Retelling Romans 1:18-2:16

Last updated on: May 21, 2013 at 8:56 am By James F. McGrath

“God’s anger is being poured out from heaven on all the godlessness and injustice of those people who, in their wickedness, suppress the truth. Because that which can be known about God is known to them – God has made it known! From the creation of the cosmos, God’s invisible aspects (God’s everlasting power and divinity) are clearly understood and intelligible, precisely through that which was made, so that those people are without excuse. “For even though they knew God, they did not... Read more

Video of John Green’s Butler University Commencement Address

Last updated on: May 21, 2013 at 7:54 am By James F. McGrath

I previously mentioned (and shared the text of) this wonderful speech to graduates by John Green at this year’s Butler University Commencement. But now there is a video available. Enjoy! Read more

Remnants from the Jewish Temple?

Last updated on: May 20, 2013 at 11:19 am By James F. McGrath

An interesting story came to my attention via a Greek archaeology feed aggregator, which with a bit of help led me to a story from the Biblical Archaeology Society. If the results of carbon dating indicated in the article are correct, then cedar beams used in the Al-Aqsa Mosque were there long before its construction. Could they have been part of the Jewish temples that occupied that spot in earlier centuries? It’s an interesting story, and I hope that more... Read more

Christ’s Elementary Word

Last updated on: May 20, 2013 at 9:47 am By James F. McGrath

Yesterday in my Sunday school class we discussed Hebrews 5:11-6:3. After a bit of discussion of the penchant in some Christian circles (although by no means all) to be content with an immature understanding of and approach to their faith, and a declining focus on education in some churches and denominations, we turned our attention to the list of “first principles” offered at the start of chapter 6. One subject we did not touch on is how to render the... Read more

Kept Apart by Theology

Last updated on: May 20, 2013 at 9:02 am By James F. McGrath

I'm certain that not all real-life situations mirror David Hayward's cartoon that I've shared above. Sometimes people eagerly put their theologies out in front of them to keep others away. But it is particularly tragic when people have the natural, positive sense that they ought to connect with other people, but are persuaded that their theology does not allow them to. And before anyone lobs some easy insults in the direction of religion, let me broaden it out and talk... Read more

Soufflés and Souls

Last updated on: May 19, 2013 at 1:58 pm By James F. McGrath

The episode “The Name of the Doctor” offered some interesting material for discussing notions of identity and immortality, life and death. When the Great Intelligence is asked where he obtained certain information, he replies that he is “nothing but information.” A similar idea is present when Clara is planning to pursue the Great Intelligence along the Doctor's timeline, which will inevitably mean her identity's dispersal into millions of iterations, but none of which is still continuous with her. Clara responds... Read more

Orawa (Wojciech Kilar)

Last updated on: May 19, 2013 at 7:36 am By James F. McGrath

On Friday evening, I had the privilege of attending a concert by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra string musicians, led by Zach de Pue. It was wonderful. My favorite pieces of the evening were an excerpt from the score for the film Solaris, and the piece in the video above, Orawa by Wojciech Kilar. Read more

Of Course…Who Else? [Doctor Who: The Name of the Doctor SPOILER]

Last updated on: May 18, 2013 at 11:49 pm By James F. McGrath

Although there are some things that have not all been tied up (why didn't the Silence try to do something about this?), some loose ends and unanswered questions seem to have been wrapped up nicely. And one of them is the question of whom the Doctor saw in his room in the “hotel” in the episode “The God Complex.” Unless you think he saw Steven Moffatt… UPDATE: Saw this one on Facebook, which I think looks better than mine: Read more

Doctor Who: The Name of the Doctor

Last updated on: May 18, 2013 at 10:10 pm By James F. McGrath

If you’re expecting the episode “The Name of the Doctor” to make perfect logical sense, you must be new to Doctor Who. As it has from the beginning, Doctor Who skirts the boundary between science fiction and fantasy, and so some of the “science” is always little different from “magic.” But on a storytelling and an emotional level, I think it worked, and makes a nice set up for the 50th anniversary special coming in November. Spoilers ahead! So in... Read more

Exploring Our Matrix 3.5

Last updated on: May 17, 2013 at 4:38 pm By James F. McGrath

I want to let blog readers know that Patheos will be upgrading its website – including blogs – tomorrow, Saturday, May 17th. I won’t be able to post new content between 8am and 8pm. I really hope they have everything working again in time for me to blog about the Doctor Who season finale, “The Name of the Doctor”! But either way, you should still be able to comment. And so I thought I would post something that did not merely... Read more