IO9 shared several variations on familiar cross-stitch productions that combine those iconic offerings with sci-fi or other elements. Here’s one example: Of course, for many people a “Serenity Prayer” already has overtones of religion and science fiction combined. 🙂 But I think the image actually illustrates the words of the prayer remarkably well. If you had been one of the main characters of the original Star Wars trilogy, which category would you have put Leia’s imprisonment by Jabba the Hut?... Read more

HT to John Loftus for drawing attention to Thom Stark’s interview with Valerie Tarico. The comments show many of the typical reactions to a progressive Christian stance that embraces critical study of the Bible. I suspect that many readers will find the interview and the resulting discussion interesting. Read more

I unfortunately didn’t share it when it first came to my attention, so I’m glad James Kidder reminded us of this recent parody from Jeremy Mohn: “Are God and Keplerism Compatible? Some Catholic, Jewish and Protestant Authors Say No.“ Read more

Jonathan Robinson has emphasized (and Jim West has reiterated) the need to submit blog posts for this month’s Biblical Studies Carnival. The time is at hand! Read more

According to the calculations of James Ussher, the world was created 6013 years ago. So happy creation day! How better to celebrate such an amusing occasion than by sharing some amusing things that were shared on blogs I read. First, here’s a video advertising fundamentalist video games (via Stuff Fundies Like): And here’s a bit of street art suggesting that Jesus might not have all the answers – but don’t worry, he suggests someplace else to look for them (via... Read more

This is from the Fortress Press Forum (HT John Byron): WORD OF THE DAY: “Apocalyptic Literature “: uh-PAH-kuh-lihp-tihk-LIH-duhr-uh-chuhr Status: If you don’t know how to read apocalyptic literature, it’s the end of the world; if you do know how, it isn’t. Definition: “Apocalyptic literature is a kind of story that God’s people found particularly helpful during times of oppression. These stories have recurring features. Ancient heroes of the faith: perhaps because the people were being persecuted, they felt safer telling... Read more

I saw a flyer for a public lecture about Wikipedia and the Cultural Sector, and I was struck by the titles of the two speakers. One is Liam Wyatt, the first ever “Wikipedian-in-Residence” at the British Museum, while the other is a “Wikipedia Campus Ambassador” at Indiana University in Bloomington. I presume that Wikipedia is here to stay, and so perhaps the most important and appropriate questions for educators to ask are not along the lines of “How can I... Read more

I had heard from some readers of this blog, from time to time, that the background basically rendered the blog unreadable. I changed from the binary core background to a plain dark green, and more recently to a transparent one. I am grateful to one reader who took the time to exchange e-mails about this, since it helped me discover that the issue was arising for those who use Firefox. Apparently Blogger’s blog templates are not created with Firefox in... Read more

An article in Inside Higher Ed today focuses on the need of faculty to adapt to changing technology with respect to the research skills we teach, and the approaches to research that we assume students will use. I agree. It is no longer any good talking about research as though it happens (or happens exclusively) in library buildings. And conversely, we cannot simply tolerate students bypassing reliable sources that can be accessed online (e.g. through databases available through university/library web sites)... Read more

Charles Haberl has posted the second installment of his “Blogging the Soulfisher” series on the Mandaean Book of John translation project blog. Pay a visit and see what some of the linguistic issues are that come up early in that section, and get a taste of the English translation as it is still in the making! Read more