Here is a larger excerpt from the online article that the above quote comes from: The demonization of the Other is dangerous first and foremost for us. It endangers our humanity; it instills us with fear of the unknown. After all, they are different from us, they operate according to different and unfamiliar codes. This demonization is dangerous because it affects our choices and our worldview.When it comes to realpolitik, the incitement and the funerals for terrorists are not a... Read more
I decided to take a drive with my son yesterday to two places that we had never been to. I had heard about the phenomenon of a “gravity hill” as a kid, probably via to the show Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. I found out some months ago that one such place is right near Indianapolis, in the vicinity of Mooresville southwest of the city. There are sites which give precise directions about where to find the right spot on Keller Hill Road, and... Read more
Larry Hurtado blogged about a new article by independent scholar Enrico Tuccinardi, which argues that stylometric analysis can be used to identify interpolations into the letter in which Pliny mentions Christians. This is, as Hurtado points out, a problematic use of a method the reliability of which has not gained universal acceptance even when applied in the more accepted manner of trying to determine whether whole works are authentically by a particular author. The fact that Tuccinardi has also tried to argue that... Read more
The quote in the image above is just one small excerpt from a post by John Pavlovitz which explores the reasons why Christians often feel like they should not change their mind, and then when they feel they must, fear what those around them will think. It is worth reading the whole thing. Here’s another sample, in case it takes more to persuade you to click through: I need to be clear, that although my brothers and sisters in faith and... Read more
Max Lee shared on his blog that there will be a review panel at SBL in November, focused on a book to which I’ve contributed a chapter: Exploring Intertextuality, forthcoming from Cascade. The session will focus on a subset of the chapters, with the authors and others interacting around them. It looks like a great lineup. Here is the session as it provisionally stands: Intertextuality in the New Testament Theme: Exploring Intertextuality: Diverse Strategies for New Testament Interpretation of Texts Presider:... Read more
On Wednesday I had the chance to attend a talk at IUPUI by Ken Stein of Emory University. Although the talk was billed as focusing on how to respond to the BDS (Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions) movement on campuses, Stein in fact spent most of his time making sure that the audience understood the ins and outs of the history of the region, from the time of the Ottoman Empire through to today. I very much appreciated Stein’s perspective, which included reference to... Read more
Rachel Held Evans wrote in a recent blog post: It’s easy to comfort ourselves with the thought that Christians of the past were only using religion and Scripture to support their oppression, but in truth those Christians rarely saw it that way. Often the difference between using Scripture to justify injustice and appealing to Scripture to support the truth proves clearest in hindsight. Pride, privilege, and confirmation bias are formidable adversaries on the path to justice, which is why we must familiarize ourselves with past justifications for oppression... Read more
Y’all have probably heard of the Bible app and website YouVersion. Well now John Dyer, a PhD candidate at the University of Durham, has made Y’all Version, which is not just for fun, but makes the important point that in the underlying languages from which the Bible is translated, the second person plural is clearly distinguished from the second person singular. In addition to the southern “y’all” the website also offers versions for New York City and Chicago with “youse guys,” the... Read more
It was several years ago that I highlighted Animusic on this blog, animations of complex machines performing the accompanying music. In the video above, Wintergatan has created an actual marble machine that performs music, and it is very impressive. You can see the details of the process that went into creating the machine on their YouTube page. Read more
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