I’ve had a regular stream of visitors for quite some time, searching for keywords like “Obama antichrist” or “ubamah lightning”, “who’s who scam” and “vista black screen after login”. But it is always refreshing to see a change in what leads folks here. For instance, just now I noticed a few rather more interesting and unusual search terms that brought people here: “ehrman your guess is as good as mine” “is obama the jewish messiah” and perhaps most interestingly, the... Read more

Gordon J. Glover offers a brilliant parody of intelligent design arguments in the video he has created for the “Alien Intervention Institute”: And for those interested in how parody, Martha Stewart and the wedding at Cana might relate to one another, I offer my friend Charles Allen’s sermon, “A Lovely Merlot.” Read more

I chimed in on a discussion at Honey and Locusts about “interspirituality”. Since I know that there are readers of this blog interested in (and even organizing a blog conference about!) how Christians think theologically about other religions, some may want to take a look at what has been an interesting conversation so far, on but the first of what may be many posts in a series on this subject. As regular readers of this blog will know, I think... Read more

My favorite moment in the two-hour premier of Heroes was when Peter, faster than ever, had run to Boston to get clam chowder from Legal Sea Foods in Boston. Being originally from the East Coast, I miss clam chowder and many other seafood items. And when I was at SBL in Boston last year, I ate at Legal Sea Foods whenever I had the opportunity. If I had a superpower like Peter’s, I’d run to Legal Sea Foods for sure.... Read more

I was going to call this something like “Taking another Luke at the Synoptic Problem”, but I thought I might have reached my pun quota already. But I’ve often wondered why the possibility that Matthew might have used Luke’s Gospel as a source is rarely even mentioned in books on and discussions of the Synoptic Problem. Perhaps it is simply the fact that Luke is traditionally dated relatively late, or perhaps it is the fact that Luke’s reference to “many”... Read more

I saw this on Scotteriology. He saw in it a useful example of an aspect of hermeneutics. I just thought it is amusing… Read more

LOST has one season left, and clues, set photos and interviews with the producers all point to the next season featuring characters we’ve come to know and love living in an alternate timeline, one in which the plane never crashed on the island. A major question which is as yet unanswered is whether that means that the “losties” who are on the island, and who “reset” the universe, have now vanished from it, or whether the island is a sort... Read more

A young-earth creationist speaker is coming to Butler’s campus this Wednesday. His name is Willie Dye. I hope that students will take the time not merely to glance at his web site but to take a close look at his CV. He lists multiple PhDs, all from unaccredited institutions. Getting your information from someone who seeks to give the impression of expertise by purchasing letters after his or her name, rather than doing actual academic research at an accredited institution,... Read more

There’s an interesting article in USA Today about those who usually put down “none” when asked about their religion. Apparently most aren’t atheists, nor are they New Agers. According to the article, the majority are more akin to Deistic rationalists in the heritage of Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Paine. They are mostly people who would affirm the existence of God but not adhere to a single denomination, creed or dogma. Personally, if the article is right about this, I take... Read more

Thanks to the ambiguities and double entendres of the English language, I just realized that I can affirm my adherence to “Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch”. I do indeed believe that the Pentateuch in its present form is best characterized as a mosaic, created from the work of multiple authors… Just to be clear, I don’t think that’s what this Mosaic Bible is about, though it does look pretty cool too. Read more