Neither Side Will Be Happy

Last updated on: June 11, 2015 at 6:14 am By James F. McGrath

Reality often challenges our assumptions. Sometimes evidence strongly favors one conclusion over another – there is no need to be a relativist. But just as often, we pigeonhole and stereotype when people and things are much more complex. I’ve been delighted to see some great instances of members of groups objecting when the group that they are a part of caricatures others – for instance, two prominent atheists have challenged the way Muslims and Christians are depicted in certain popular atheist memes. And... Read more

Dr. Paul Gitwaza to Speak in Indianapolis

Last updated on: June 10, 2015 at 4:53 pm By James F. McGrath

I just recently had this event drawn to my attention, and wanted to spread the word. Dr. Gitwaza will also be participating in the licensing service for Emmanuel Musinga at my own church, Crooked Creek Baptist Church, on Saturday, June 13th, beginning at 4pm. Here is the announcement from the church Facebook page: Crooked Creek Baptist will be presenting a license for Christian ministry to Pastor Emmanuel Musinga this Saturday, June 13 in a service at the church (5540 Michigan... Read more

Why You Should Connect With Me On Twitter

Last updated on: June 10, 2015 at 12:05 pm By James F. McGrath

I used to have a sidebar that allowed me to share things from other blogs with readers of this one in a convenient manner. Sometimes there are posts elsewhere that I want to share with people, but which it either does not make sense to write a blog post about, or sometimes there simply isn’t time to do that. What changed? Google Reader went defunct, for one thing, and that was the basis of the sidebar. Alternatives proved to run scripts... Read more

Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories

Last updated on: June 10, 2015 at 10:12 am By James F. McGrath

Commenter Bilbo raised an excellent question about what distinguishes a conspiracy from a conspiracy theory. There have been real life conspiracies, and people conspire together for all sorts of reasons on a daily basis. How do we distinguish this mundane phenomenon from the kind of conspiracy theory that is deservedly treated with disdain? Clearly there is a tipping point, beyond which the extent of the conspiracy, or the kind of information being covered up, becomes implausible. And towards the extremes,... Read more

Reboot Needed

Last updated on: June 10, 2015 at 6:28 am By James F. McGrath

This is actually how the flood story is depicted in the Bible. There is a watery chaos in the beginning, and God causes the waters to pool in one place so that dry land appears. The flood sees this process reversed and then repeated. And so it is a reboot of sorts, although (to extend the analogy) with the old operating system – humans and animals – then simply copied across and reinstalled on the wiped hard drive. Read more

Do as Jesus Says, Not as He Does?

Last updated on: June 9, 2015 at 6:46 am By James F. McGrath

This cartoon by David Hayward relates to a point that I have made before. Some approach the Bible as set answers to things. And yet they fail to realize that the Bible’s authors and characters, as they said and wrote things, were not giving definitive answers of that sort, when their words are considered in their original context, uttered or penned when they were not yet Scripture. I call it a “do as I say, not as I do” approach to the... Read more

Secure Your Lunch (Not Just Your Bike)

Last updated on: June 8, 2015 at 4:08 pm By James F. McGrath

This public service announcement bears no relation to any of the most typical topics covered on this blog (although my post about a highly effective and inexpensive squirrel baffle remains one of the most popular of all time). But my wife took the photo above in front of Central Library in downtown Indianapolis, and I thought I should share it as a warning to my fellow bicyclists. It is not enough to secure your bicycle. Your lunch may be at... Read more

The Clergy Climate Letter

Last updated on: June 8, 2015 at 11:46 am By James F. McGrath

Readers of this blog will be familiar with the Clergy Letter Project, which gathered signatures from clergy indicating that they do not oppose the teaching of evolution or find science in conflict with their faith. There is a new letter project along similar lines, developed by Peter Hess for the National Center for Science Education, focused this time on climate change. Here is a link to The Clergy Climate Letter. If you are a clergy member, please consider signing it. And... Read more

The Walk Is The Thing

Last updated on: June 8, 2015 at 8:33 am By James F. McGrath

A few years ago, I asked whether Christianity should be about believing the unbelievable or doing the undoable. Recently Christian Piatt made much the same point. He writes, Making a statement of faith and getting baptized is no more about the daily choice to follow Jesus than being married is about saying “I do.” Yes, it may be an important shared, sacred ritual, a marker in time, a way to allow others to both hold you up and help hold... Read more

One God, One…Wait, What?!

Last updated on: June 8, 2015 at 6:36 am By James F. McGrath

I’m not sure whether this proves that saying “one God” plus one of something else does not imply the divinity of whoever or whatever is mentioned alongside God, or whether this proves the opposite. But it is an interesting addition to the words of Scripture, ironically highlighting the unbiblical character of King James onlyism in the process. Read more