A scientific theory is not a hunch or mere speculation. Rather the term refers to a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by many congruent lines of data.  A further explanation from the NAS web site is helpful. Many scientific theories are so well-established that no new evidence is likely to alter them substantially. For example, no new evidence will demonstrate that the Earth does not orbit around the sun (heliocentric theory), or that living things... Read more

The rise of Islam in the rise of globalization and the rise of tensions in that same mix means America needs a new kind of public intellectual. A public intellectual, not in the sense of having technological or scientific expertise and whom we can consult on CNN/Fox News when the need arises. Not that kind of public intellectual. Instead, we need the kind who can interpret what’s happening in globalization in a way that puts paid to the now defunct secularization... Read more

Gundry on Hurtado concerning Matthew on Peter As they say, “Better to be disagreed with than ignored.” So my thanks to Larry Hurtado for writing his disagreement with my book, Peter: False Disciple and Apostate according to Saint Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015), and to Scot McKnight for posting on his Jesus Creed blog, Jan. 7, 2016, Hurtado’s disagreement, titled “Robert Gundry’s New Peter book” and posted one day earlier on Larry Hurtado’s Blog under the title, “The Apostle Peter:... Read more

ESPN: Antwaan Randle El says he regrets playing football, in part because the 36-year-old now has difficulty walking down the stairs. “I have to come down sideways sometimes, depending on the day,” Randle El said in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story on former Steelers Super Bowl winners. “Going up is easier actually than coming down.” In a follow-up interview with “The Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday, Randle El clarified that while he has pain on stairs, he wanted people to know he wasn’t near death as... Read more

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The Obama Administration and the Vatican condemned the Islamic State group Wednesday for razing Iraq’s oldest Christian monastery, a 1400-year-old structure that survived assaults by nature and man for centuries before it was deliberately destroyed by extremists. At the United Nations, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said reducing St. Elijah’s monastery in Mosul to a field of rubble was malicious and misguided. The Associated Press confirmed the news with exclusive satellite images published early Wednesday. “Despite... Read more

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen. BCP Read more

Source: If you’re reading this at home, you are currently surrounded by arthropods — invertebrates with exoskeletons and jointed legs. But just how many spiders, crustaceans and other creepy crawlies live in the average American home? Until now, that question has been difficult to answer. A new study published in the scientific journal PeerJ seeks to change that. Unsatisfied with mere speculation about the types of arthropods that coexist with humans, entomologist Matt Bertone and his colleagues decided to find out for themselves. So they headed... Read more

Michael S. Rosenwald: Used bookstores, with their quintessential quirkiness, eclectic inventory and cheap prices, find themselves in the catbird seat as the pendulum eases back toward print. In many cities, that’s a de facto position: They’re the only book outlets left. While there are no industry statistics on used-book sales, many stores that survived the initial digital carnage say their sales are rising. “It gets better and better every year,” said Susan Burwell, the co-owner ofReston’s Used Book Shop, the only... Read more