Some may have already celebrated Evolution Sunday yesterday, since there is quite a bit of flexibility as to when one tackles the topic. The point of the event is for churches to actually address the subject head on. Most churches and other religious institutions will hold it next weekend. Around the blogs and internet relevant resources and posts are beginning to appear. Read the Spirit has a lot of relevant links. Bob Cornwall re-shared a sermon. Some resources from the... Read more

I’ve long been perplexed by the frequent complaint from mythicists (i.e. those who claim that Jesus was a purely invented figure, not even based on a real historical human individual) that those working on the historical Jesus simply assume as a presupposition that Jesus existed, rather than addressing the question directly. I think such individuals are looking for a demonstration by historians, in the introductory part of their book about Jesus, “proving” he existed, before going on to discuss anything he... Read more

Naked Pastor has an interpretation of what might at first glance seem like a pretty straightforward and standard church sign. Polycarp shares posters of feline skepticism. And although it touches on a serious topic, Clayboy’s treatment of the misuse of Greek by preachers deserves to be in this category too, since it explains why preachers appealing to all the possible meanings of a Greek word are saying the equivalent of “The real meaning of the word “religious” is “a churchgoing,... Read more

Even Ben Witherington is blogging about LOST. He confidently characterizes the smoke monster as an “evil spirit.” I doubt matters will turn out to be that simple. DocArtz has several items of interest, including a video of the original flight 815 and the new one side by side,and another video in which people who have never seen the show try to explain what is going on. There’s also a post on the backgammon and other game symbolism. http://bc.newsweek.com/players/v2/embed/newsweek.swf?l=1785302026&t=64735611001&c=40211 Read more

Should we think that the author of the Gospel of John intended, in the narrative about Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, to tell a story which could be treated as an actual story about Jesus during the period of his public ministry? If so, it will shape the way we read it in interesting and unusual ways – as I explored with my Gospel of John class the last time it met. The first half of the chapter is usually treated as reflecting... Read more

HT Daniel Kirk Read more

This evening Butler University became to a new chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Theta of Indiana. One colleague from my department spearheaded the application process, while another was elected to be an officer in the new chapter. I’m a complete outsider to the Greek systems, having studied in the UK, and so it was nice to have a chance to be present at an event like this. The ceremony was followed by our annual Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity. Read more

The computer of my dreams may not exist, but I think I’ve found one that comes close. The Asus T91MT is a netbook that converts into a tablet. It seems great in terms of portability, use for typing, use for reading, as well as web browsing and e-mail and everything else one wants to do on a computer or mobile device. And it has a steady state drive (although one can go with a larger capacity hard drive if one... Read more

I had to share this commercial (HT Clayboy): Read more

I took a trip to Best Buy yesterday to look at netbooks and ebook readers. The Sony ereader they had was not functioning – not a great advertisement for the device. But I was impressed by how much smaller netbooks have become than they were even the last time I looked at them. Browsing online, I came across some that are even smaller than the ones on display at the store. The Sony VAIO for instance. But the smallest there... Read more