Are we revolving around a thief?   http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sun-accused-of-stealing-planetary-objects-from-another-star/   It often happens in politics.  Why not in astronomy?     Read more

    John 9:1-41 Compare Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; 8:17-18; Luke 8:10   This is a wonderful passage, and Latter-day Saints are well within their rights in regarding the first few verses as pointing to an assumption of human pre-existence.   Another quick observation:  Some object to Joseph Smith’s use of a “seer stone.”  It’s just a rock, they rightly point out.  Such derisive criticism makes a certain amount of sense coming from secularists.  But it comes awkwardly from evangelicals,... Read more

    He’s simply amazing, and I can’t recall a time when I didn’t know his voice:   http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/08/29/vin-scully-to-return-to-dodgers-broadcast-booth-for-record-67th-year/?intcmp=hplnws   During the sad and difficult years after my father’s stroke left him unexpectedly blind, Dad found at least some comfort in faithfully listening to broadcasts of Dodger games.   When I came down to California right after Dad died, I thought I could handle things fairly well.  I was tough.  Scandinavian.  But when I saw the schedule of Dodger radio... Read more

    John 8:48-59   It’s difficult not to see a reference to Exodus 3:14 in the otherwise curious present tense “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμί ) of John 8:58.   And understanding that Christ’s Jewish audience understood it that way — and recognized in it an audacious theological claim — certainly helps to explain their reaction.     Read more

    Although I don’t fault others for their decisions, I personally opted not to go into male modeling.  It’s simply impossible to do everything — time is limited — and, besides, being surrounded by screaming and swooning teenage girls grows tiresome after a few hours.   Still, it’s interesting to see how my life would have gone had I made a different decision:   http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/08/lucky-blue-male-model.html   The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I... Read more

    Some opinions are simply too upsetting, too shocking, to be published in a respectable journal:   http://gawker.com/heres-the-philosophy-essay-vox-found-too-upsetting-to-p-1727243459     Read more

    And there are four obvious problems:   1)  It’s not Friday.   2)  Tomorrow won’t be Friday.   3)  The day after tomorrow won’t be Friday.   4)  The day after the day after tomorrow won’t be Friday.     Read more

    Christianity is booming in China.  (See here for one take on the subject.)  In fact, the current spread of the faith among the Chinese may rank among the most remarkable episodes of evangelism in all of Christian history.   But it’s not happening without resistance.   Here’s a recent account:   http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/27/china-arrests-christians-opposed-cross-removals-zhejiang   Posted from New York City     Read more

      I briefly met Philadelphia’s Roman Catholic archbishop, Charles Chaput, when he visited Brigham Young University back in January 2015.  I had been aware of him for several years already, because he has a reputation for theological and social conservatism, and has been quite vocal about his views.   Here’s the relevant blog entry from 23 January 2015:   I had the opportunity, today, of attending a lecture at BYU by Archbishop Charles Joseph Chaput of Philadelphia.  (Given... Read more

    Earth can be very beautiful sometimes.  As here:   http://www.livescience.com/52006-psychedelic-cyanobacteria-bloom-photo.html   Posted from Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany     Read more