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Archive for January 2007
12 Byzantine Rulers
Posted on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at 8:51 AM by Jason Barker
Mike Aquilina notes an article in the New York Times about Lars Brownworth, a history teacher whose podcast 12 Byzantine Rulers is one of the most popular on the Internet. The podcasts give historical overviews (not, for those readers who need such a note, faith-based overviews) of some of the leaders of the Byzantine Empire. I listend to a few of the podcasts a number of months ago, and found them quite engaging.
I note this article not because of the podcasts themselves - although readers may find them interesting - but because this podcast manages to counter the general lack of listenership for podcasts. This podcast demonstrates that it is possible to create audio files on a non-mainstream subject - and one that is at least related to Orthodox Christianity - and still attract a solid listenership. This gives hope for the excellent Orthodox Word and The Path podcasts, and perhaps gives added incentive to creating a podcast for Orthodox youth.
Posted in Online Resources
Computer Status
Posted on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 9:40 PM by Jason Barker
I have largely transitioned from my old PC to my new Apple. There are still bumps in the process, but I'm becoming increasingly familiar with OS X, and have found a number of open source and freeware applications to replace the ones on which I relied on my PC (in the future I may give a rundown of these applications, as I did on the old blog of the applications I used on my PC for developing Bible studies).
The only primary development software I currently have for the Mac is Macromedia Director MX 2004 - I am waiting for Adobe Creative Suite 2 with Flash 8 to be delivered. Until these arrive, I am able to run Windows on my Mac, and thus can use the older versions of those products for basic development (as well as working on legacy projects like the Youth Worker 3 application for the Department of Youth Ministry).
The fact that the Mac has Intel processors, therefore allowing me to run both OS X and Windows on the same computer, is a tremendous breakthrough for people like me. By using Parallels Desktop to create a virtual machine running Windows, I am able to have both OSs on the same screen, making it easy to use whatever application is needed for a task. At this point, I've been amazed by how well Parallels works. Installing Windows was flawless, and I've been able to run all the applications I installed into the Windows VM (my beloved Fritz 9 chess program requires having the disk in the drive, but otherwise there have been no noticeable problems).
At the same time, Parallels isn't perfect; it uses a significant amount of memory (I've allocated 1 GB of RAM out of 2 GB to improve the use of Photoshop and Director MX), and its hardware support is limited (the current version does not support such things as Firewire, disc burning, or 3d graphics, and it reads USB ports as 1.1 rather than 2.0).
Edited on: Thursday, February 01, 2007 5:25 PMPosted in Jason Barker
To bring Orthodoxy to America we need more than Rhetoric
Posted on Monday, January 29, 2007 at 12:11 PM by Jason Barker
In the January issue of the The Word, Fr. John Abdalah has an interesting article about the "need to be American in our embrace of freedom, and Orthodox in our correct apostolic faith and worship." Most of Fr. John's article, while important, is not directly applicable to the philosophy and methodology behind my work with Orthodox Christian Bible studies, but he makes one statement that reinforces the need for a ministry like this. He states, "Our worship must be expressive of that which God has revealed though the ages, while palatable to the now indigenous American population."
In a post last week I repeated a point I have made on numerous occasions: the Bible studies I create must be Orthodox in approach and content, and must engage in a full Bible study (rather than simply slipping Bible verses into an entertainment or pop-culture or pop-psychology package), but they also must be accessible for teens. Teens are increasingly more willing to use a computer and multimedia to learn about the Bible and religion than they are to pick up a book and read about these subjects. It is therefore imperative that these Bible studies, while being faithful to the beliefs and practices of Orthodox Christianity, also be presented in an electronic format that teens are more likely to use.
This is one way in which we can express "that which God has revealed through the ages" in a manner that is acceptable to modern generations in America.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Switching Computers
Posted on Saturday, January 27, 2007 at 8:23 PM by Jason Barker
My 5 1/2 year-old desktop is finally headed into a very creaky retirement (if you call a future of being abused by my three year-old son "retirement). As a result, I am making the Switch, and thus am somewhat between computers (and, more specifically, applications) at the moment. I will be more up to speed when I obtain a copy of Windows on Tuesday, and will be even more so after my new suite of design software arrives.
Since the computer switch is slowing me down, there will be a slight delay in uploading the first chapter of the Luke application. The first chapter should be finished within the next two weeks.
Posted in Jason Barker
Bishop Kallistos Ware on Reading the Bible
Posted on Friday, January 26, 2007 at 9:45 AM by Jason Barker
How to Read the Bible, an essay by Bishop Kallistos Ware, is online here. Bishop Kallistos concentrates on five aspects of Orthodox Bible reading: Reading the Bible with Obedience; Understanding the Bible Through the Church; Understanding the Bible Through the Church; Christ, the Heart of the Bible; and The Bible as Personal.
I believe this is the same essay that appears in the Orthodox Study Bible but, since my copy of the OSB has been missing since our move last summer, I cannot check to be sure.
