In a discussion on Facebook, a young-earth creationist demanded “observable proof of macro-evolution.” I realized that the demand is rather akin to someone asking for observable proof of aging. Perhaps one can see “micro-aging” as it occurs in one’s cells. But what proof do you have that the younger person in the photo albums in your house has turned into the older person that you are now? Change happens – in the individual, in communities, and yes, in species. We can... Read more
I somehow missed this Star Wars parody version of “Let It Go” until today. Hope you enjoy it! There’s also a Star Wars parody version of Miley Cyrus’ song “Wrecking Ball” called…“Wrecking Maul”! See too the debate about whether Star Wars or Star Trek is nerdier, shared by SF Signal: Read more
This cartoon nicely illustrates the point that we all enjoy condemning those whose sins are obvious to us, while we bristle at anyone who points out our own. If there is something that fundamentalists, conservatives, moderates, progressives, and liberals all share in common, it is this tendency, and the fact that none of us can afford to cast the first stone. Read more
This image comes from the blog Whovian Theology. I had been meaning to share it a while back, and it ended up as a saved draft. But recently we discussed 1 Corinthians 13 in my Sunday school class, and it reminded me of this. One older person in the class asked “What is love?” and I of course responded by saying “Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me no more.” She didn’t get the joke, but another person started laughing hysterically. So I... Read more
From Berger & Wyse. Read more
We discussed 1 Corinthians 11 in my Sunday school class recently. I shared the well-known details that churches met in homes, and the argument that what is in the background to this passage was the custom of people sitting (or rather reclining) at meals to be separated along socioeconomic lines. The interesting suggestion was put forward that, in addition to such things, the very timing of the meal might have been an issue. The wealthy host and his or her friends... Read more
For the purists, the t-shirt really should say this: (Q is better when you read it in the original Klingon). And for those few readers who may not know Klingon at all, the t-shirt says: “Mark Goodacre says there is no Q. We will engage him in battle in November!” Hopefully readers of this blog know enough about Q on Star Trek, Q as part of the predominant solution to the Synoptic problem, and Mark Goodacre’s views about Q (in... Read more
Alan Garrow has shared a number of videos arguing that the Didache is the source of the Q material. I have not yet had a chance to watch all of them, but I seem to recall having come across this argument before, and having found it problematic because of the similarities between the Didache and Matthew’s versions of material, in instances in which Luke’s more succinct versions are more likely to be original. But I still wanted to spread the word about them, and... Read more
I had someone comment on a Facebook post about the Charleston shooting, suggesting that mental illness must be involved. I responded in a number of ways, including asking whether all the people in lynch mobs in the south some decades ago were mentally ill. On the one hand, to blame mental illness can be a reprehensible attempt at blame-shifting. Jesus taught that murder is simply the ultimate outwards expression of anger and hatred. When we foster cultures or subcultures of hatred,... Read more
I’ve mentioned the song Baba Yetu before. It is music from the game Civilization IV, and the words are the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili. This a capella version by Peter Hollens with Malukah is a nice arrangement. Now that I am diving into learning Swahili, I should probably apply something that has proven helpful with other languages. Learning songs in other languages is a great way to learn vocabulary. Plus we have had the Congolese congregation sing and dance in the... Read more
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