I have heard once again the ridiculous claim that there is “no evidence for a historical Jesus.” Once again, I must point out that young-earth creationists say the same thing, “there is no evidence for evolution.” In both cases, either the individuals really mean “there is evidence, but I do not accept the conclusions experts draw about it,” or otherwise they are simply ignorant and showing this off. How do you respond when someone makes a dogmatic assertion which clearly... Read more
A lot of people have been sharing the image of robot trials undertaken at Boston Dynamics, often mashed up with scenes of Sarah Connor from Terminator. While what we’re witnessing are tests to see how robots cope with challenges, the time may come when we have to ask serious questions about the ethical treatment of them. In the Animatrix cartoons that offered prequels to The Matrix, we saw that it was human mistreatment of developing artificial intelligences which led to their fighting back against... Read more
This image came to my attention via Facebook. I’ve shared lots of Star Trek Q Synoptic Problem memes in the past, some of which I made myself and some of which I found. Now it is time for some James Bond Q Synoptic Problem memes. Have you come across any others that are worth sharing? Read more
I really enjoyed watching the three-episode SyFy miniseries Childhood’s End, based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke of the same title. It is theologically, emotionally, and ethically rich material that explores ideas about God and mortality in a serious, interesting, and provocative way. I highly recommend it. The story begins with ships arriving in our skies, which is a standard trope of alien invasion. The voice that comes from above insists that it belongs to the supervisor of Earth, and that... Read more
Do you recognize the original hymn this is based on, “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”? I take my coffee without sugar, but I can still sing of the sweetness – metaphorically speaking – of drinking it. Read more
The discussion of Mark’s Christology continues throughout the biblioblogosphere. I’m still planning to blog my way through Mark’s Christology, but others are doing a wonderful job, and so when I finally do that, I will have lots to interact with and to build on. Here’s what has been happening since my last round-up (see also the one before that): Drew Smith wrote a whole post about Mark’s Christology, in which he offers this conclusion: Mark’s theology is a christological theology; a theology centred... Read more
In exploring the Naxos music database’s new releases, I discovered Geoffrey Burgon’s Requiem. Burgon is known for TV soundtracks (including Doctor Who) and film score work, such as on Monty Python’s The Life of Brian. I read the conference volume that looked at Jesus and Brian, but although the music was mentioned, no one seems to have focused attention on the fact that the composer, Geoffrey Burgon, had also composed sacred music. I am planning to teach a course on the Bible and music... Read more
Having recently mentioned academics playing role playing games, I had my attention drawn to Dungeons and Discourse. It has academic humor, religious humor, and RPG humor. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! You might also enjoy Advanced Dungeons and Discourse… Read more
Last night’s episode of The X-Files was the finale of the current mini-series, yet it ended on a cliffhanger which left us with the hope that there will be more. The episode left me feeling as though I was finally getting a sense of the big picture of what The X-Files had been about from the very beginning, even though we had not always glimpsed it clearly. A conspiracy to take hold of the reigns of power and control vast populations of... Read more
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