Posted in Bible Studies
The Path
Posted on Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 9:21 PM by Jason Barker
Ancient Faith Radio has just announced a new daily program featuring Bible readings. Their current newsletter describes The Path:
"The Path" will feature readings from the daily and festal epistles and gospels. Appropriate Old Testament readings will be featured during Great Lent. Thoughtful words inspired by traditional Orthodox commentary and writings will also be featured, along with references to the commemorations of the saints.
The ten minute broadcast will air Monday through Friday at 8:00 a.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. ET, and 11:00 p.m. ET. They will also be available via download on Ancient Faith Radio's web site and as a podcast via free RSS subsription for users of Itunes, Ipods and other MP3 players.
These broadcasts will be hosted by Fr. Tom Soroka, rector of Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church (OCA) in McKees Rocks, PA near Pittsburgh. In our interview with Fr. Tom announcing the new broadcast and podcast, he said, "It is very important that Orthodox Christians become familiar with the scriptures, not only with the readings they hear on Sundays, but the entire, rich lectionary of our Faith. We encourage everyone to read the word of God for their own spiritual growth, but we also acknowledge that there is a need for recorded material to bring the scriptures into the lives of busy people. I look forward to working together with Ancient Faith Radio to develop this daily broadcast.
An audio announcement and introduction of "The Path" is available by clicking HERE.
I again encourage readers to adopt the discipline of reading the Bible in a year.
Posted in Online Resources
Tyndale-Tech on Online Bible Study Tools
Posted on Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 9:47 AM by Jason Barker
David Instone-Brewer, the Technical Officer at Tyndale House, Cambridge, has an email newsletter called Tyndale Tech in which he discusses Bible and Church history resources available for the computer. Two recent newsletters contain general resources that might be helpful for engaging in Bible study on the parish level.
The November issue, Finding the Right Web Bible Tool for the Job, provides links to free general online Bible study resources. The January issue (not yet online; email me at the address in the left sidebar if you would like me to forward a copy), "Searching for Academic Research on the Web," provides links to online databases for biblical and religion research.
Posted in Online Resources
Commentary by St. Cyril of Alexandria
Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 9:45 PM by Jason Barker
Jim Davila of PaleoJudaica posted the findings of another individual that a number of 19th and early 20th century English translations of Syriac writers (among them such patristic writers as St. Ephrem the Syrian) are available for download.
Of particular interest to users of Orthodox Christian Bible Studies is the two-volume commentary by St. Cyril of Alexandria on the Gospel according to St. Luke.
Posted in Online Resources
Another Article on Youth and Reading
Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 9:56 AM by Jason Barker
Albert Mohler has a new post about an article in The Washington Post by a librarian at a private school in Washington, D.C. The librarian laments the decline in reading among all youth, including the privileged for whom access to books in not a problem.
Mohler has a very significant conclusion to his post:
Librarians and secular educators have ample reason for concern, but Christians must look at this reality with an even greater concern.
Reading is an important Christian discipline. Further, growth as a Christian disciple is closely tied to the reading of the Bible, as well as worthy Christian books. This is why the Christian church has championed the cause of literacy. It is why the Reformers fought for the translation of the Scriptures into vernacular languages.
A loss of literacy and respect for the book amounts to grave danger for the Christian church. The transmission of Christian truth has been closely tied to scrolls, codices, and books throughout the history of the Church -- a legacy inherited from the Jews, who often protected the sacred scrolls with their lives.
The electronic media have their places and uses, and I am thankful for the accessibililty of so much worthy and important information through digital means. Nevertheless, the electronic screen is not the venue for lengthy, thoughtful, serious reading. The vehicle for serious reading is the book, and the Christian should be a serious reader.
At the moment there is some truth to Mohler's point that "the electronic screen is not the venue for lengthy, thoughtful, serious reading." Studies repeatedly show that reading - both the physical act of seeing the text, as well as the mental act of comprehension - is easier with the printed page than with electronic screens, and readers overwhelmingly prefer hard copy to electronic screens for lengthy reading (see the reference here to a study by M. Ziefle for one brief example). This is one of the reasons for which I provide the ability to print articles from my Bible studies (in the Romans study, which was designed for CD distribution, users could print directly from the application; in the Acts and upcoming Luke studies, users can open and print PDF copies of the articles) - the other reason is that it allows users to take the articles with them to group Bible studies, and keep copies for reading when they do not have access to the electronic versions.
At the same time, as The Washington Post article demonstrates and my recent post also states, teens generally prefer to incorporate computers and multimedia into their learning. Therefore, even though books are currently more effective than electronic texts for extended reading and learning, it is imperative to provide texts in a format that teens will use. Furthermore, as computer technology becomes easier to use, more portable, and easier to read, there will be a time when electronic texts will effectively compete with printed material not only for popular usage, but also for effective educational usage. It is essential that Orthodox Christian publishers be part of the movement toward that day, rather than belatedly attempt to respond after that period has already arrived.
My interest in Mohler's post is not, however, focused upon the effectiveness of electronic texts versus printed texts: my interest is in his accurate assertion that "growth as a Christian disciple is closely tied to the reading of the Bible." As I wrote in an earlier post:
The Bible is a substantial collection of texts: it is long, it can be difficult, but it is also vital and transformative. It is the written word of God to His people. The biblical text not only cannot be understood with a cursory reading or video-viewing, and thus the Christian cannot be transformed through such an approach, but such an approach is an affront to the God Who gave us the Bible, and His people who through the centuries faithfully wrote, translated, taught, and learned these vital books.
