When I came across this meme, I simply couldn’t believe my eyes. The image is labeled “ATHEISM: Good enough for these idiots” – yet it includes famous people who were Deists, agnostics, and a pantheist, as well as at least a couple of individuals whose beliefs are simply unclear. I am happy to say that, as far as this meme is concerned, there was significant debunking thereof right in the atheism subreddit, a full seven years ago. And yet it continues to circulate... Read more
I confess that my desk is covered in books, and papers from last semester and probably older. Have you been judging me, the way the infographic below suggests? Read more
The quote comes from a post on Brian Zahnd’s blog with the title “The X-Files is Better Than Scooby Doo.” Since the X-Files is returning next weekend, that is another good reason to share the quote and mention the post. Are you excited about the return of the X-Files? Read more
It struck me, in discussing the flap about Donald Trump saying “Two Corinthians” rather than “Second Corinthians,” the reaction says a lot about conservative Evangelicalism. Conservative and fundamentalist Evangelicals will react more strongly to how you refer to the Bible, than to a betrayal of the Bible’s moral teachings. And hence my paraphrase of Jesus’ saying about straining out a gnat (to avoid impurity) and yet swallowing a camel, which has a pun in Aramaic, and which is about focusing on minutiae while... Read more
Donald Trump has been getting flack for saying “Two Corinthians” when referring to the work that is known as “Second Corinthians.” That is short for “Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians.” And to be honest, I would take someone who says “Two Corinthians” over an ignoramus who calls it the “Second Book of Corinthians” any day. Have you ever referred to the “Book of Romans” or “Two Thessalonians”? If so, how did you learn to refer to the letters as... Read more
This New Yorker cartoon came to my attention via Hemant Mehta on Facebook. It often strikes me how few people notice the horror and brutality of the flood story in Genesis. It depicts God acting like an immature human being, one who would happily wipe out everyone else in order to have a bit of peace and quiet, or peace of mind, or whatever else it is that the self-centered person might desire. And that is not surprising, given that it is a reworking... Read more
Via Kissing Fish on Facebook. Read more
Dustin Smith has offered a response to Mike Bird’s recent post about Mark’s Christology. We also got a quote from Daniel Kirk which addressed Bird’s claims even before he made them. Someone suggested that that might place Daniel among the Prophets, but historically he has been included among the Writings… I am starting to think that, if I ever write a second edition of The Only True God, or a different larger book on Christology, I will need to spend time on... Read more
We must develop a program that will drive the nation to a guaranteed annual income. The quote comes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech “Where Do We Go From Here?” That King was a social liberal is well known. That he was a theological liberal is less widely known. But having highlighted both those points in years past on Martin Luther King Day, I thought that today I would highlight his economic liberalism, which became increasingly radical until, towards the... Read more
Academic study focuses on the world of cause and effect, on evidence and probability. And so there has been much discussion of methodological naturalism in the sciences, at least among those who are disgruntled by the fact that the sciences don’t make room for God or provide evidence for God. The same discussion can be had in relation to the study of religion – and indeed, it might be wiser to speak of methodological naturalism in that context, too. But a... Read more
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