Letters from the sub-editor
Preaching through 1 Corinthians, I've again been reminded of how irritating the editor's additional (and definitely uninspired) headings are. They are inserted every half chapter or so into the inerrant word of God, apparently to help those who lack the concentration to pay attention to what the Lord is saying, “...we interrupt this divinely inspired text for a word from our sponsor...”.
At best, the headings are inoffensive truisms that summarize content in a way reminiscent of dictation exercises from primary school: “What I did in my holidays”, “What the apostle Paul did in his holidays”, “Singing songs in prison”, “Greetings”. At worst, the headings break the flow of the text in a way that is far more intrusive than the (also editorially inserted) chapters and verses. These headings suggest to the casual reader that God's written word is a series of witty CHNs designed to give the time-poor Westerner a daily zap, like a dose of spiritual Jolt Cola.
I'll see if I can notice a few examples for you in coming CHNs.