Concessions must be made to the learning levels and styles of youth who are not currently adept at extensive reading, and we make these concessions by providing the "Fast" overviews. We must not, however, leave Bible study at this rudimentary level. We must fully delve into the Bible with our commentaries and other articles, both for those Christian youth who are currently able and willing to immerse themselves in the Bible, and to provide resources for youth who will do so in the future. While it is conceivable that in the future there will be a more effective medium than text to engage in such extensive and transformative study, at this time text (supplemented, when possible, with other media) remains the primary vehicle for communication, and thus extended articles remain the best way for us to communicate the transformative truth of the Bible to youth.
Therefore, even if only a handful of youth are currently willing to engage in extensive Bible study - and even if in the future still fewer have developed the literacy skills necessary for textual study - you and I have an obligation to these youth to provide them with the best Bible studies of which we are capable.
Posted in Miscellaneous
World Outreach
Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 9:44 AM by Jason Barker
The ability of the Web to enable people from around the world to access otherwise inaccessible information is nothing new: countless articles have been written about this fact.
Nonetheless, looking at statistics from this blog and the main Orthodox Christian Bible Studies site provides some very pleasing information. Our sites have received visitors from most Western nations, and some non-Western nations where there are significant numbers of Orthodox Christians (such as Lebanon and Romania), but we also have received visitors from nations where there is little access to Orthodox Christian publications. For example, we have recently received visitors from India, Thailand, Oman, Egypt, and a surprising number (given our traffic) of visits from users in Kuwait.
Our primary audience is Orthodox Christian teens in North America, but we are always pleased to provide our materials for non-Orthodox visitors. We are particularly pleased with the growing number of visitors we have received from some of the countries listed above.
All visitors can feel free to contact me at the email address in the left sidebar if you have any questions or need any assistance with our Bible studies.
Also, I want to remind our regular visitors that your support makes this ministry possible.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Multimedia Builds Learner Confidence
Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 at 10:34 AM by Jason Barker
Building on a point I made in my previous post, I earlier wrote regarding the effectiveness of multimedia educational applications in building learner confidence of success:
There are legitimate concerns regarding motivational differences between the genders. Studies have determined that males engage in substantially greater computer usage at both home and school, are more likely to participate in extracurricular computer organizations, and engage in far more elective programming activities than females. At the same time, Astrid M. Sølvberg has found that, after nine months of computer use and computer-based learning in school, females’ confidence in success and contingency beliefs reached the same level as that of males.
The issue in gender differences in motivation is not necessarily control beliefs regarding computer skills - Betty J. Young reports that there are no significant differences between males and females in self-perception of ability, with slightly more than half of both genders rating themselves as “great” or “pretty good” - but instead is with learning style preferences: a successful computer-based learning application for females offers many ways to learn and multiple format representations; supports methods of knowledge acquisition that are connected, relational and holistic; permits participation in which emotions and experiences contribute to learning; and design offers learner control. As we shall see, these are not simply ways in which to increase female involvement in computer-based learning: they are solid principles for multimedia design that will increase user success and satisfaction between both genders.
What are the elements of multimedia programs that properly motivate adolescents to learn? Thomas Malone and Mark Lepper maintain that four elements enhance intrinsic motivation: challenge, curiosity, control, and fantasy. A particularly useful theory of motivation that has much in common with Malone and Lepper’s theory is John M. Keller’s ARCS theory, which considers four elements:
- Attention - Attention must be captured early in the lesson, and maintained through perceptual and content variety (thereby maintaining curiosity)
- Relevance - Showing learners that what they are learning will be useful to them. Malone and Lepper’s concept of fantasy, in which the user is encouraged to imagine him- or herself in specific contexts using realistic imagery, can be particularly useful in demonstrating relevance
- Confidence - Three practices build learner confidence: making learning expectations clear to the learner; building the expectation for success, then providing opportunities in which the learner can be successful; and giving the learner personal control (which is essential to cognitive flexibility theory)
- Satisfaction - Several activities increase user satisfaction by enabling learners to apply knowledge in real contexts. Such activities can include providing extrinsic rewards; giving encouragement to maintain or boost morale; and by maintaining equity, which involves lesson consistency (particularly to the stated objectives and expectations).
While computer-based learning can be very effective in motivating learning, it must be remembered that motivation cannot be imposed by the multimedia developer or the instructor: the individual learner must ultimately be open and responsive to motivating elements.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Generating Teen Interest in Bible Study, Part Four: Building Learner Confidence of Success
Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 at 9:44 AM by Jason Barker
Concluding our series on generating teen interest in Bible study. Click here to read the previous post.
