Human beings in a wide variety of cultural and religious contexts find it comforting to think that everything happens for a reason, and this is a theme explored not only in various science fiction contexts in which notions of fate, destiny, and one’s path have been touched on (including not only LOST but also The Matrix and Star Wars films among many others), but also the very different Slumdog Millionaire. But why should we find it consoling that a slum-dwelling... Read more

“Should it be of concern to Christians that Darwin was never more than a nominal believer? Only if, rejecting universalism, you are concerned about the destiny of his immortal soul. Otherwise – well, are you concerned whether your surgeon, mechanic, or hair stylist goes to church? Of course not. Your only concern is that she wields a scalpel, wrench, or scissors with know-how and dexterity. So too with a scientist: one’s only concern should be that he is an honest... Read more

If it seems that an innovative TV show like LOST doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, consider that Friends may have served as a testing ground for some of the key concepts. Here are some facets of Friends that resurface (often in a significantly different form) on LOST: 1) A small group of people live on an island. Slowly they come to discover that there are other people besides them who live on it. 2) Two key main characters who... Read more

I am working on finishing an article on the burial of Jesus for the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception (in fact, the section I’m responsible for is that on the reception of the material in Christianity in modern Europe and America). Some mention of the painting by Hans Holbein the Younger that made such an impression on Dostoyevsky (so much so that he incorporated it into The Idiot) seems appropriate. I’m finding it something of a nuisance that... Read more

Blogger Anna M. Blanch, at her blog Goannatree, is reviewing the Top 100 blogs ranked as such recently by ChristianColleges.com. Here’s what she wrote about Exploring Our Matrix: Dr. James McGrath, associate Professor of Religion at Butler University, writes this blog about exploring the theological aspect of his “matrix” or “world.” The blog is primarily a commentary on popular culture, Christian sub culture, and the responsibilities of Christians to act redemptively when interacting with culture. The header design is striking... Read more

Given that my last few posts have been about religion and science, I was struck by how many other blogs I read have also converged on this topic. Cliff Martin highlights the problem with Intelligent Design, taking Gordon Glover’s latest offering as his starting point. Bob Cornwall is defining science. Stranger Fruit revisits creationist credentialing. John Pieret disagrees with me. John Shuck’s church also celebrated Evolution Sunday a week late. Bay of Fundie has a post about (and a cartoon... Read more

Uncommon Descent is such a hilarious place, I probably ought to have visited there more often than I have lately. For instance, Thomas Cudworth has posted what he calls An Open Challenge to Neo-Darwinists: What Would It Take to Falsify Your Theory? The funny part is that people like me, who would love to respond from an evolutionary perspective, are banned from commenting. So in what sense is this an “open challenge”?! Here’s what I would have commented if I... Read more

Today in my Sunday school class, we had our “evolution weekend” conversation that was postponed from last Sunday, when I was away at the Midwest SBL meeting. Many of the points that came up are ones that I’ve made before on this blog and elsewhere. For instance, I emphasized that there is nothing specifically limited to evolution that singles it out for a greater degree of conflict with a literal reading of the Bible than other scientific fields. Some examples... Read more

Having had a chance to reflect somewhat on the (obviously sensationalist) headline from the cover of a recent issue of New Scientist, I think that it does more good than harm. Let me explain why. First, this cover helpfully (if potentially misleadingly) illustrates that Darwin’s theory is not being shielded from criticism by an atheistic scientific conspiracy. One can criticize the details of the theory. All one has to do is provide evidence via scientific research. This leads nicely to... Read more

I happened across a blog, “Science and Values”, to which I regret providing a link as it may contribute to them gaining Technorati or some other sort of “authority” they do not deserve. The most recent post illustrates the tactics used by deceitful individuals determined not only to attack science without warrant, but to give Christianity a bad name in the process. Here are some of the “weapons” used: (1) Accuse of racism: The blog post takes as its jumping-off... Read more