There has been a lot of discussion of Q online recently. The Jesus Blog declared Q to be in critical condition. Keith Reich articulated some points about Q skepticism. Discussion of the subject could even be found on Reddit! By way of comparison, today I spotted a blog post about the fact that rumors of the death of the Documentary Hypothesis in Pentateuchal studies are greatly exaggerated. Also, in not entirely unrelated news, Mark Goodacre blogged about a video related... Read more
Via Bob Cargill on Facebook Read more
Reading Acts posted a reminder about the next Biblical Studies Carnival, which is being hosted at Brian Renshaw’s NT Exegesis blog. Brian has a post which includes a countdown timer until the carnival, and a convenient submission form to submit posts to the carnival. Click through to join the countdown and/or the submission process! And see the previously-mentioned post at Reading Acts for information about where the next couple of carnivals are due to be hosted, or to volunteer to... Read more
In his sermon last Sunday, my pastor Tom Bartley mentioned the irony of one being awarded the title “Master of Divinity.” The notion that one can master the subject of divinity, and perhaps even the Divine, reflects our hubris and our desire to control. As I thought about this, I realized that, while some religious traditions emphasize “mastering divinity,” others emphasize being mastered by divinity. The mystical traditions in particular reflect the latter approach. The one is all about power... Read more
In the discussion of issues with the Flood story in the Book of Genesis here on this blog recently, it was pointed out that there is another issue that hadn’t struck me before. Bitumen. Noah is supposed to make the ark waterproof using pitch. Bitumen forms from decomposed organic matter. And young-earth creationists claim that such organic petroleum products were produced by the Flood. And so how did Noah get any prior to the Flood, if young earth creationism is... Read more
It was pointed out that a quote from Father George Coyne which I shared recently doesn’t quite put things accurately. I was able to track down some of the sources that were drawn on to make the composite quotation. The more problematic part comes from the interview with Richard Dawkins given above, in which Coyne is speaking off the cuff and so not articulating things as precisely as might be expected (although the wording is still surprising). Part of the... Read more
I am passing on the following press release: Islam and Comic Books Column “Comics & Dialogue” Launches in February January 28, 2014. BOSTON, MA. Beginning in February, ISLAMiCommentary will feature twice-monthly columns from Boston scholar Dr. A. David Lewis on Islam and the comic book medium. The column series Comics & Dialogue: Islam in Graphic Novels expands on Dr. Lewis’s previous work from the American Academy of Religion (AAR) annual conference and the Harvard University Center for Middle East Studies... Read more
Jerry Coyne blogged about Genesis 3D, and had these insightful words to share: It’s a science-y world we live in, and you don’t have to be a genius to see that. If your church is anti-science, you don’t only look anti-modern, you look stupid. But since some modern science (particularly evolution) violates the tenets of evangelical Christianity, they have to pretend that their creationists myths are actually supported by science. I’d claim that creationist propaganda is more than just getting... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In