Finally, adolescents can be motivated to study the Bible when they believe they will be successful in comprehending the text and transferring the knowledge to their daily lives. Edward Hootstein notes that learners have an increased expectation of success in learning when then choose the subject to be learned: Carl Rogers similarly states, “The only learning which significantly affects behavior is that learning which is self-appropriated, self-discovered." Cognitive flexibility theory further maintains that learners benefit not only from choosing the subject to be studied, but also from choosing a learning path through the subject that best suits their learning style.
Multimedia educational applications are particularly effective at building learner confidence of success. As stated above, multimedia applications enable the learner to construct his or her learning path according to needs and learning style. Furthermore, because adolescents are generally familiar with computer applications, they can feel greater confidence in their ability to find and retain information from within the multimedia environment; in fact, adolescents tend to prefer incorporating computers into their religious education and activities.
I will briefly discuss the effectiveness of multimedia educational applications in building learner confidence in my next post.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Orthodox Christian Radio
Posted on Sunday, January 21, 2007 at 6:56 PM by Jason Barker
The Orthodox Christian Network has launched their new 24-hour Orthodox Internet radio station, The Ark. Based on what I have heard so far, the station plays a mixture of Orthodox talk (particularly, of course, Come Receive the Light) and music. The music includes some recordings of traditional Orthodox hymns, but also includes what might be called "Contemporary Orthodox Music" (the type of music recorded and distributed by St. Romanos Records). They also play some music by non-Orthodox musicians - the first song I heard was "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" by Rich Mullins.
In addition to The Ark, I encourage you to listen to Ancient Faith Radio. Ancient Faith Radio features a mixture of Orthodox talk programs (including Come Receive the Light, Our Life in Christ - to whose podcast I've previously mentioned listening - and recordings of sermons and lectures) and recordings of Orthodox hymns. I particularly like the fact that they offer a 128k MP3 stream.
Both Internet stations are engaging in creating localized content. The Ark has a program through which parishes can create localized streams that will play sermons and announcements from local parishes, and Ancient Faith Radio has a program helping parishes to create commercials that can air on AM/FM radio stations.
Posted in Online Resources, Orthodox News
Sacred Gift of Life Sunday
Posted on Friday, January 19, 2007 at 11:26 AM by Jason Barker
January 21, 2007, is Sacred Gift of Life Sunday in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. Our teens, as part of the celebration of January as Orthodox Education Month, are furthering their education, understanding and commitment regarding the Orthodox Church’s teaching on the sacred gift of life and abortion. In turn, they are helping to bring a greater awareness to the faithful of our parishes and throughout their local communities.
Posted in Orthodox News
Education Month
Posted on Friday, January 19, 2007 at 11:04 AM by Jason Barker
Somewhat related to my previous post, January is Education Month in the Department of Youth Ministry of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. Your contributions to the St. John Chrysostom Youth Worker Fund will support the education of Orthodox youth workers in the Antiochian House of Studies.
Posted in Youth Department
Fr. Christopher Metropulos on Media Ministry
Posted on Friday, January 19, 2007 at 10:57 AM by Jason Barker
Fr. Christopher Metropulos, the host of Come Receive the Light and director of the Orthodox Christian Network, has written in his current newsletter about the importance of using technology and the media in Orthodox Christian outreach and education. While his focus is on the need to support the OCN's radio ministry (particularly on January 21st, 2007, which is Share the Light Sunday), his points are equally valid for Orthodox Christian multimedia Bible study:
Our world is increasingly connected electronically. This generation will be the most technologically advanced generation in the history of humanity. What use to take vast rooms filled with printed books now can be reduced to a small compact disk. Our children and grandchildren don’t go to the library to research, they jump on a high speed internet connection and read materials cataloged on web sites all around the world. An IPod can hold 20,000 songs AND video. Communication technology has advanced so fast that the cell phone screen is now called “the Fourth Screen” joining ranks with the Television, the Computer, and the Movie screen. Program producers are now actually producing media products specifically for the cell phone screen.
People are increasingly getting their media across faster and faster data lines, and cable companies and telephone companies are fighting over who will get the most bandwidth. And technology keeps on inventing new ways to stay in touch.
It would be very easy to be overwhelmed by this march of progress, but it would also be a serious mistake. A recent survey found that almost 24% of all adults use the internet to search for religious themes and that number increases every year. Media is finding its way into our lives at every possible turn. From electronic billboards on the highways, to commercials sent directly to our cell phones, and even in the bottoms of the trays at the airport where you put your shoes before you pass through security. We are being bombarded with communication.
This is the world our children and grandchildren will consider normal. This is the world where we are all called to serve and share the timeless faith of Orthodoxy. If we foolishly believe we can afford to leave our faith locked away securely behind the walls of our church buildings, we will unwittingly sacrifice a generation who is looking for spiritual answers.
Our greatest treasure is our faith. Our greatest challenge is passing on our greatest treasure to the next generation so they can, in turn, pass it on to the next generation. Our greatest opportunity to accomplish this task is made even more possible by the communication technology that exists today.
You can read more in the newsletter, as well as obtain information about supporting the important work of the Orthodox Christian Network. You can click here to learn how you can also support the Department of Youth Ministry's efforts on behalf of Orthodox youth.
