Academic Scholarship on Reddit

Last updated on: July 23, 2013 at 9:10 am By James F. McGrath

Today I learned (sorry, I couldn’t resist using that popular Reddit phrase in this context) that there is a subreddit on Reddit dedicated to matters pertaining to the academic study of the Bible. One interesting discovery there was an article by Greg Jenks, available on Academia.edu, on “The Quest for the Historical Nazareth.” There is also a subreddit dedicated to the exchange of scholarly articles. The internet continues to impact and transform the way scholarship is done, and the ways... Read more

Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters

Last updated on: July 23, 2013 at 8:21 am By James F. McGrath

The episode Carnival of Monsters is wonderfully subversive in many ways. It begins with some humanoid but blue-grey aliens on the planet Inter Minor discussing the imminent arrival of “aliens.” Those aliens turn out to look like humans. They are in fact the traveling Lurman entertainers Vorg and his assistant Shirna. (Humans from Earth are referred to as “Tellurians” later in the episode.) The entire episode is about power, how we treat others, dehumanization/depersonalization of other sentient beings, and having... Read more

Angry Robot

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 7:27 pm By James F. McGrath

As a creator of satirical music, I thought I’d share this piece by John Anealio, called “Angry Robot.” The lyrics deserve a close listen, since the song doesn’t just explore the familiar science fiction trope of robots and whether they can be kept from conquering us, but also what might motivate a robot to want to do so. Anealio recently posted on his blog about the frustration of having music that one enjoys making and wants to share with others,... Read more

Online and Hybrid Teaching Resources

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 5:44 pm By James F. McGrath

Several items of interest have come my way today. The Chronicle of Higher Education had an article about flipping the classroom in an introductory course about ancient Rome. And the supplement to volume 16 of Teaching Theology and Religion is currently accessible for free online, with many book reviews focused on technology, pedagogy, and the offering of hybrid and online courses. Read more

For Unto Us A Son Is Born

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 4:27 pm By James F. McGrath

The announcement was recently made that princess Kate has given birth to a son. Those interested in the study and interpretation of the Bible ought to follow such things, not out of generic media or cultural interest, but because many of us, living as we are in societies which do not have a monarchy, can fail to appreciate the degree of importance that the birth of an heir to the throne has for the royal family, and for the populace... Read more

From the Dust: Conversations in Creation

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 2:02 pm By James F. McGrath

The entire movie From The Dust is currently online on YouTube. Read more

God is Not an Explanation

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 1:25 pm By James F. McGrath

Ian recently wrote a post on his blog, “Why God Doesn’t Explain Anything.” It reminded me of a post I wrote quite a number of years ago, and reposted a couple of years ago, with the title “God is a Mystery, Not an Explanation.” It starts off like this: The world we live in is full of mysteries. When we envisage the self-replicating molecules that drive life on this planet, we wonder how they could have arisen, and we seek... Read more

RSS Graffiti and TwitterFeed

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 11:27 am By James F. McGrath

Those of you who connect to my blog via Facebook (whether on the Exploring Our Matrix page or my own personal profile) or Twitter will have witnessed some of the inadequacies of the NetworkedBlogs app, which has been offering dead links on some occasions and duplicate postings on others. I have deactivated the NetworkedBlogs syndication for Exploring Our Matrix and will be trying out alternatives – RSS Graffiti and TwitterFeed. I will be grateful if those who connect with me... Read more

Keep Christ in Christianity

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 11:25 am By James F. McGrath

The latest cartoon from David Hayward is interesting to think about in connection with the sorts of rhetorical claims one sometimes encounters from conservative Christians regarding American society. “Keep Christ in Christmas” they may say, or “Put prayer back in public schools.” What they often fail to notice is that they have only allowed selective bits of Jesus and his teachings into their churches and their individual lives, and even those are sometimes interpreted against the grain of his likely... Read more

Intellectual Honesty vs. Statements of Faith

Last updated on: July 22, 2013 at 10:39 am By James F. McGrath

This coming academic year I will be teaching a class that runs in parallel to an annual public lecture series. The coming year’s topic is “Religion and Freedom of Speech.” It will look at the first amendment, specific examples related to Islam and to Russia, and academic freedom. In relation to that last point, here are some thoughts that were recently posted on the Patheos blog Cross Examined, related to the recent experience of Mike Licona, which parallels that of... Read more