David Hayward shared some thoughts on spiritual independence, community, and authority that are worth considering carefully and reflecting on – if you choose to, of course. He also shared a cartoon with a rather naughty play on words, but one that works particularly well in relation to this topic! You can catch a glimpse of it in the preview below, and I’ll also include it as a reward for those who read this post all the way to the end.... Read more
You have presumably heard that Nancy Pelosi has a favorite Bible verse: “To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” And you are probably aware that that isn’t actually in the Bible. I resisted the temptation to write “You have heard it said…but I say unto you” since I don’t disagree with the sentiment. The question is whether it is in the Bible... Read more
Jim Davila noted a few bizarre things about Jesus in the news. One is yet another claim about Aramaic/Syriac texts having been discovered that are supposedly important historical finds related to Jesus. They look like fakes, and they look a lot like other fakes that have incomprehensibly continued to make headlines in the news, particularly in Turkey but often also reaching the United States and/or the U.K. Jim also commented on the bizarre suggestion in a low-budget movie that Jesus... Read more
As filmmaker Robert Orlando and I began discussing the possibility of a blog series exploring his previous movie, Apostle Paul: A Polite Bribe, extra material connected with the film, and the sequel Apostle Paul: The Final Verdict that will be out later this year, a set of three letters grabbed my attention: APB. In this context, of course, it was a convenient abbreviation for the title of the movie, A Polite Bribe. But outside of that context, it more frequently abbreviates “All Points... Read more
In this week’s podcast, Pete Enns and I talk about his latest book, How the Bible Actually Works. Check out his blog for lots of short posts that will give you a taste of his perspective, his writing style, and his sense of humor, as well as his view of the Bible. I really appreciate the variety of ways that Pete Enns makes the point that going beyond the Bible is biblical, while being a biblicist, claiming that the Bible... Read more
This call for papers will be of interest to many people I know… Video games and films—both genres increasingly share tropes in their design, aesthetic, and reliance on narrative plots. Video games often use a short film to introduce players to the rules and characters, and action films can rely so much on computer generated imagery that it’s not clear where the computer ends and the “real world” begins. Moreover, films and video games at some times (re)produce status quo... Read more
This call for papers came to my attention via an email list that I subscribe to, and since it explores the intersection between two areas of interest of mine – ancient literature and contemporary fandom – I wanted to be sure to spread the word to others who share similar interests to my own. Here’s the call for papers, with a link to the website for more information or to submit. At the EABS Annual Meeting in Warsaw, 11-14 August 2019,... Read more
It was quite a while back that I watched Batman vs. Superman. But I have had a draft blog post saved since then, because there was so much in it that I wanted to comment on. Then I heard that there might be plans for a conference about Batman and theology, and thought it was high time to share my thoughts and impressions. But even then it took me longer than it ought to have. I trust, however, that these... Read more
It was interesting recently to read well-known words from 1 John with the story in John 9 fresh in my mind, as happened to me a while back when I reached the story in John 9 in my Sunday school class. In John 9 (as J. Louis Martyn famously highlighted) we are given a glimpse into the experience of expulsion from a community that the author and earliest readers of the Gospel underwent. The letters are thought to be from... Read more
This statement by a Facebook friend seemed worth turning into a meme. I did so some time ago, but unfortunately it took me longer than it should have to share the meme on my blog. Here is the quote: I often look at it as the unspoken doctrine of personal infallibility. Many Christians think something like this: “The Bible is True. I believe the Bible. Therefore, everything I believe is true.” This also applies to the morality of actions they... Read more
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