Posted in Online Resources
Generating Teen Interest in Bible Study, Part Three: Learner Satisfaction
Posted on Friday, January 19, 2007 at 9:41 AM by Jason Barker
Continuing our brief series on generating teen interest in Bible study. Click here to read the previous post.
Learner satisfaction is developed through feedback: adolescents look to the instructor to determine if their response to a question or situation is correct. It is notable that, even when adolescents are correct about an assertion, they will change their position if the instructor discredits it. Deliberately highlighting the wisdom and value of an adolescent’s statements or involvement will motivate the individual to further participate and learn.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Generating Teen Interest in Bible Study, Part Two: Interesting Instruction
Posted on Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Jason Barker
Continuing our brief series on generating teen interest in Bible study. Click here to read the previous post.
Secondly, adolescents can be motivated to study the Bible when the instruction is interesting. Edward Hootstein recommends creating discrepancy by providing incongruous, conflictual, and paradoxical information; Bill McNabb explains this as emphasizing the challenging aspects of the Bible, highlighting areas in which its teachings challenge adolescents’ cultural biases and personal preconceptions. Hootstein also states that instruction can be made interesting by using concrete examples, analogies, metaphors, anecdotes, stories, and simulations that are accessible to the learners. Concrete teaching not only helps adolescents remember theological abstractions; it also gives them a way in which to transfer their learning to various real-life situations.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Generating Teen Interest in Bible Study, Part One: Relevance
Posted on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 8:40 AM by Jason Barker
I ended the previous post with a question: if there is such widespread disinterest in reading and study among teens, how can we interest teens in studying the Bible, which can be more complex than standard high school reading material?
I briefly addressed this question in my MA thesis, and I'll adapt that section of my thesis to answer the question in the next four posts (including this one). Please note that I've removed the paranthetical citations for this blog:
In [an earlier subsection of my thesis] on motivation we learned about the RISE theory of motivation (the subject matter is RELEVANT; the instruction is INTERESTING; the learner is SATISFIED; and the learner EXPECTS success). Understanding how these motivational needs influence adolescent receptivity to biblical content is essential in motivating adolescents to actively engage in transforming Bible study.
First and foremost, adolescents in the process of identity formation - i.e., of developing and asserting autonomy - require information that will constructively contribute to this process: they demand that biblical content be demonstrated as relevant to their lives by clarifying significant issues, addressing individual and social problems, and providing a reliable guide to navigation changes in both the larger culture and the constantly changing youth subcultures. Adolescents engage and interpret the Bible from within the context of events and issues in their lives; the changes they are undergoing - or, if they are experiencing foreclosure or identity diffusion, the changes they are avoiding and the defense mechanisms they are employing to avoid these changes - will influence both their interest in the Bible and the message they are currently able and willing (to use Klaus Issler and Ronald Habermas’ scheme) to comprehend. When motivated to study the Bible for guidance in their developmental issues, adolescents can conclude, in the words of one teenager, “The Bible is something I live by now. It answers every single question, and addresses every problem I've ever had. Maybe not always directly, but with God working in me, I can find the answer."
The relevance of Bible reading to daily life can be demonstrated to Orthodox Christian teens by relating statistics from the Antiochian survey revealing a correlation between Bible reading and avoiding dangerous or antisocial activity. For example, only 1.77 percent of respondents who read the Bible at least weekly (and .63 percent who read daily) engaged in pre-marital sexual relations, while the number was 7.85 percent for adolescents who infrequently or never read the Bible. Similarly, while 6.08 percent who read the Bible weekly drank alcohol in the previous twelve months (2.02 percent who read daily), the number skyrocketed to 34.43 percent of respondents who seldom read the Bible. 3.16 percent of respondents who read the Bible weekly (1.14 percent daily) admitted to smoking cigarettes in the previous month, whereas 20.12 percent who read infrequently had done so. The numbers were slightly lower regarding marijuana usage: 2.78 percent of weekly (.89 percent of daily) Bible readers admitted to having smoked marijuana, compared with 17.21 percent of infrequent readers. Finally, there is a significantly lower risk of suicide for weekly and daily Bible readers: 4.05 percent of weekly readers had considered suicide, and only .76 percent of daily readers had done so, while 23.92 percent of infrequent Bible readers had considered suicide (the percentages of those who thought they might commit suicide in the future were slightly more than half the number who had already considered the action — 2.28/.38/17.59 percent). Fr. Joseph F. Purpura concludes, “The survey data suggests that bible-reading frequency has a direct impact on behavioral outcomes of teens."
Many Christians find the adolescent demand for relevance in biblical study to be in itself unbiblical and antithetical to Christianity; such individuals believe personal application “domesticates” the Bible and desanctifies the gospel message. In reality, however, studying the Bible to answer adolescent concerns and address identity crises is an intrinsically Orthodox activity: “prophetic” biblical interpretation addresses all contemporary situations - including personal, moral and social issues - to provide “the light of the word of God for correction and guidance." John L. Boojamra addresses this point when he exhorts religious educators to “begin where people are and bring them to where the Church feels they should be:”
Any aspect of the Church’s life can be taught as typical of the whole, depending on the people with whom one is working. This, however, means selecting those aspects of the Church’s life that suit the people and, at the same time, are faithful to the given of the Church. This is not pandering to the whims of the people and betraying the Gospel; it is taking personhood, process, and community seriously.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Reading Habits of Incoming College Freshmen
Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 8:18 PM by Jason Barker
Noel-Levitz, a firm specializing in marketing and enrollment for colleges and universities, released their 2007 National Freshman Attitudes Report, in which among other things they examined the attitudes toward reading and studying held by incoming college freshmen.
