Joshua Mann has written a blog post about how to start an academic blog, gearing up for a presentation on the topic for SBL in November. When I saw the title, it reminded me of the classic cartoon about how become a famous blogger. In much the same way, to become an academic blogger, you become an academic, and then blog; or you blog, and then become an academic. 🙂 I’m being facetious, of course, about a topic that can... Read more
This quote from John Shore came to my attention on Facebook (via Unfundamentalist Christians): I found myself thinking of this scene from the Life of Brian: Read more
When Candida Moss tweeted yesterday about our both being in the same place to do interviews for a History Channel show, Dorothy King tweeted the picture below in response, and I wanted to share it with you. Read more
Today I went up to Chicago to be interviewed for a documentary series on the Bible, which is expected to air on the History Channel in October. I'll give fuller details when I have them. In addition to the producer and film crew, it was great to reconnect with James Hoffmeier, who was interviewed before me, and to finally meet Candida Moss, who was scheduled to be interviewed after me, in person. In case you're wondering, yes, I did talk... Read more
Logos software and Crossway books have made available for free, for a limited time, the ESV (English Standard Version), for use with the Faithlife Bible app. Click through for more details and to download the app if you don’t already have it, or just log in if you already have it to get the free ESV Bible. I should comment on a couple of things that are in the press release from Logos. They have a quote from Al Mohler,... Read more
I probably should have saved this until Christmas, and called it “Christmas in a nutshell” – with or without the question mark. But the picture appeared on Reddit, and came to my attention today, and so I thought it best not to wait. Surely it is always worth asking – and especially at a time of year when one cannot be accused of interfering with the Christmas spirit – whether the infancy stories are in any sense central to Christianity.... Read more
This image with a quote from Nobel prize winner Nevill F. Mott came my way via Facebook. “Science can have a purifying effect on religion, freeing it from beliefs from a pre-scientific age and helping us to a truer conception of God. At the same time, I am far from believing that science will ever give us the answers to all our questions.” I'm not sharing it because I think that showing that there are Nobel Prize winners who are... Read more
Acumen Publishing has released Histories of the Hidden God: Concealment and Revelation in Western Gnostic, Esoteric and Mystical Traditions, edited by April DeConick and Grant Adamson. It looks to be a very interesting volume, and I hope to get a chance to read and review it in the not-too-distant future. Here is a description provided by the publisher: In Western religious traditions, God is conventionally conceived as a humanlike creator, lawgiver, and king, a being both accessible and actively present... Read more
Roger Olson blogged today about a New York Times article about mainline Protestantism in the United States as a major historic force which has been neglected in recent years in favor of a focus on Evangelicalism and other vibrant newcomers. He offers a yes-and-no response to the question of the current vitality of mainline Protestantism. For instance, he writes: First, by embracing inclusivism and pluralism old-line Protestantism convinced many of its own people and outsiders looking in that it lacked conviction—except perhaps with regard... Read more
Anthony LeDonne mentioned on his blog that he has a new book coming out: The Wife of Jesus: Ancient Texts and Modern Scandals. I think the cover, with a woman whose face is obscured, is very clever. Mark Mattison has made an interlinear version of the Gospel of Mary available on the Gospel of Thomas web site. It includes not just an interlinear but also a translation and indexes. Please note that the Gospel of Mary for which Mattison has... Read more
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