#CFP Climate Change as Reflected in Science Fiction, Film and World Literature Religion

Last updated on: August 31, 2020 at 6:30 pm By James F. McGrath

A call for papers for a roundtable: Climate Change as Reflected in Science Fiction, Film and World Literature: Annual Northeast Modern Language Association 52nd Annual Convention Philadelphia, PA March 11-14, 2021 Marriott Downtown Philadelphia Climate Change as Reflected in Science Fiction, Film and World Literature Submit proposals to: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/18551 Climate change is an important issue that has become a frequent topic in twentieth as well as twenty-first century literature and film. From science fiction of the past to the present-day speculative... Read more

Jesus, Popular Opinion, and Scholarship

Last updated on: August 31, 2020 at 10:04 pm By James F. McGrath

Let me begin with an article in Newsweek about how Americans view Jesus: 52 Percent of Americans Say Jesus Isn’t God but Was a Great Teacher, Survey Says. The article is poorly written and poorly researched in many respects. it seems to suggest that the Bible teaches that Jesus is God, and the wording is clunky and unclear at times. But the shift in public opinion that the article draws attention to is rather remarkable. Next, Randal Rauser tweeted about mythicism:... Read more

Spirit as Software

Last updated on: August 31, 2020 at 5:34 am By James F. McGrath

I am delighted that 3 Quarks Daily drew attention to this great video by Philip Clayton on emergence. I was really struck by Steve Wiggins’ post “Upgraded at Last.” As he talked about our inability to take a computer hard drive or similar storage device, look at it, and find a document or photo (or indeed anything meaningful), I found myself pondering the way some draw reductionistic conclusions about God and/or the soul, purportedly based on science and observation. One can look... Read more

From Dendrotheology to Dune by Way of Wakanda

Last updated on: August 29, 2020 at 7:55 am By James F. McGrath

Here’s a variety of things that I want to highlight, whether in connection with my course on Religion and Science Fiction or at least closely even if tangentially related to it. First, let me draw attention to a short story that is quite wonderful and theologically rich. It is by Philip Purser-Hallard and is called “Dendrotheology.” I’ve put it on my syllabus for my Religion and Science Fiction class this semester, and if you saw my earlier post in which I... Read more

#CFP Fantasy, Theology, and the Imagination

Last updated on: August 24, 2020 at 3:06 pm By James F. McGrath

Call for Papers: Fantasy, Theology, and the Imagination Edited by Austin M. Freeman, Andrew D. Thrasher, and Fotini Toso In the world of High Fantasy, authors create fictional worlds that often reflect human religiosity and theological themes in new and creative ways. Through theological and religious analyses of high fantasy and fantasy series, the editors invite paper proposals for a volume on the intersection of fantasy and theology. While the editors acknowledge that fantasy has roots extending backwards past the... Read more

Prof. Murphy’s Laws

Last updated on: August 25, 2020 at 10:57 am By James F. McGrath

I made up an academic version of one of Murphy’s famous laws in a Facebook comment recently, and realized there is a need for a fuller collection of this sort of thing. And so I started making a longer list. Here is what I have come up with so far: If reviewer #2 can reject your article, reviewer #2 will reject your article. If you try to write for everyone, no one will like it. The tenure guidelines are always... Read more

Music Lessons and Genes

Last updated on: August 25, 2020 at 11:18 am By James F. McGrath

This post was prompted by a piece written by Carol Westbrook in which she writes: Anyone can take lessons. Studies have shown that you could become proficient in just about any skill, from sports to playing guitar, after you have put in about 10,000 hours of practice. But that doesn’t lead to musical ability. Putting in your hours is learning by memorization and rote; children who don’t have musical ability will hate it and quit when they have the chance.... Read more

Spiritual Deserts

Last updated on: August 21, 2020 at 2:14 pm By James F. McGrath

Recently in my Sunday school class we talked about the possibility of inviting others to join us from further afield than has normally been possible. Meeting via Zoom, we have had regular attendees join us from the car or while otherwise not at home, and even one longstanding but long-relocated church members start coming. In short, the class has grown since the pandemic changed how we meet, and has made new ways of meeting possible. We this wondered whether this... Read more

Religion and Science Fiction Reading List

Last updated on: August 23, 2020 at 9:09 am By James F. McGrath

I want to share a number of things connected with my course on Religion and Science Fiction that I am teaching this semester. First, I’ve been making videos to introduce certain topics, and I have made a few sci-fi opening credits sequences to precede them. As I mentioned recently, after I shared my initial versions of them on social media, a way was proposed to improve them dramatically (in both the literal and figurative senses of that word). If you’re... Read more

Butler University’s New Social Justice and Diversity Requirement

Last updated on: August 22, 2020 at 9:22 am By James F. McGrath

I must say that I am very glad to have ended my time as Faculty Director of the Core Curriculum this past summer. I found it rewarding and was happy to devote myself to trying to make the core and its processes function as smoothly as possible for the benefit of our students and colleagues. There were challenges during my three years in the role, but still more loom on the horizon or have already befallen us, and I am... Read more