I could have simply called this post “Franklin Graham is a liar” but I wanted something that was less obvious, more specific, as well as more likely to be obviously applicable when someone else at a later point is making the same dishonest and indeed libelous assertions. What I am referring to is the fact that Franklin Graham has said that progressives and liberals aren’t Christians, and that these terms are simply a “code word for godlessness.” The irony, of... Read more
As a firm believer in the usefulness of gamification to assist learning, I had been looking for an opportunity to explore some of the resources that take a gamified approach to foreign language learning. Duolingo was already on my radar, and not only after they added Klingon among their options. I decided recently to finally try it out, starting with Swahili. I was pleasantly surprised with how this minimally gamified approach – breaking things into levels, providing immediate feedback and... Read more
I have been wanting to get into podcasting for some time, and with the exciting news that Butler University’s Center for Academic Technology has installed a sound booth in our Irwin Library, I am committed to making that happen soon. The fact that the sound booth bears some resemblance to a TARDIS is not at all a factor in this… Tim Bulkeley hosted the (apparently misnumbered) 147th Biblical Studies Carnival, and focused it on podcasts. I had hoped to start podcasting... Read more
As I continue thinking about how to best characterize the form of Christianity that I identify with, another has occurred to me – ironically, in an article that warns against our human tendency to take pride in group identities! But you’ll see why it led me to the title of this post when you read this excerpt from Trelawney Grenfell-Muir’s recent piece about not being proud to be a Christian: Christianity, like every major religion and secular ideology, has always... Read more
From the symposium website: “Moral Machines? The Ethics and Politics of the Digital World” is a symposium organized by two research fellows, Susanna Lindberg and Hanna-Riikka Roine at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. The aim of the symposium is to bring together researchers from all fields addressing the many issues and problems of the digitalization of our social reality, such as thinking in the digital world, the morality and ethics of machines, and the ways of controlling and manipulating the... Read more
Phil Ledgerwood paraphrased the conversation between Jesus and those who accused him of casting out demons through the power of Beelzebul: JESUS: I’m casting out demons. The kingdom of God has come. I’m binding the strong man to pillage his house and reclaim Israel. Etc. Etc. OPPONENTS: You only have authority over demons because Satan has given it to you. JESUS: If that were true, then Satan would be fighting against himself and destroying his own kingdom. OPPONENTS: … JESUS:... Read more
Somehow I’ve managed not to blog about Westworld, despite having found both seasons incredibly engaging, and replete to overflowing with religious themes and symbolism. As Janey Tracey wrote early in the first season: It’s nothing new for AI movies and TV shows to explore themes such as the godlike creation of intelligent life, the desire to destroy your own idols, and the notion that the definition of humanity involves some level of imperfection. However, Westworld isn’t exploring these themes tangentially; they seem to... Read more
Neil Carter has written such a detailed and insightful post about the history of conservative Evangelicalism and its effect in shaping the church of today, that it didn’t seem adequate to merely circulate a link to it on social media. Early in the blog post Neil writes: [D]isregard for blacks, for immigrants, for women, and for the poor is woven into the fabric of white evangelicalism in ways they cannot see because it’s all about what their theology doesn’t say rather than... Read more
Some things that I have been reading recently have brought two of my past publications into conversation with one another, in a manner that I never expected. I wrote an article on John 5:18 many years ago, focused on whether Jesus is a rebellious son, in making himself equal to his father. You can read that article online, courtesy of Butler University’s institutional repository. I also wrote a book chapter on the question “What Would Jesus Drink?” which also had... Read more
I have long found myself puzzled by the statement attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, depicted as a response to the accusation that he cast out demons through the power of the prince of demons, often rendered as Beelzebul. Jesus asks (Mark 3:23-26), “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided,... Read more
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