Lately LOST has been creating time loops, and at least since Locke spotted “tall Walt” after having been shot, there were hints that individuals might move around in time. A recent MAJOR spoiler suggests that some characters who have been in the background all along, but have increasingly come into the foreground in recent episodes, have been acting to try to do something about things that happened in the past – or perhaps are trying to prevent tampering with the... Read more
A lot of the most fervent action on this blog in recent days has been on a post that offered a quotation from Eric Reitan. Well, Prof. Reitan has been kind enough to stop by and leave a couple of comments on that thread, and his words are worth hearing. So I invite even those who may have read the original post, or have followed the comment thread for a while and then grown weary, to pay it just one... Read more
If one wishes to demonstrate that the Bible does not merely contain some information that is likely to be accurate and of historical value, but that it is inerrant, then one needs to demonstrate not merely that this or that event happened, but they all happened largely as described in the Bible. And that is a daunting task, because it would require not merely expertise about all the relevant Biblical claims, but also information from other historical sources. It is... Read more
Review of Robin R. Meyers, Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus (New York: Harper Collins, 2009). Sometimes a book you didn’t expect to read, and hadn’t even heard of, crosses your path and makes an impact on your life, or at least an impression. Robin R. Meyers’ book Saving Jesus from the Church is such a book. What makes it valuable is that Meyers is a Liberal Christian and is unapologetically both,... Read more
This is just to second Taylor Williams’ friendly reminder to submit some of your favourite posts of the month of April to the next Biblical Studies Carnival that will be hosted by yours truly right here at Exploring Our Matrix. In order to allow me to spread the preparations over a longer period, please nominate some posts today (and tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that…) It’s really easy. You have two options: 1. Send the following information... Read more
One of the recent conservative commenters on my blog decided to write to my pastor to make sure that he is aware of the sorts of views I have. He is (he regularly attends my Sunday school class, as well as being someone I’ve talked to often in other less formal settings). This occurrence got me thinking about the more conservative Christian contexts in which such an intervention might lead to questions, accusations, suspicions, discipline, expulsion, conflict, and who knows... Read more
There are so many interesting posts today that simply adding them to the “Blogs I’ve been reading” sidebar will inevitably leave some out. So here are some highlights… Jeremy Smith asks whether John’s Gospel hates on the other Gospels. Mark Goodacre raised the possibility that the centurion’s exclamation in Mark’s Gospel was sarcastic, to which Josh McManaway adds some further thoughts. John Hobbins explains why no one smiles in the Bible. Douglas Mangum contrasts apologists and Biblical scholars. Chris Tilling... Read more
No scholar of the Bible or the ancient world should miss taking a closer look at the blackboard that Jack was erasing in a Dharma Initiative classroom in the most recent episode of LOST. If you haven’t seen it yet, it isn’t too late to avert your gaze, and most people will probably need to click through to the full-sized image in order to read it anyway. But more about language-learning follows below the image, so please do scroll down!... Read more
It is exciting to learn that a new blog has been created by Alan Lenzi, devoted to the subject of Biblical Scholars and Personal Religion. Take a look! On an unrelated note, I just can’t bring myself to dedicate a post about tonight’s episode of LOST [spoilers alert]. Sure, there was significant religious content, both in the reference to God on the chalkboard in the classroom, which Jack was erasing, and the “evangelical” appeal made to Miles by a mysterious... Read more
James Bradford Pate has written an overview with some analysis and reflections of my own views on this subject. In particular, those who have been engaged in some of the recent conversations on this blog about the Bible, inerrancy, authority and contradictions (and much, much more) may want to pay a visit to James’ blog. He also has a recent post on Evangelicalism and the “Triablogue incident”. Read more
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