Tensions in Progressive Morality

Last updated on: March 19, 2019 at 12:09 pm By James F. McGrath

Richard Beck writes, The moral resources needed to navigate the conflict between non-judgmental inclusion and social justice are things like community, confession, humility, truth-telling, forgiveness, reconciliation, patience, and peace-making. To name a few things. These are resources that help us pursue both non-judgmental inclusion and social justice at the same time. These are the moral resources that help hold the paradox together. Christian progressives have access to these resources in a way secular progressives do not. For the most part,... Read more

The Dynamics of Interfaith

Last updated on: March 26, 2019 at 10:08 pm By James F. McGrath

I am delighted that a student whose honors thesis I am currently supervising will be presenting at this year’s Undergraduate Research Conference at Butler University. Here are the details about the presentation: The Dynamics of Interfaith Rachel Koehler Butler University Faculty Sponsor(s): James McGrath Butler University Today, there is an ongoing debate within and between different faiths regarding the correct way to interact with religious diversity. For example, exclusive language is found in several religions, which states that individuals can only experience the... Read more

ReligionProf Podcast with A. David Lewis

Last updated on: March 26, 2019 at 10:10 pm By James F. McGrath

There has already been a lot of attention to A. David Lewis’s revival of the Muslim superhero Kismet, and so I’m both delighted to have the chance to have David on the podcast, and also a bit embarrassed that it took me quite as long as it did to make this happen. But it was a truly fantastic conversation, as I’m sure you’ll agree once you listen to it if you haven’t already done so! Meanwhile, on a different podcast, Matt... Read more

Gay Christians and the UMC and Lambeth Controversies

Last updated on: March 26, 2019 at 5:25 am By James F. McGrath

Given how much this subject has been in the news lately, and on blogs and other sources that I read regularly and subscribe to, it seems that a round-up is in order. The convergence of the United Methodist Church’s vote, and the Archbishop of Canterbury rescinding the invitation to same-gender spouses of attendees, showed that even in progressive demominations there is still significant ongoing debate. I know a number of people who are involved in these denominations at all levels,... Read more

Principles for Approaching the Bible

Last updated on: March 22, 2019 at 10:21 am By James F. McGrath

The Jesus Creed blog shared a number of principles for biblical interpretation from John Walton, the deservedly renowned evangelical biblical scholar. While a number of principles are shared related to a number of different aspects of how religious believers approach the Bible, it is the methodological commitments that I think are particularly worthy of being given wide circulation. Here they are: Methodological Commitments. We must allow the text to pursue its own agenda, not force it to pursue ours. We... Read more

Gods of Star Trek

Last updated on: March 20, 2019 at 12:18 pm By James F. McGrath

This sentence from a recent conversation Adam Kotsko and Sarah Jaffe had sums up my research focus well: “There’s a trend in Star Trek where gods are real — they just aren’t the kind of thing the worshippers think.” Star Trek: Discovery has been digging into this longstanding element of the Star Trek universe in very interesting ways, and it comes at a perfect time. I’m currently writing a book chapter on gods in the Star Trek universe! I will... Read more

Bayesian Reasoning Making Inroads in Historical Scholarship?

Last updated on: March 22, 2019 at 10:01 am By James F. McGrath

Mark Given writes in Review of Biblical Literature, reviewing Christoph Heilig’s book Hidden Criticism? The Methodology and Plausibilityof the Search for a Counter-Imperial Subtext in Paul: I only have one major criticism of the book: the use of Bayes’s theorem. I already know from Heilig’s preface to the Fortress Press edition (there was a 2015 Mohr Siebeck edition) that at least one previous reviewer (Miller) said his “employment of confirmation theory … is ‘unnecessary for sound historical reasoning and confusing to the... Read more

Digital Orientalisms Twitter Conference #CFP

Last updated on: March 20, 2019 at 12:17 pm By James F. McGrath

I saw this call for a “Twitter Conference” on Digital Orientalisms, and not only did the conference and its subject matter grab my interest, but so too did the form this unconventional conference will take: Digital Orientalisms – A Twitter Conference Organised by the Digital Orientalist (#DOsTC) Inspired by projects, such as the Public Archaeology Twitter Conference, the Digital Orientalist has decided to organize a Twitter Conference which will take place on 31st May and 1st June 2019. Below is an explanation of the conference’s theme... Read more

Contributing to the Black Archive: The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos

Last updated on: March 20, 2019 at 8:34 pm By James F. McGrath

I have some wonderful news to share: I have been commissioned to write the volume on the season finale episode from the last series of Doctor Who, namely the episode with the title “The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos,” for the Obverse Books series The Black Archive! If the name of the series sounds familiar to you, but you haven’t actually read any books in the series (yet), it may be because I interviewed Paul Driscoll on my podcast not... Read more

ReligionProf Podcast with Zondervan Bible

Last updated on: March 20, 2019 at 6:19 pm By James F. McGrath

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Melinda Bouma and Bob Gaudet who work for Zondervan/Harper Collins in their division that produces New Revised Standard Version Bibles. In the conversation, we explore some of the wonderful ways that professors and Bible publishers have worked together and can work together. I also asked them what the most bizarre suggestion for a new Bible was that they had received, and unfortunately they only recalled a couple of really good examples after we finished... Read more