The study found that, while 46.7 percent of students claimed they get great satisfaction from reading, 39.6 stated that "books have never excited me." Furthermore, while 57.9 percent of students say that they study hard for all their courses (including the courses they dislike), 32.9 percent acknowledge their study habits to be irregular and unpredictable. In both cases, female students were significantly more literary and industrious than male students.
While college freshmen are technically beyond the target demographic for the Orthodox Christian Bible studies I create for the Department of Youth Ministry, the attitudes and habits of these students are indicative of those maintained by slightly younger teens.
This survey raises an important question: if there is such widespread disinterest in reading and study among teens, how can we interest teens in studying the Bible, which can be more complex than standard high school reading material? I will give a very brief answer to that question in my next post.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Possibly Out of Action
Posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 at 7:50 AM by Jason Barker
For those of you who subscribe to this blog, or who are interested in the daily progress of the Luke project, I may be out of action for another day or two.
The ice storms that have buffeted Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas (as well as other states) have frequently left us without electricity. Our electricity was just restored, so I'm dashing off this quick note, but please be aware that we could easily lose our electricity for another period.
Please pray for those who have suffered extensive property damage, injury or death as a result of these storms.
Posted in Jason Barker
Recordings from November 2006 OCL Conference
Posted on Friday, January 12, 2007 at 10:22 AM by Jason Barker
Orthodox Christian Laity held its annual conference last November at Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Linthicum, MD. Audio recordings from this conference are available online in MP3 format.
I listened to two presentations on my morning walk earlier this week, and was very impressed by their content:
- So What Do the Converts Want, Anyway? - Terry Mattingly explains, with extensive anecdotes from his own experience, some of the things about Orthodox Christianity that attract inquirers into Orthodoxy. He also lists ways he believes parishes can reach out to potential inquirers.
- Working with the Orthodox Church - Andrew Natsios discusses some of the ways Christians in North America can help Orthodox Christians in parts of the world in which the Church experiences suffering and persecution.
Among other presenters are V. Rev. Fr. Peter Gillquist, Fr. Kevin Scherer, and Sdn. Robert Miclean.
Posted in Online Resources, Orthodox News
New Pages for Luke Quizzes and Bible Bowl Promotion
Posted on Thursday, January 11, 2007 at 5:03 PM by Jason Barker
I've created two new pages associated with the 2007 Bible Bowl resources and the upcoming study on the Gospel according to St. Luke.
The first page is a promotional popup for the 2007 Bible Bowl resources. This popup is accessible by clicking the "Bible Bowl" link at the top of the Orthodox Christian Bible Studies homepage.
The popup links to two additional pages: the homepage for the Luke Bible study application (I will activate the link when I begin uploading chapters in late January), and a page listing the study quizzes on Luke. These quizzes will be the same study quizzes incorporated into the Luke Bible study application.
I will soon upload the additional quizzes for Luke. I encourage all Teen SOYO leaders and youth workers in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese to download these questions for using with your youth. Everyone else is of course encouraged to use these study questions for your personal study of Luke.
Posted in Bible Studies
Does Corporate Publishing Determine Whether Media Creators Publish?
Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 12:34 PM by Jason Barker
Eddie Tejada has an interesting post on if:book about the future of media industries (specifically print publishing and audio/video recording). Tejada quotes Siva Vaidhyanathan's book, The Anarchist in the Library, in which the CEO for Time Warner states that, unless pirating of music (and, presumably, other media) is squelched, artists will no longer have any impetus to create, thereby leading America into a "sort of Cultural Dark Age." Tejada responds:
The idea that "artists will have no incentive to create" without corporations' monetary promise goes against everything we know about the creative mind. Through out human history, self-expression has existed under the extreme conditions, for little or no gain; if anything, self-expression has flourished under the most unrewarding conditions. Now we that the Internet provides a medium to share information, people will create.
Piracy and copyright violation are inexcusable, and the theft of published works is a very serious problem. At the same time, however, Tejada is absolutely correct that the money to be made from corporate publishers, while certainly a significant attraction, is not going to be the determining factor in whether many - and perhaps most - artists choose to publish their works. The money that can currently be made through corporate publishing may determine where an artists publishes, but thanks to the Web usually will not determine whether an artist publishes.
There are, of course, some artists who will only create works if they are lavishly paid for their efforts, but critics repeatedly note that the crass commercialism of such creations usually results in inferior works. Their loss would hardly lead America into a cultural dark age.
