Lots of people (including me) have written on why they are or are not a Christian (or something else for that matter). A good friend pointed out to me the (very British) answer to that question offered by Geoffrey Sampson. I share it in the hope that it will be of interest to some readers, and perhaps even worth talking about. Read more

I thought I’d mention that the discussion of homsexuality, marriage, the Bible and Christianity that began in time immemorial and has continued in various posts (as well as a recent piece I wrote for Religion Dispatches) is currently continuing most actively in the comments section of this post. If you’re interested in the topic, I invite you to pay another visit to that post and to consider joining in the conversation! Read more

Here’s the latest Battlestar Galactica webisode: http://www.hulu.com/embed/HKKvRpZVHxqjANfd05AF4w Read more

Grades have been submitted. The semester is officially over. When my colleagues return in the Spring to teach their classes, I will not be among them. Instead, I’ll be playing hooky and taking my band on tour. Below are some prelimary tour photos: Band lineups are always changing, and so I invite readers of this blog with an interest in defining the band’s future makeup (and with at least a minimimal proficiency with Photoshop) to make modifications and send the... Read more

Here are two videos for your enjoyment. The first is “O Come All Ye Faithful” performed by the Butler Children’s Orchestra joined by members of The League of Extraordinary Musicians: The second is the third of the Battlestar Galactica webisodes, “The Face of the Enemy” (HT SF Signal): http://www.hulu.com/embed/6SHbIkH09rA4rxjFZ7PfnA Read more

This post provides official notification of my intention, on or immediately prior to the 25th of December 2008, to wish readers of my blog a Merry Christmas. If you are likely to find such expression of Christmas greetings/wishes offensive, you are hereby asked to refrain from reading any and all posts on this blog which may have Christmas, Noel, or other synonymous terminology in the title which may be posted between midnight of December 24th and midnight of December 26th... Read more

I just finished watching the movie Wanted. It is full of violence and vulgarity, and many will love it or hate it for that reason. But beneath the “action flick” surface is an incredibly profound parable, one that parallels a key theme and message of the Matrix films. [WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW, although I will try to be vague!] The movie is about the feeling many people get of boredom and dissatisfaction with their lives. We long for someone to come... Read more

When I was 8 years old, there was no such thing as the internet, at least in anything like the form in which it exists today. It was a few years later that movies like War Games began to feature smart kids with computers dialing in directly to connect to other computers. Those of us who had computers at that time played games we loaded onto our TRS-80 from a cassette player. Some will remember this classic of that bygone... Read more

I was reminded of Paul’s words about the letter killing but the Spirit giving life when I read a quote from Plato’s Phaedrus today. In it Socrates says: You know, Phaedrus, that’s the strange thing about writing, which makes it truly analogous to painting. The painter’s products stand before us as though they were alive, but if you question them, they maintain a most majestic silence. It is the same with written words; they seem to talk to you as... Read more

A student of mine, Keith Lohse, has taken it upon himself, as part of an independent study on the Mandaeans, to blog about the resources currently available on the topic, offering both a convenient collection and some review of the materials. All this will be appearing in the near future at the blog Mandaean Research. Do pay it a visit. If nothing else, it may make Keith feel like his work is of value to others, and he could certainly... Read more