The second proposition or chapter in Walton’s recent book The Lost World of Genesis One emphasizes the functional orientation of ancient cosmology. Walton begins by asking what it means for something to “exist”, and in the process he illustrates how existence in numerous cases is not about material or material existence. Curricula may exist in printed form or in a computer file, but really a curriculum exists first and foremost functionally, organizing a university course. In the same way a... Read more

There have been lots of posts this weekend that ought not to be missed. First, Mark Vernon has an insightful and provocative post on Christian agnosticism. Elsewhere there’s a great analogy that gives a sense of what the Gospel might have sounded like to its earliest hearers. Funnily enough, Mark Goodacre has a podcast on Paul’s sense of humor, while Phil Harland has a whole series on Paul and his communities. James Tabor blogged about the identity of the Beloved... Read more

Humans are arguably the most intelligent beings on the planet (the fact that we can act in spectacularly unintelligent ways at times notwithstanding). We have been and continue to be devoted to “outsmarting” diseases. And yet we find it challenging. The reason is not in serious dispute. It is evolution. Were it not for the adaptation of viruses and bacteria to changes in their environment, including changes in the form of medicines we develop to try to eradicate them, we... Read more

I poked around YouTube for videos featuring scholars and historians talking about the historical Jesus, and the following are two of the more interesting/useful ones I came across: Marcus Borg talking about the color-coded ranking system used by the Jesus Seminar, and highlighting which elements of both the popular and dominant scholarly view of Jesus “drop out” as a result of being ranked black. He also helpfully clarifies that gray indicates uncertainty rather than unlikelihood – often it indicated the... Read more

In addition to teaching my Historical Jesus class for the first time this semester, I also plan to work on the course description for the new course on religion and science fiction that I’ll be teaching in the Spring. The gist of it will be something along the following lines: This course will explore and critically reflect on religious themes, motifs, concepts and allusions in science fiction (including television and film as well as classic and more recent literature). Philosophical... Read more

Classes have begun. Today is the first day of classes at Butler. I’m teaching two sections of Bible on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Read more

After linking to the plagiarism tutorial on the Butler University library web site, I learned that they have just introduced a brand new tutorial in video format. Take a look! Read more

John H. Walton’s book The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009) has deservedly been getting significant amounts of attention. It combines a committment to the authority of Scripture with a direct and pointed challenge to a very popular way of viewing the Bible and its relation to science precisely on the basis of that committment and sound principles of Biblical interpretation. There is so much that is important in the... Read more

A message to students at the start of a new academic year: If you are determined to plagiarize, at least have the courtesy to do so as early as possible in the semester. Plagiarism is a heinous act of intellectual dishonesty. It is the attempt to pass off another’s work as your own, whether in their exact words or with minor changes. It deserves to be punished with at least an automatic failing grade for the class. But it is... Read more

Anyone who uses Strong’s Numbers has no idea how to read Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek (depending on the Strong’s Number). All that will spill from that person’s mouth is rubbish (mixed with that morning’s breakfast). — Michael Whitenton, “No, that’s not what it means at all (an open letter)” on his blog Ecce Homo Read more