From Close Encounters to Disclosure: Call for Papers

Last updated on: June 8, 2026 at 8:02 am By James F. McGrath

From Close Encounters to Disclosure: Spielberg’s Alien Imaginary and American Spirituality Proposed Edited Volume for the Pop Culture and Theology Series Since the release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977, Steven Spielberg has played a significant role in shaping popular cultural understandings of extraterrestrial intelligence, UFOs, and humanity’s relationship to the unknown. Across films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the... Read more

A Religion Scholar’s Rome Recommendations

Last updated on: June 8, 2026 at 6:21 pm By James F. McGrath

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Rome recommendations are everywhere. Maybe you’ve been thinking about going to Rome. Perhaps you’re already planning a trip. Either way, social media algorithms will have begun showing you short videos. Some of those are extremely helpful. Some are just trying to get you to pay for a service. Some repeat things you can find out more easily elsewhere. Having just returned from about a week in Rome, I want to share my own Rome recommendations. See things that will take... Read more

Paul, Mark, and Revelation Within Judaism (Enoch Seminar)

Last updated on: May 12, 2026 at 11:21 am By James F. McGrath

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Reading The New Testament Within Judaism? (June 10-12, 2025) The Enoch Seminar puts on wonderful conferences and this one on “The New Testament Within Judaism” was no exception. I took extensive notes on the days that I attended, and will share some of them here and in a follow-up post, even though the conference sessions are now on YouTube (and I will of course share the videos as well, see below). If you appreciate the amazing conferences that the Enoch... Read more

Queer and Christian: Review of Brandan Robertson’s New Book

Last updated on: May 12, 2026 at 9:52 am By James F. McGrath

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I am long overdue to offer a review of Brandan Robertson’s powerful book Queer and Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table. The book came out in May, and I have been reading and making notes. It is a testament to the importance and power of this book that I could not just skim it and churn out a quick review on that basis. This book is prophetic. It is quotable and memeable. It is a... Read more

Insights from Project Hail Mary

Last updated on: May 4, 2026 at 2:53 pm By James F. McGrath

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Introduction: Project Hail Mary and the Future of Schools and Churches A former student of mine recommended the novel Project Hail Mary to me several years ago, and I have been eager to read it. When the movie came out, I was determined to read the novel first. What prompted me finally read the novel as quickly as I could, and then see the movie, was my university president making reference to it when circulating an article he wrote about AI... Read more

Does AI Write Better Than Students?

Last updated on: April 19, 2026 at 7:43 am By James F. McGrath

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Does AI write better than students? I have been pondering that question from a number of angles over recent days. Here’s why. AI, Writing, and Education Butler University president Jim Danko recently published an opinion piece. Titled “The University is Not Prepared for What Comes Next,” the entire thing was intended to be controversial and provocative. It succeeded. It got me and many of my colleagues thinking and talking. As so often, I feel torn. Not because I am... Read more

Unscriptural Doctrines of Scripture

Last updated on: April 6, 2026 at 2:54 pm By James F. McGrath

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Unscriptural doctrines of scripture are a problem in a variety of ways. Some contradict key biblical teachings. Some are incompatible with the evidence the Bible presents about itself. Some are unscriptural doctrines of scripture in both these senses. Let me explain. Doctrines of Scripture that Run Counter to How Its Authors and Characters Treat Scriptures One big disconnect between today’s unscriptural doctrines of scripture and the scriptures themselves is the evidence within the pages of the Bible for disagreement... Read more

Reviews of Beyond Deconstruction (and an Easter Excerpt)

Last updated on: April 4, 2026 at 10:36 am By James F. McGrath

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There are several new reviews of Beyond Deconstruction as well as several new podcasts. I will share those below. But first, here’s a brief excerpt from the book (pp.17-19, going just a bit further than the Google Books preview does) that is relevant to Easter. I will never forget (and still use in my own teaching) a thought experiment that an atheist commenter on my blog presented to me. They said I could have a machine that could take me... Read more

Nerd Faith

Last updated on: March 27, 2026 at 10:14 am By James F. McGrath

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In her absolutely wonderful book Nerd Faith: 60 Second Sprints of Spiritual Guidance for the Occasionally Uncool, “The Nerdy Priest” offers a devotional for Christian nerds of every variety. The volume isn’t just for fans of science fiction and/or fantasy of the classic sorts. The Muppets and The Princess Bride are mentioned in just the first few pages. This isn’t a book for one sort of fan. It is a book for those who want to explore their faith in... Read more

John the Baptist Was Once More Famous Than Jesus

Last updated on: February 27, 2026 at 3:49 pm By James F. McGrath

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Candida Moss has a new article out in National Geographic titled “Why John the Baptist Was Once More Famous Than Jesus.” She quotes me in the article, and since I answered some brief questions with very long answers as she was writing it, most of which wasn’t included in the article, I thought I would share my full responses here, in case they are of interest. (1) Who was John the Baptist? There’s so much that we wish we knew about... Read more

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