Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Sinfonietta, performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He composed this work when he was 15 years old! Read more
Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Sinfonietta, performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He composed this work when he was 15 years old! Read more
Joel Watts has come up with a clever idea for a Bible-related game. It was sparked by the latest instance of someone claiming “the Bible explicitly states” about an issue they consider important. (If you Google the phrase, you get some 8.5 million results, so it is fairly common). And so here is what Joel proposed in response: So, let’s play a game. Explicit means “fully revealed or expressed without vagueness.” What does the bible explicitly state? Now… the rules... Read more
This is the latest cartoon from David Hayward: The first point is explicitly stated within the Bible itself: John 21:25. The second is clearly evidenced for careful readers of the Bible. Each Gospel has distinctive stylistic features, and contains material attributed to Jesus which is not found elsewhere and matches the author’s style and emphases. We see this most clearly in the Gospel of John, which turns Jesus into one who strides the Earth conscious of having pre-existed in heaven,... Read more
On the wonderful wiki-based storehouse of public-domain sheet music IMSPL, I discovered a gem today. It is a work with the title “Hymn to Wikipedia” attributed to John-Luke Mark Matthews (a clever pseudonym). I am including the Conductor’s Score here: Hymn to Wikipedia by John-Luke Mark Matthews If you are an experienced conductor with years of experience conducting large orchestras and choirs, you’re not wanted here. Give the job over to someone who has never conducted before. Your job is to... Read more
Today my Sunday school class reached the end of Hebrews 6. It is a famous passage, often related by Protestants in particular traditions to discussions of whether “once saved, always saved” and that sort of thing. For those unfamiliar with the text, here is the most controversial portion (Hebrews 6:4-6a, NIV): It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of... Read more
Via Episcopal Church Memes Read more
I had someone comment on a post I wrote about homosexuality, making the tired but nonetheless common non sequitur that, if one views same-sex relations as acceptable, then one must also embrace bestiality. I found myself wondering whether the apostle Paul faced the same sort of ridiculous objection from his contemporaries. I can imagine his opponents saying, “Paul, if you allow uncircumcised men into the people of God, then you cannot logically exclude animals from it.” The objection seems silly,... Read more
They always ask what one book or CD you would want to have with you if stranded on a desert island. This scenario involves a desert peninsula, but the idea is the same. Choose wisely, as it will need to provide for puns as well as reading/listening enjoyment. Read more
The news reached me by way of IO9. Matt Smith has announced that he will be leaving Doctor Who at the end of the year, after the Christmas special. You can read the full statement from Smith on the BBC web site, and more on the story on the BBC Doctor Who blog or in The Telegraph. This is of course one of the things that makes Doctor Who at the same time so sad and so wonderful. It has... Read more
I thought I would follow up after reposting my “Assuming a Circular Bible” cartoon with a post on assuming a circular religion. The reference of course is to the attempt to deal with things by addressing an abstraction that is much simpler than the complexities of reality – like the famous joke about a physicist coming up with a solution to a farming problem that only works for spherical cows in a vacuum. The impetus for my post is a... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In