I have shared a thought experiment here before, one which I was actually introduced to here on this blog by a commenter almost a decade ago. It focuses on the question, “What would it take to make you lose your faith?” It came up here again relatively recently. And it is also one that I use regularly in a first year seminar class that I teach. But this year, since the thought experiment has a science fictional element to it (time... Read more
The above video is by a former Tulsa police chief. Please watch it for an insider’s perspective on the background and context to the most recent shooting of an unarmed black man with his hands in the air. If white people who try to justify the shooting of an unarmed man will not listen to a white former Tulsa police chief, then who will they listen to? Posting about some other topic seems inappropriate at the moment. And so please,... Read more
Jonathan Bernier made the remark above on Facebook, and I asked for permission to share it. The context was a discussion of Calvinism’s view that God creates some humans expressly for the purpose of being tormented for eternity – something which, if a human being did it, would be considered horrifically immoral. Read more
Here are two videos of the lunchtime talk about gamification in higher education that I and two colleagues gave last Friday. One was made with a video camera in the room, the other using Panopto screen capture. Â Â Read more
Allan Bevere shared the above quote from Stanley Hauerwas’ book Cross-Shattered Christ a while back. Given the discussion generated by the last quote about mystery and God that I shared, I thought I should follow up with another one! Read more
Via 3QuarksDaily, I learned of this piece by Lewis Lapham about the end times. Since it relates to several of my academic and personal interests, and the intersection between them, I thought I should share it. Here is an excerpt: The spectacle of disaster as Old Testament trauma sells newspapers, but the drug of fear—administered in increasingly heavy dosages over prolonged periods of time—produces a harmful side effect among natives both foreign and domestic. Humans too long imprisoned by society in... Read more
In a Facebook comment, Shane McKee wrote: “Deutero-Isaiah, sometimes called “heavy Isaiah”, is detectable if you use a mass spectrometer. It’s a common isaiahtope.” So much punny goodness in a mere two sentences! I am glad he gave me permission to share it with you! Read more
When I have drawn up lists in the past of famous people who have majored in religion, and things you can do it you major in religion, I’ve neglected to mention James Wyatt. The name may not be immediately recognizable to everyone, but his work writing manuals, modules, and more for the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game will be familiar to anyone who knows the game even superficially. There is an interview with Wizards of the Coast in which he talks... Read more
The subject of canon in sci-fi and Biblical studies isn’t just something I’ve created a card game to explore. It is the focus of a chapter in my forthcoming book, Theology and Science Fiction, in the Cascade Companions series. The publisher, Wipf & Stock, shared the following sneak peak from the book: The subject has been getting a lot of attention in a variety of locations online. Probably the most interesting intersection was when Facebook suggested relevant things of related interest... Read more
I enjoyed this video which pokes fun at the difference between hacking as depicted in movies like The Matrix, and in real life. My blog name may have changed, but I’m still “exploring our matrix.” Read more
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