A Message to Parents in Greenville, Virginia

Last updated on: December 19, 2015 at 9:40 am By James F. McGrath

Readers of this blog have presumably heard the news about a small number of parents in Greenville, Virginia who complained and threatened to pull their children out from school because children were learning about world religions, and one activity involved trying to imitate the calligraphy in which the Arabic statement of faith was written on the worksheet. I want to address any such parents in Virginia that might be listening, and anyone else who thought the response in question was appropriate. I... Read more

Would You Lie To Defend The Virgin Birth?

Last updated on: December 19, 2015 at 6:32 am By James F. McGrath

I was disturbed to see Charisma News appealing recently to outright falsehoods in its efforts to encourage readers to keep accepting the virgin birth as though it were a historical fact that is supported by evidence. Here are the claims they make: A physician and world-class historian documented it Modern archaeology affirms it An agnostic professor of mythology is convinced Old Testament prophets predicted it centuries in advance The earliest Christians believed it universally They pretend... Read more

I Saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

Last updated on: December 18, 2015 at 2:03 pm By James F. McGrath

I’ve seen Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. For the most part, I love what J. J. Abrams has accomplished. Have you seen it yet? If not, you won’t want to read further. There are some major spoilers. It is only a minor spoiler to mention the fact that, when the introductory text rolls at the start of the film, we learn that Luke Skywalker has gone missing. Only later do we learn the backstory to that. He had begun... Read more

Alien Wisdom and the Meaning of Life

Last updated on: December 18, 2015 at 6:23 am By James F. McGrath

This Existential Comics gets at one of the biggest challenges that encounter with extraterrestrials could offer to terrestrial faiths. Some have presumed that either the presence of belief in incarnations of God on their world would be a biggie, at least for Christians. Others have presumed the opposite, the apparent lack of such revelations specific to their world. But what if they don’t even understand our questions and the assumptions that they take for granted at the most basic level? Read more

Is This The Biggest Star Wars Spoiler Ever?

Last updated on: December 17, 2015 at 10:20 pm By James F. McGrath

This is a photo of the most massive Star Wars spoiler I have ever come across. Seriously, have you ever come across a bigger Star Wars spoiler than this one? Read more

You Can Now Touch the Face of the Cosmos

Last updated on: December 17, 2015 at 7:41 pm By James F. McGrath

Although it will be a few more months before it is out in print, the Kindle edition of Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Intersection of Space Travel and Religion is now available. Take a look at the table of contents on Amazon's preview, if you aren't sure why I am so very excited about this volume edited by Paul Levinson and Michael Waltemathe. Read more

Star Wars Weather Report

Last updated on: December 17, 2015 at 2:37 pm By James F. McGrath

Enjoy this weather report from the UK for the day that The Force Awakens premiers. It is impressive that weather reporter Sian Welby manages to incorporate so many Star Wars puns, and to do so while keeping a straight face. Well done! My hope is that the day of the premier won’t lack a Rey of sunshine, wherever in the galaxy you happen to be watching it. Read more

How Carrier Responds to Critics (Supercut)

Last updated on: December 17, 2015 at 9:28 am By James F. McGrath

A blog reader sent me a compilation of Richard Carrier’s treatment of reviews of his work, which the individual suggested should be kept until the next time Carrier “brings a gun to a review fight.” Since Carrier saw fit not only to sing the praises of Raphael Lataster’s recent volume, but in the process to make the false claims that T&T Clark/Continuum is not an academic press, and that Maurice Casey’s book was not peer reviewed, I thought now would... Read more

B.C. (Before Christmas)

Last updated on: December 17, 2015 at 5:53 am By James F. McGrath

Syndicate Symposia

Last updated on: December 16, 2015 at 10:16 am By James F. McGrath

I’ve been meaning to mention Syndicate Symposia on my blog for a long while now. The fact that a couple of blogs I subscribe to have mentioned symposia on topics that interest me has sparked me into action. The Jesus Blog mentioned one focused on James Crossley’s work on Jesus. And then Tripp Fuller mentioned the one featuring Philip Clayton and LeRon Shults discussing God. Here’s one of the videos, in case you need it to whet your appetite… Read more

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