War on Christmas

Last updated on: November 6, 2013 at 7:34 am By James F. McGrath

This year’s war on Christmas has begun. It is being waged by groups such as Liberty Counsel, who are encouraging Christians to avoid interacting with non-Christians once again (and also illustrating hypocrisy by not putting Chick-fil-A on their naughty list, as Hemant Mehta highlights). If my calculation was right last year when I wrote about this, then that makes this the eleventh annual attempt by the group to undermine Christmas. Also seeking to undermine Christmas are the makers of the... Read more

This Will Make You Want To Watch Bible Secrets Revealed

Last updated on: November 6, 2013 at 12:01 am By James F. McGrath

HT Bob Cargill. Making a video while driving, and claiming that having a preview for a documentary series with no preachers in it is somehow equivalent to what Hitler did, makes you seem ridiculous. No, really, much more ridiculous than the sensationalized claims in the ads for the documentary series – and those are pretty ridiculous (they say that the series will challenge everything you think you know about the Bible!) I can’t help but wonder whether someone paid this... Read more

Selling Your Soul

Last updated on: November 5, 2013 at 6:48 pm By James F. McGrath

The above cartoon appeared in the newspaper the same day we started discussing Goethe's Faust in my class. We have not reached his deal with Mephistopheles yet, but will next time. I usually get students to discuss what, if anything, they would sell their soul for – or, if they are not comfortable with that scenario, then what they would wish for if they had one wish. Despite what Hemant Mehta famously did, I do not believe you can really... Read more

If Math Were Debated Like Religion

Last updated on: November 5, 2013 at 4:15 pm By James F. McGrath

Not everyone debates religion in the way the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal cartoon below depicts. And it is problematic when religion tries to be like arithmetic. And yet I wonder how much it is the desire to offer proofs in a manner that only math can, that leads to debates about religion taking the form they sometimes do in our time. Read more

RIP Robert Kysar

Last updated on: November 5, 2013 at 3:12 pm By James F. McGrath

I have just learned that Robert Kysar, renowned scholar of the Gospel of John, has passed away. Books like John, the Maverick Gospel have become required reading on the subject. My condolences to all his family and friends, as well as the wider academy of New Testament scholars who may not have known him but will nonetheless have a sense of loss at his passing. Read more

It’s All Here in the Bible

Last updated on: November 5, 2013 at 8:17 am By James F. McGrath

I wish I’d come across this political cartoon by Kevin Moore about Obama as the antichrist when it was made in 2008. But better late than never, and even if it is not as politically timely now, its point about Biblical interpretation remains as relevant as ever. Read more

What is Fundamentalism?

Last updated on: November 5, 2013 at 7:48 am By James F. McGrath

The term “fundamentalist” is a controversial one, mainly because few want to be labeled with it on the one hand, and its overuse on the other makes it vague and meaningless. One recent suggestion offered on Facebook (as something someone else had once said) is that fundamentalism is “the belief that the Bible is easy to read, and that it consists primarily of prohibitions.” The term originally comes from The Fundamentals, a series of tracts published a little more than... Read more

An Adventure in Time and Space

Last updated on: November 4, 2013 at 8:40 pm By James F. McGrath

IO9 shared details from the BBC press release about the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special documentary, “Adventures in Time and Space.” Below is a sampling. Click through to read the rest! (Yes, it is during the AAR/SBL annual meeting…) DOCTOR WHO’S FIRST DOCTOR REGENERATED IN BBC AMERICA’S AN ADVENTURE IN SPACE AND TIME PREMIERING NOVEMBER 22 The story of how it all began stars David Bradley, Jessica Raine and Brian Cox What do you get when you mix C.S. Lewis with... Read more

SBLAARggers’ Dinner

Last updated on: November 4, 2013 at 8:31 pm By James F. McGrath

The location and other details about the gathering of AAR and SBL bloggers has been provided on Brian LePort’s blog. Spread the word! Alright, I have a time and place for the 2013 AAR/SBL Bibliobloggers (SBLAARggers) Gathering. TIME: 7-9pm (though you can stay later) on Monday, November 25th PLACE: Pratt Street Ale House I have notified their events manager that there will be a crowd of us. It has been decided that at this point they will aim to set us all... Read more

Is Immortality a Curse?

Last updated on: November 4, 2013 at 3:10 pm By James F. McGrath

We discussed the story “Mortal Gods” by Orson Scott Card in my class on religion and science fiction class recently. The Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal cartoon below addresses its underlying question: is subjective immortality a blessing or a curse? There is a chapter in Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith that tackles this topic too. Read more

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