I am presenting at the same time as the above session, but if you weren’t going to come to hear my paper about the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife anyway, then that is where you should be. Read more
I am presenting at the same time as the above session, but if you weren’t going to come to hear my paper about the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife anyway, then that is where you should be. Read more
Here are my thoughts on the first volume in the Digital Biblical Studies series from E. J. Brill, Ancient Worlds in Digital Culture, which I am offering in a review panel that is occurring right now in San Antonio. My own contribution focuses on chapters 1, 5, and 9-12. This first volume in the new Brill series, Digital Biblical Studies, launches the project in an incredibly appropriate manner, with an introduction that explores the big question – what exactly is meant by... Read more
The first paper I went to hear at SBL this year was Chris Heard’s survey and analysis of board games related to the Bible. His examination of the biblical exegesis in the games was fascinating. The game Kingdom of Solomon, for instance, requires players to pursue precisely those aims and activities that the Deuteronomistic History condemns. Kings of Israel has similar aspects, having players be rewarded when they build altars throughout the land even after the Temple in Jerusalem is... Read more
I thought I should post a reminder about the bloggers’ dinner tonight at Yard House (849 E. Commerce St.). It starts at 7pm, but if you show up later, some of us who have other plans later in the evening might be able to cycle out to make room for new arrivals at the table. Looking forward to seeing you there! If you’re free, why not just come to the Digital Humanities session before that, and then we can head to... Read more
Chris Cantwell blogged about this interesting session tomorrow, which the powers that be at AAR and SBL thought it would make sense to schedule simultaneously with the SBL Digital Humanities program unit. Read more
I travel to San Antonio today for the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting(s). I will be blogging about the conference from there. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with many friends and colleagues, including at the blogger dinner. I’ll be bringing Canon: The Card Game for those who are interested in seeing it and perhaps even trying it out. Read more
In my course on religion and science fiction, I actually asked students recently who was worse, Donald Trump or Darth Vader. I had forgotten (if I ever knew) that a poll back in 2014 had millennials preferring Vader to Trump. The reason for asking this question was to highlight the discrepancy between what we sometimes claim to value, and our real-life attitudes. Even before we got his backstory, and a deeper glimpse of his humanity, Star Wars fans were willing to accept... Read more
Everyone gets frustrated sometimes when they are in a hurry and they encounter a red light. But some people get frustrated every time they encounter a red light. (You know who you are.) I realized recently (yes, while stopped at a red light) that this is a perfect illustration of privilege (or “advantage” if you prefer the term). If the light were always green for you, it would have to mean that the light was red more frequently for other people. And so... Read more
One of the projects that students in my First Year Seminar course “Faith, Doubt, and Reason” do is to create additional scenes that could be added to Goethe’s Faust (Part One). From time to time, students have needed one more actor than the number of people in their small group, and have written in a guest part for me to play. That happened this semester, as a group of students who added a scene after the end of the story they had read, and... Read more
People on my campus are in a funk. The mood is somber, melancholic. Today, a colleague made reference to PTSD – “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” – and I realized right away that the acronym could be adapted to fit the current situation perfectly. We have “Post-Trumpatic Stress Disorder.” I had lunch with a colleague yesterday, who noticed that I was wearing a safety pin on my lapel. I happened to have an extra one, and gave it to him to... Read more
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