Instead, while many artists will certainly publish their works through corporate media when possible - the increased audience and income provided by corporate media are most definitely not inherently bad - most artists will create works regardless of the profit potential, and thanks to the Web are now able to publish and/or disseminate their works with relatively minimal expense (and, if they use free webspace, no direct publication expense). The lack of corporate sponsorship can and does limit that amount of time many artists can spend on their work, and also can reduce the production values in the publication of that work (although the software available to non-corporate users is increasingly improving the productions of artists with a minimal production budget), but this lack of sponsorship does not mean that media creation is dependent upon high profitability for the corporations. The need for self-expression, artistic expression, and/or the imperatives generated by ideological concerns will continue to inspire publication and distribution even if the corporate media as it currently exists disappears.
I can use myself as an example. I have on several occasions turned down employment in the corporate sector (and in large educational institutions) because this employment - while frequently providing opportunities for artistic expression, and providing a vastly greater financial income than does my work for the Church - would have prevented me from completely fulfilling my calling to work in Christian educational publishing. The money I could have earned in corporate media was certainly an attraction, but ultimately it does not determine whether I create and publish assorted media.
The existence of Orthodox Christian Bible Studies is a more tangible example. There is, of course, no corporate interest in projects like these: the primary target audience of Orthodox Christian teens is too limited for significant financial profitability (at least at the level that would interest large corporations). Furthermore, even if the target audience were significantly larger, the focus on serious Bible study - which differs greatly from what is currently popular in the Bible market - would still reduce the financial profitability to a commercially unacceptable level. Despite the lack of corporate interest in projects like these, the deep concern of the Department of Youth Ministry for the upcoming generations of the Church, combined with our love for the Bible, compels us to create these Bible studies. We are not publishing these works because we are "in it for the money:" we create these Bible studies because we love God and His people. It is our calling - and our joy - to create Orthodox Christian educational resources regardless of the profit potential.
That motivation for publishing may be foreign to most corporations, but it is at the heart of the work in which I engage.
Edited on: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 10:51 PMPosted in Miscellaneous
Creating Quizzes on Luke
Posted on Monday, January 08, 2007 at 11:02 AM by Jason Barker
I am writing quizzes for users to review the biblical text of the Gospel according to St. Luke. The quiz for each chapter will be in PDF format, and the entire list of quizzes will be available on a separate page for downloading. These quizzes will later be included in the forthcoming online multimedia application on Luke.
When completed, I will post a link on the homepage and in this blog to the page listing the quizzes.
Posted in Bible Studies
Improved the "Follow Me" Page
Posted on Sunday, January 07, 2007 at 5:44 PM by Jason Barker
I added a style sheet to the home page for Follow Me: A Study of the Gospel According to St. Mark. This style sheet improves the appearance of the links to the PDF files.
I also added brief descriptions of the contents of each PDF file.
Posted in Bible Studies
Listen to Come Receive the Light
Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 at 7:40 PM by Jason Barker
In an earlier post I mentioned that I listen to the podcast of the Orthodox Christian radio program Come Receive the Light .
I particularly encourage you to listen to next week's episode, which will be available online on Saturday, 1/13/07. The guest on that episode will be Fr. Lawrence Farley, who writes Orthodox Bible commentaries for Conciliar Press. Fr. Lawrence will discuss his new commentary, The Gospel of John: Beholding the Glory. Come Receive the Light describes the episode:
Fr. Lawrence will discuss the writing of the Gospel of St. John in how it vigorously witnesses to Jesus, striving to persuade the hearts and minds of the undecided that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the only source of eternal life. Be sure to tune in and see how St. John set his Gospel in a cosmic context, revealing Christ as the eternal Light of God, the Truth and voice of the Father, the divine Glory shining in the midst of men.
You might also want to listen to an interview with Fr. Thomas Hopko from early 2006, Scripture: Sword of the Spirit.
Posted in Orthodox News
Bradley Nassif on Scripture
Posted on Thursday, January 04, 2007 at 11:03 PM by Jason Barker
Bradley Nassif, in an article in Christianity Today that has much in common with the First Things article about which I posted yesterday, makes an important statement about Scripture within the larger context of Evangelical Protestant and Orthodox respect for the Great Tradition of Christianity:
We all agree that the Spirit's witness through the Bible is the main criterion of the church's faith. Tradition simply witnesses to, safeguards, and corrects itself by the integrity of the biblical message...I believe an increasing number of people fascinated with the early church will see that the Spirit, the Bible, tradition, and real, historical, identifiable churches are inseparably united, then as now.
Posted in Miscellaneous
New Page for Follow Me
Posted on Thursday, January 04, 2007 at 1:09 PM by Jason Barker
I've created a new homepage for Follow Me: A Study of the Gospel According to St. Mark. The page is simple, but it somewhat recreates the look of the PDF handouts.
Posted in Bible Studies
The Old Testament According to Cliff's Notes
Posted on Thursday, January 04, 2007 at 10:17 AM by Jason Barker
Today's Non Sequitur gives a good reminder of the importance of accuracy when discussing the Bible.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Subscribe through Email
Posted on Thursday, January 04, 2007 at 10:01 AM by Jason Barker
You can now receive the articles from this blog in your email - simply enter your email address in the "Subscribe by Email" box in the right sidebar of the blog's homepage.
