Doctor Who returns this evening! Feel free to pass the time talking here! [Read more…]
Archives for March 2013
Good Friday and Deity-Placation
March 29, 2013 by 66 Comments
Today's Non Sequitur cartoon fits how some understand Good Friday perfectly: Among our oldest traceable concept of gods are the personalities we once assumed to be behind the forces of nature. How do we find a way to get rain when we need it, or divert illness away from ourselves? Placate the deity. And how [Read More…]
Good Friday: Spoiler, Summary, Stomp
March 29, 2013 by 15 Comments
The student who presented today in my class on the Bible shared this meme image: That Jesus dies is a spoiler only in the sense that the sinking of the ship is a spoiler for those who watch the movie Titanic. But what is noteworthy in the attempts at humor is the penchant for this to [Read More…]
Intertextuality and the Art of Persuasive Argumentation: SBL Paper
March 29, 2013 by 6 Comments
Here’s the abstract of a second paper that I will be presenting at SBL in November, in a session on “Intertextuality and the Art of Persuasive Argumentation” organized by the Intertextuality in the New Testament Section: “Reading a Letter Quoting a Hymn Quoting Scripture: Intertextuality and Persuasion in Philippians 2:6-11” The passage in Philippians 2:6-11 [Read More…]
Jesus Wore a Red Shirt
March 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
This seemed worth posting again, since this week brings together Jesus’ death (foreseen, according to the Gospels, as clearly as that of a redshirt in a landing party) and the wearing of red to show support for marriage equality. Some people are having to explain that you can be in favor of marriage equality as [Read More…]
New Commandment and Foot-Washing Thursday
March 28, 2013 by 18 Comments
Apparently the term “Maundy Thursday” comes from the Latin phrase “mandatum novum” meaning “new commandment.” The reference is to John 13, which features the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, followed by his statement about a new commandment he has given them, to love one another. We actually reached this passage in my class [Read More…]
Amen! vs. Aha!
March 28, 2013 by 4 Comments
In some segments of Christianity, shouting “Amen!” is encouraged, and at times even requested with a phrase like “Can I hear an 'Amen'?” This isn't a Biblical way of using the word. But even if it were, it would still be problematic. It is asking for immediate assent to what is said, based on enthusiasm [Read More…]
The Letter Kills
March 28, 2013 by 3 Comments
This cartoon by David Hayward might seem anti-Biblical to some. But that’s only because they’ve missed that the Bible itself directs attention away from its pages elsewhere. As Paul puts it, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” And yet many in our time bizarrely associate Christianity with letter-fixation. [Read more…]
Colbert on The Bible
March 27, 2013 by 1 Comment
Like John Byron, I have yet to see any episode of the History Channel miniseries “The Bible.” But I found the time to watch Stephen Colbert’s treatment of it on The Colbert Report and you can appreciate the humor completely without having seen the miniseries. Here’s a sample available on YouTube. Click through to watch the [Read More…]
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