Temple of Science Fiction

GakuseiDon left a comment on a recent post pointing out that there is a Buddhist temple, Wat Rong Khun, which includes depictions of characters and scenes from science fiction in its artwork. Here’s an example: Did you spot Neo? Click through for more images from the temple’s artwork and architecture! Also at the intersection of religion [...]

Lecture on Exodus and Conquest

I had hoped to make a recording of my class today, but we ended up discussing points raised by a student’s presentation, and so I recorded the above lecture in my office later in the day, so that I can post it and not take more class time covering the key points. I’d be interested [...]

Jesus’ Family and Modern Bethlehem

The blog +972 shared the news earlier today that the Israeli embassy in Ireland had posted a derogatory status update about Palestinians, in connection with Jesus and Mary, on their Facebook page: A thought for Christmas…If Jesus and mother Mary were alive today, they would, as Jews without security, probably end up being lynched in [...]

Lecture on Amos and Hosea

I recorded my class on Amos and Hosea. There were no separate slides prepared, and so you can simply listen to the lecture as a podcast. I hope to try recording some things in a smart classroom at some point, so that I can even capture writing on the smartboard, much like one sees in [...]

Lecture on Geography and the Bible

The Bible and Economic and Social Justice: Following Ruth into Leviticus

I’ve been wanting to post some thoughts that came up in my class on the Bible last week. We were discussing the Book of Ruth, which itself challenged Israelite laws and prejudices aimed at Moabites (that itself is a message that some Christians seem not to have grasped). In the process of discussing Ruth, the [...]

Dividing Land Like Wealth

I reposted this image that came my way on Facebook, and it generated a significant amount of discussion. I find it interesting for a number of reasons, besides the striking illustration of the distribution of wealth in the United States. It helps make the point that, just as one cannot simply produce more land as [...]