The subscriptions are provided through FeedBlitz: the email you receive will thus give FeedBlitz as the sender, and the subject line will include "Orthodox Christian Bible Studies Blog."
Posted in Online Resources
Recent Article on Patristic Biblical Interpretation
Posted on Wednesday, January 03, 2007 at 7:21 PM by Jason Barker
R.R. Reno, in the November issue of First Things, has an interesting article on the current trend in Western colleges and seminaries toward studying patristic biblical interpretation. Among some of the statements in the article:
One of the most important new facts about Christian theology in North America is the sudden popularity of the theologians and pastors, monks and bishops, martyrs and missionaries, who first fashioned a Christian culture nearly two thousand years ago. The Church Fathers are returning as agents of renewal, guiding us toward the biblical source of a truly Christian culture...
The Church Fathers return, but what do they bring with them? Any student who picks up a treatise by one of the Fathers cannot but notice the intensely scriptural focus...
The basic patristic project was simple: to take all things captive to Christ. The Fathers did so by saturating their ideas, their lives, and their communities with Scripture. But as they return, they do not simply bring us Scripture as an undifferentiated mass of text, nor do they thrust the Bible into our hands without instructions for its use. All the power of Christian truth may reside in the biblical text, but, as the Church Fathers recognized, we need to organize our minds and sanctify our lives so that the Word of God might live in us. This requires the discipline of the rule of faith...
Seeing the truth and cleaving to it is not just a matter of having and following the right theories. Puzzling out the mosaic of Scripture is not simply a mental exercise. The patristic enterprise and the Christian culture it created shaped entire lives and not just minds. The rule of faith disciplines the whole person...
Reno's points underscore the patristic foundation for our Orthodox Christian Bible studies. These studies are not intended to merely provide intellectual content, nor are they intended as entertainment. Instead, the studies focus on Scripture as read and taught for two millennia by the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church. The studies I create therefore include more than the biblical text, my commentary, and study questions: they also include extensive articles - and, when available in the public domain, entire commentaries - from the saints of the Church.
The goal is to create truly ORTHODOX Christian Bible studies that assist teens in living the full Christian life.
Posted in Miscellaneous
What is Needed in Bible Study Material
Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 at 7:46 PM by Jason Barker
I earlier wrote a post about some of the problems with niche study Bibles, and how such things as the Orthodox Christian Bible studies I create avoid these problems.
In some prefatory notes to a session on study Bibles at the most recent meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Barbara Brown Taylor provides an important observation about the content in some of the better study Bibles:
The study bibles with which I am most familiar assume a high level of commitment from readers who are able to read long stretches of dense print without nodding off (I am thinking now of excurses as well as the essays in the back). What are often missing are eye-teasers such as graphics, maps and boxes with provocative questions in them that might convince readers to spend their time reading a longer article. In the excurses and essays themselves, it would help to recruit writers with a gift for using accessible language that makes the text sound alive instead of like something stuck on a pin.
While I am not at this point involved in creating study Bibles, Taylor's comment is equally applicable to Bible studies. As I stated in another earlier post, the Bible studies I create contain a large number of articles, many of which are significantly longer and/or more complicated than standard teen reading material. Such articles are essential to do justice to the text and provide the reader with at least a moderate comprehension of the material.
At the same time, multimedia Bible studies provide us with the notable advantage of being able to incorporate a varied array of what Taylor calls "eye-teasers:" graphics, interactive questions, and other multimedia elements that enable the user to more fully interact with the material than is possible with solely the printed page. Taylor's comment gives us yet another example of the value of the Orthodox Christian Bible studies available on this site.
Posted in Miscellaneous
Fixed Viewing Problems with Internet Explorer
Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 at 11:28 AM by Jason Barker
I've fixed a couple of problems viewing the new homepage in Internet Explorer. In both cases, IE was having some problems with javascript.
In one case, where the main Flash menu was displaying as a thumbnail rather than at full size, I temporarily removed the javascript and simply embedded the Flash file as an object. In the other case, I placed the javascript in a different cell in the table in which it is located.
Both solutions are rather "quick 'n dirty," but they seem to work for the time being.
Posted in Bible Studies, Miscellaneous
Fixed a Flash Problem
Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 at 11:10 PM by Jason Barker
I fixed a problem with the Flash menu on the homepage. For some reason, it was a bit random on the rollover functions: for example, rolling over the "Acts" button would sometimes bring up the "Romans" description.
I added an additional script command to each of the buttons that seems to have solved the problem.
Posted in Bible Studies, Miscellaneous
New Home Page
Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 at 8:36 PM by Jason Barker
I've finished the new homepage for Orthodox Christian Bible Studies.
The main navigational menu is a Flash file. I originally created it using DHTML, but was unable to figure out why there was no consistency in the way the menu appeared in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera. After struggling with it for a while, I finally gave up and simply created the menu in Flash.
There are two images - one each of a male and female - that appear randomly in the left cell with the "Orthodox Christian Bible Studies" logo. There are also three promotional graphics - for the Youth Department, Archdiocese, and House of Studies - that appear randomly in the bottom right of the screen.
Posted in Bible Studies