For those looking for amusement rather than controversy, I commend the Battlestar Galactica election bumper stickers, T-shirts and other paraphernalia offered at Galactica Sitrep. From there, you’ll discover there are still other offerings of a similar sort around the web. As a fan of the show, my slogan is “Four more years”. But I guess one more season and some spin-offs will have to suffice. Read more

If you’re bored, you can always go see if you can keep some discussion going over on Amazon.com, where I am trying to start a discussion on the same topic as my recent post here, namely the Bible and history. Or, if you liked my video clip on YouTube about an aspect of my new book, The Burial of Jesus, just go back one more time and rate it. Yet another option is to go over to David Ker’s blog... Read more

From the NCSE: The Alliance for Science — a non-profit organization which seeks “to heighten public understanding and support for science and to preserve the distinctions between science and religion in the public sphere” — is holding its third annual essay contest. The theme is “In Darwin’s Footsteps,” and students are encouraged “to identify and write about a single scientist, a group of scientists, or a scientific organization that best exemplifies the character and quality of work that sustained Darwin... Read more

David Ker has jumped into the ferocious waters of the issue of homosexuality by commenting on Ray Boltz coming out. Here’s what I commented on the subject: Presumably if we want to do the subject justice, we’ll need to get beyond the Levitical code, which includes a great deal that is considered to be of no ongoing relevance by the vast majority of Christians. If we focus on the New Testament, we find Paul using a couple of terms that... Read more

I just discovered Opposing Viewpoints (HT The Panda’s Thumb), and decided to chime in on the discussion of Intelligent Design over there. Here’s what I wrote in a sub-forum on academic freedom and ID: Perhaps what is needed is to distinguish between academic freedom and peer review. Many regulations about academic freedom are broad, and like laws and regulations about free speech, can protect someone like a tenured professor from being fired even if researching something that most academics consider... Read more

In thinking about the issues of history and faith, I’ve come to the conclusion that a key challenge facing Christianity in our time can be outlined as follows: First, Christianity as historically understood has a close connection with historical events. Second, historical study provides the only tools available by which to answer questions such as “Is this text from ancient Israel a folktale, a parable, a work of historical fiction, or a well-documented historical account of actual events?” Third, historical... Read more

I think it is important to think and reflect a little further, to dig a little deeper, in relation to the subject of my recent post about Abraham and child sacrifice. Clearly I am willing to be critical of the story, to disagree. But I also am profoundly aware that my perspective on child sacrifice as something horrific is itself shaped by the Biblical tradition and one or more of its trajectories. I see the problematic nature of the story... Read more

Here’s my first attempt at video recording myself and posting it on YouTube. I talk for about 5 minutes about a topic touched on in my book, namely the difference between Mark and John about whether or not Jesus was anointed when he was buried. I’d gratefully welcome any feedback on how I might do it better next time! Read more

Are there plans to have some sort of bibliobloggers’ get-together in Boston at SBL this year? If not, there should be! Read more

There is a need for a way for drivers to draw attention to those who, through their failure to use their turn signal when driving, make the road a more dangerous and more stressful place. The current signal (a glaring angry look) appears not to serve as an effective means of communicating the point clearly, as it is easily confused with the very similar international gesture for “hang up and drive”. I suggest that we begin to use a swift... Read more