I have long enjoyed the music of contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks, and had the privilege of meeting him on a visit to Latvia. If you have never discovered his music, here are some samples I found on YouTube that will give you an introduction. And believe it or not, there is even more than this on YouTube – this is just a sampling! Read more

Leviticus 18:22 (NIV) says “‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” Leviticus 20:13 says more or less the same thing. 1 Corinthians 6:9 often loses something in translation, but the term arsenokoitai, which nowadays is often translated with some reference to homosexuality, is literally a compound word made from the roots for “man” and “to lie down.” It seems clear from these texts that Biblical literalists should have no objection to homosexual intercourse, provided that... Read more

I am still a week behind on the TV series Fringe, but I found last week’s episode, which brings Fringe and Lost into contact yet again as time travel, signs from God, and the identies of “man of science” and “man of faith” were given a powerful treatment. If there is a religion-related question that Fringe, Lost, and FlashForward all lead us to ask, it is whether the sense some of us sometimes have that our lives are being woven into a... Read more

1 Peter 3:15 says “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” I would like to believe that this is not what that author had in mind… HT A Feather Adrift Read more

I blogged through the book online, but I also published a print review of John Walton’s book The Lost World of Genesis One which has now appeared in the most recent issue of Reports of the National Center for Science Education. The review is not available on the web site at this point, but will be in the future, and when it appears there I’ll link to it. Read more

James Tabor shared a link to a video of an interview in which he discusses what kind of Jew Jesus was. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, but I figure it is safe to assume it is worth sharing! http://www.viddler.com/player/bcff1412/ Read more

From the New York Times, here is a web site which allows visitors to the site to collaborate with composer Jason Freeman and fit together measures he composed into their own piano etudes. Enjoy! Read more

Here’s Lang Lang playing “Flight of the Bumblebee” on the “Magic Piano” app on an iPad, in concert:HT The Geek Muse Read more

HT B the Lint Herder from Vatican City Read more

Mike Koke continues his series “The Dating Game” by turning his attention to the Secret Gospel of Mark. In thinking about a work, it is indeed important to have a clear sense of what the range of genuinely possible dates for its composition are, and then proceed from there. As the terminus post quem, the earliest possible date, we have perhaps AD 40 or so, if the work is authentic and Smith’s suggestion that it represents an earlier version of Mark is correct.... Read more