymnal: A Worship Book, alongside “(606).” [p. 290, Hymnal Companion, Writer/Compiler – Joan A Fyock, ed. Lani Wright, ©1996, Brethren Press]
From a Blog I follow – check it out!
Notice the commentary following
Hebrew University announces another significant archaeological discovery today. The entire press release is below.
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Jerusalem, July 10, 2013 — Working near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar has unearthed the earliest alphabetical written text ever uncovered in the city.
The inscription is engraved on a large pithos, a neckless ceramic jar found with six others at the Ophel excavation site. According to Dr. Mazar, the inscription, in the Canaanite language, is the only one of its kind discovered in Jerusalem and an important addition to the city’s history.
Dated to the tenth century BCE, the artifact predates by two hundred and fifty years the earliest known Hebrew inscription from Jerusalem, which is from the period of King Hezekiah at the end of the eighth century BCE.
A third-generation archaeologist working at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology, Dr. Mazar…
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Modern Hymn Writers Aim To Take Back Sunday – NPR
by BLAKE FARMER — July 08, 2013 3:28 PM
Modern hymn writers Kristyn and Keith Getty run through their song “In Christ Alone” at their home near Nashville’s Music Row.
Courtesy of Stephen Jerkins
There was a time when hymns were used primarily to drive home the message that came from the pulpit. But then came the praise songs.
Matt Redman’s song “Our God” is the most popular piece of music in Christian churches today. That’s according to charts that track congregational singing — yes, there is such a thing. But approaching the Top 10 is a retro hymn: “In Christ Alone,” co-written by Keith Getty.
Keith’s wife, Kristyn, sings the hymn, while he plays the piano in their home near Nashville’s Music Row. The couple came to town to write songs not for individual artists, but for what Keith Getty calls “the congregation.”
“Our goal is to write songs that teach the faith, where the congregation is the main thing, and everybody accompanies that,” he says.
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Read more at the link — http://www.npr.org/2013/07/08/200013769/modern-hymn-writers-aim-to-take-back-sunday
During the midst of the allocation of the land to the various tribes of Israel, all of them gathered at Shiloh (Shilo) and set up the tent of meeting or tabernacle (Hebrew mishkan) (Joshua 18:1), which is also called the house of God in Joshua 18:31. Here they made the final division of the land (Joshua 18:8-10).
Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them. (Joshua 18:1 ESV)
Several Israeli newspapers are reporting a brief notice that archaeologists have discovered holes in the ground at Shiloh which could have held the beams of the Tabernacle. The account in Israel Hayom (Tuesday July 2) is found here.
The findings, which will be presented at a conference of the Shiloh Association scheduled to take place this week in ancient Shiloh, include the discovery…
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Praying Atheists – Washington Post
Praying Atheists – Washington Post
Some excerpts:
New research on atheists by the Pew Research Center shows a range of beliefs. Eighteen percent of atheists say religion has some importance in their life, 26 percent say they are spiritual or religious and 14 percent believe in “God or a universal spirit.” Of all Americans who say they don’t believe in God — not all call themselves “atheists” — 12 percent say they pray.
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Atheists deny religion’s claim of a supernatural god but are starting to look more closely at the “very real effect” that practices such as going to church, prayer and observance of a Sabbath have on the lives of the religious, said Paul Fidalgo, a spokesman for the secular advocacy group the Center for Inquiry. “That’s a big hole in atheist life,” he said. “Some atheists are saying, ‘Let’s fill it.’ Others are saying, ‘Let’s not.’ ”
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Gordon Melton, a historian of new American religions, said that it’s only been in the past decade that atheists have become organized and the range of their views has therefore become more known. Sociologists have also just begun asking more complex questions about faith to a wider range of respondents.
Some archaeological projects have Facebook pages. Check out this one on the Egyptian site of Tell el-Amarna here.
This letter dates to the reign of Amenophis III (1391-1353 B.C.).
Resources for congregational worship in song
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