The Busybody blog asks in today’s post how Paul or Isaiah would feel about our reinterpretations and/or contextualizations of their writings. If it is possible to speak of authorial post-mortem indignation, then presumably it is also possible (presumably more so) to speak of authorial intent! 🙂 Here are my few thoughts on the subject: When we ask what Paul and Isaiah would make of our reinterpretations and contextualizations of their writings, I suspect that the answer depends on how aware... Read more

I am currently working on a statement of my teaching philosophy, and decided (as with most other things I do) to share it on my blog, in the hope both that I may receive helpful feedback, as well as in the hope that it may be helpful and useful to others. As I worked on writing it, I found that I could not simply repeat all of the statements I had made in the past, even though much has remained... Read more

I just finished reading the book I Sold My Soul on eBay: Viewing Faith through an Atheist’s Eyes. It is about an atheist who said he would attend church as specified by the highest bidder on eBay. He provides insights on what goes on in churches from the perspective of an atheist raised in a Jain family, and thus with no Christian background to make many Christians’ various strange customs seem more familiar. This is definitely recommended reading for both... Read more

On my old blog I made a tongue-in-cheek reference to the need for a special “Biblical mathematics” if one wishes to attempt (even though it is futile) to be a “Biblical literalist” – defining pi as 3, allowing 13 to equal 14, and so on. Apparently I am not the only person to have this sort of idea – there is a nice parody of “creation science” in the mathematical realm in the Bollingbrook Babbler. Read more

I’m actually writing something on religion and science fiction, and found myself pondering Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics. On the one hand, such laws seem like a necessity. On the other hand, if we manage to create sentient, self-aware artificial persons, then would they not have rights? Could we in essence impose our will on them in this way, or would their right to the same freedoms other persons have lead to the Three Laws being overturned by some... Read more

The idea of the earth as mother is not as alien to the Bible as one might have heard. It is quite clearly present in Job 1:21, when Job says “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there.” It is also in the background when God, in Genesis 1:11 and 1:24, is said not to create living things directly, but by commanding the earth to bring them forth out of its creative potency. Yet having... Read more

I’m glad I had the last season of Doctor Who to tide me over this summer – and I’m now taking a look at season 3 of The 4400 on DVD. But I am still eagerly awaiting the return of LOST, and am happy to have found some tidbits of information about new characters and a new Dharma video. The video, which can be seen on ABC’s official LOST page, is fascinating and includes some interspersed frames that will require... Read more

It seems there is a veritable surge of Doctor Who fandom overtaking Biblical scholars across the globe. Mark Goodacre (on a new personal blog) and Loren Rosson both have new entries on the subject. The recent seasons are not simply the continuation of a classic series for the sake of fans – it is great television, pure and simple! Read more

I just happened across a verse in reading a book today – 2 Esdras 6:42. It says: Upon the third day thou didst command that the waters should be gathered in theseventh part of the earth: six parts hast thou dried up, and kept them, to theintent that of these some being planted of God and tilled might serve thee. Could anyone who regards this verse as sacred Scripture be misled into thinking that the Bible is a science textbook? Read more

This brief post is to share an interesting book project on blogging as it relates to academia and Biblical studies. Whether you are a potential contributor or just a reader of this blog, the project will presumably interest you! Read more