Is Mythicism an Ebola-Like Virus?

Last updated on: August 11, 2014 at 9:40 am By James F. McGrath

Jonathan Bernier wrote a blog post about how people reacted to an instance of “Ebola-like symptoms” and their failure to recognize that such symptoms did not mean that this was a case of Ebola. He uses this as an illustration of parallelomania – the tendency of mythicists, but also an earlier generation of scholars, to assume that anything that is similar probably shares a genetic relationship. Doctors know that many illnesses have similar symptoms and yet are not closely related. Scholars know that... Read more

Self-Help

Last updated on: August 10, 2014 at 8:19 am By James F. McGrath

This made me laugh (even though the labels were clearly contrived by the photographer and not put there by the library). But at any rate, there isn't really a conflict. Reading a self-help book is already an example of helping yourself by seeking help from another. Anyone who thinks they are a completely independent individual probably needs to find a good book to help them understand that this isn't the case. It may or may not be in the “self... Read more

Fossil Hunting is Unbiblical

Last updated on: August 9, 2014 at 11:21 am By James F. McGrath

Deuteronomy 2:19 says, “When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites.” And yet I have found online, in direct disobedience to this command, photos of ammonites which have been taken possession of, together with the land they were in: This Biblical fossil pun was inspired by comments made by Pete Enns and Mark Traphagen on Facebook. ... Read more

How Do You Define “@%!#*! Loonie”?

Last updated on: August 9, 2014 at 9:22 am By James F. McGrath

Jim Linville will be giving a conference paper in November with what may be the most amusing title on the program at SBL: May Contain Nuts and B.S. (Biblical Studies): The Politics of Academic Legitimacy Online and the Need to Properly Theorize the Category “@%!#*! Loonie” He has now put out an appeal for help in defining (and properly theorizing) the category he mentions. Since his paper will be about scholarly blogging and the way(s) that scholarly bloggers identify, define,... Read more

Human Nature in Recent Movies

Last updated on: August 9, 2014 at 8:14 am By James F. McGrath

I got caught up on some movie viewing during my transatlantic flights this summer. I got to see Noah, Divergent, and the remake of Robocop. I was struck by a theme that linked all three very closely: their treatment of human nature. The movie Noah is a confusing mess, which does some creative things with the Biblical narrative, but also takes some of the characters and details in such odd directions that one wonders whether this is supposed to be happening in... Read more

Expository Preaching in the First Century

Last updated on: August 8, 2014 at 2:32 pm By James F. McGrath

Via Anglican Memes and Humour on Facebook. Read more

For Those Who Use Lot’s of Salt

Last updated on: August 8, 2014 at 8:18 am By James F. McGrath

HT Jessica Bartley on Pinterest. Read more

Science Denial Tactics

Last updated on: August 8, 2014 at 6:53 am By James F. McGrath

Ken Perrott shared this useful image with Sean Carroll's list of tactics used by science-deniers for more than a hundred years. Some of them claim to be standing on “the unchanging Word of God,” when the reality is they are standing on unchanging tactics of deception, which haven't changed because they continue to be effective in distorting perception and thus duping people. Read more