So I haven’t read this book and I am cherry picking a money-quotation but these words offer balm to my troubled soul. “All the more reason that the sense of what is and is not a sound reading needs development in every historian who seeks to work with papyri–a sense that comes from reading a lot of texts and from working with the artefacts themselves, from bearing the editor’s and critic’s burden oneself. It would be pleasant to be able... Read more
I’ve been ramping up for next year’s SS focus on the New Testament by reading John P. Meier’s A Marginal Jew series. [Note: I am not a SS instructor, I’m reading it for myself.] The series contains so much info there’s no way I’m going to remember everything he covers, but I believe it will be easier to remember the general thrust of his argument (the over-riding themes, methods he uses to evaluate the information according to the goal he explicitly... Read more
Hoping to put a dent in my qualifying exam reading lists, and given the fact that I am a slow reader, I have resorted to focusing on introductions and conclusions, while skimming the rest. And what should I encounter but this incriminating passage: I have long been annoyed by introductions that are largely devoted to succinct summaries of arguments and ideas presented in the bulk of a book. They usually serve only the purposes of lazy readers who desire to... Read more
The manuals of the church include a section at the beginning instructing readers how the manual is to be used. These instructions general advise such things as the use of the Spirit in study and teaching, how to focus on discussion, and how to prepare to teach. One of the features included in these manuals is an advisory about the use of supplemental sources. Interestingly, there is no set phrase on the advisory against supplemental texts. I offer a small... Read more
Recent discussions about the influence a vague entity called “Correlation” has on various Bloggernaclers got me thinking about the problem of responsibility in research. I admit I’m personally less likely to blog about certain sensitive LDS issues. For example, there are elements of temple ritual I feel comfortable writing about and other elements I don’t. I personally don’t feel like my reticence is due to being trapped in the Panopticon. I admit I’m less likely to be flippant or brash... Read more
You probably shouldn’t even read this post unless you have a poetic soul. …but if you do, you might have these strange melancholy moods, where you read sad poetry for days, and don’t eat. When I’m in this mood, I read my main man Algernon Charles Swinburne, Victorian poet. I discovered Charles when I read his poem The Garden of Proserpine. You’ll probably recognize it–especially the last two stanzas which hauntingly embrace the inevitability of death. (more…) Read more
I have only seen the first two edisodes, but I am loving it. I may do some commentary later, but here is the first episode. I would love to hear what you think. Here is a link to the program website. Episode One: A New Adam Chapter One Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE. (more…) Read more
As promised, here are the rest of the Bounce Back! tracks. Which is your favorite? See more. (more…) Read more
The Church has released a statement in response to the petition circulated by Human Rights Watch. While BCC has a thread up discussing the full statement, I want to highlight my favorite part: God’s universal fatherhood and love charges each of us with an innate and reverent acknowledgement of our shared human dignity. We are to love one another. We are to treat each other with respect as brothers and sisters and fellow children of God, no matter how much we... Read more
Allen V. is a political scientist. His academic specialties include international relations, American Politics, and American Political Thought. He is also a veteran of the world of campaign politics. I am happy to share with you some of his musings about this campaign season. There is a lot of discussion about a fundamental transformation underway in American Politics. Right leaning political pundits celebrate the Tea Party movement as a historic shift from the longstanding political environment. Beck in particular, with... Read more
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