A feather in your theological cap.

The personal blog of pastor, grammarian, and runner Brent Niedergall

Suffering and Strong Drink

Suffering and Strong Drink

After twenty years of American military presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban took over the country in a week. Analysts point to corruption as a leading cause for the former government's lightning-quick demise. The watching world now fully expects human rights abuses...

In Praise of Solid People

In Praise of Solid People

I meant to post this yesterday in observance of Labor Day. Hearing Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" caused me to remember "In Praise of Solid People" by C. S. Lewis. Below you will find an excerpt of what is one of the better poems Lewis wrote in his...

A History of Evangelism in North America

A History of Evangelism in North America

A Book Review   Editor, Thomas P. Johnston, along with 21 contributors collaborated in the production of A History of Evangelism in North America from Kregel Academic. This is an encouraging book about God’s work of using men and women to proclaim the good news...

A Humdrum Life of Faith

A Humdrum Life of Faith

Of prominent Bible figures, Isaac has always struck me as one of the more humdrum ones. Sandwiched between fellow patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, he’s principally known for being the young man God commanded Abraham to sacrifice and the old man Jacob tricked. In between...

Uprooted Trees and Rooted Faith

Uprooted Trees and Rooted Faith

One of Aesop’s Fables tells of a mighty oak defeated by the wind and uprooted from where it had stood for decades. The fallen oak, lying in disgrace, wonders how a tree as great as itself could be uprooted while all the weak and slender reeds surrounding him still...

Labels and a Lost Tract

Labels and a Lost Tract

The only known manuscript of The Epistle to Diognetus, which may have then been the earliest gospel tract in existence, was destroyed in 1870 during a European war. Thankfully, a couple of careful folks had copied down the text of this manuscript well before its...

How to Read an Entry in The Cambridge Greek Lexicon

How to Read an Entry in The Cambridge Greek Lexicon

I’ve found an opportunity to open my new copy of The Cambridge Greek Lexicon for a smell and a gander. (Seriously, give your copy a whiff and see if you don't detect a distinct scent.) The purpose of this post is to show what an entry looks like and offer a case study...

Reading While Black

Reading While Black

A Book Review Although I now live in a town that’s 64% Black or African American and only 30% White, it still feels strange that our local churches don’t even remotely reflect these demographics. Not even close. I admit I gave little thought to skin color and...

Brent Niedergall