I think we have three options. One is to say “you should already know the answer to that question” and carry on. One is to say “Please come to my office hours.” And one other is to recognize that, if we were in their situation, we too might miss something that is in a dense syllabus, just as we miss things in any other kind of instruction manual, and to take the time to be helpful, even if briefly. There is evidence... Read more
The first episode of the Key to Time series of episodes, “The Ribos Operation,” introduces a deity, as well as another time lord as the Doctor’s travel companion for the first time (unless I am mistaken) since his granddaughter Susan was traveling with him. The Doctor tells K-9 that they will go on holiday, when the TARDIS’ power completely shuts down, its doors open, and outside are a glowing light and a booming voice, which turns out to belong to... Read more
The Invasion of Time is a true classic of the Tom Baker era. It is one of many episodes in which the Doctor seems to be behaving erratically, and we the viewer are made to wonder how he can be doing some of the things that we see him doing. At the beginning, we see the Doctor entering into an obviously nefarious arrangement with sinister shadowy figures in exchange for control of the time lords. The episode also shows the Doctor using a... Read more
This image on the Pictoral Theology blog shows one of the more bizarre responses of some atheists to some theologians. If someone is talking about a different idea of God than the Biblical depiction, and knows it, then how is responding in terms of the Biblical (or other Abrahamic) depiction meaningful? Some atheists seem to be so obsessed with their own previous religious backgrounds in conservative Christianity, that they cannot grasp that some religious people hold views that are not... Read more
I apologize for the language in this, but it still seemed worth sharing, especially as it came my way so close to the first day of classes of the new academic year: The Indiana Jones and Lara Croft movies, in which the archaeologist swoops in and takes things even when chased by locals, should disturb us, even as part of a story that is just for fun and not aiming to depict anything remotely realistic. On the other hand, I suppose that... Read more
The above cartoon by David Hayward provides a really nice illustration of the issues related to foundationalism – even if there appear to be two blocks missing from the set. But the person in the cartoon doesn’t appear to be playing the game properly anyway. Anyone who plays Jenga, or fundamentalism, knows that you need to leave that one bottom block alone unless you want the whole thing to come crashing down. Was it Nietzsche or someone else who said... Read more
As I prepare to teach a course on the Bible and music in the Spring for the first time, I am on the lookout for new and/or interesting music at the intersection of the two. And so I am grateful to Abram Kielsmeier-Jones for sharing these bluegrass settings of the Psalms by The Corner Room: There are also videos of several of the songs. Read more
Sometimes Christians wear t-shirts that they hope will make conversations about their faith happen, without the awkwardness of having to try to inject it into the conversation. Atheists do the same. And it isn’t just t-shirts. Hats, pens, cups, bumper stickers, and a variety of other things have been crafted to play a similar role. And now there are also the same kinds of things to help generate conversations about climate change. There is a mug which, when a hot liquid is poured... Read more
When I visited Jordan for the first time this summer, one of the destinations was Madaba. The city historically has one of the largest Christian populations in the country, and one of its churches, the Church of St. George, has what remains of an ancient mosaic floor which is the oldest map of the Holy Land in existence! Join me for a look around at the mosaic floor inside the church by clicking the button under the photo below, and keep browsing through... Read more
Here is the video from the service that I led at Crooked Creek Baptist Church yesterday, focused on the theme of idolatry and the image of God, and exploring that theme in scripture, song, and reflections. The service started off with the video that I shared yesterday (not included in the recording above), followed by a song that I wrote, “House of Mirrors.” Read more
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