I received an invitation on Facebook to attend WHOcharist. It is apparently a discussion of Doctor Who at a church called South Wedge Mission in Rochester. Who knew? In honor of this creative event title, here is “The Penultimate Supper” by Ray Friesen: Read more
I am a democrat because I believe that no man or group of men is good enough to be trusted with uncontrolled power over others. And the higher the pretensions of such power, the more dangerous I think it both to rulers and to the subjects. Hence Theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a tyrant a robber barron is far better than an inquisitor. The baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity at some point... Read more
I had it drawn to my attention that the original background notes for the TV show Doctor Who, written by Cecil E. Webber and Sydney Newman, is available on the BBC website (I’ve embedded the entire thing below). The document sets forth a vision for where the show would go. It appears that the Doctor’s identity was intended to be a mystery, with possible resolutions offered throughout only to be undercut – and eventually, it was intended that more would be... Read more
A Facebook friend asked me the following: I’m sure this is an extremely broad question but I’m really curious! How do you combine a love for scripture and a respect for it’s authority whilst still acknowledging the non-historical nature of it? I responded by saying that I thought the question deserved a long reply, and might be of interest to others, and that I would answer it on my blog. Let me first rephrase the question, since I think there... Read more
Do you want to know the Doctor's name? I'm not asking whether you want to watch a leaked copy (more information here) of “The Name of the Doctor” early after downloading it, assuming you have found a torrent that doesn't lead to a fake copy. I'm asking whether you actually want to know the Doctor's name. While some fans have been adamantly answering in the negative, isn't 50 years long enough for a show to make its fans wait before... Read more
Ian Millington recently drew my attention to an article about NASA’s Mars rover, and pointed out to me an interesting implication for young-earth creationism. If young-earth creationism is correct, and geological strata we see on Earth result from a global flood, then why do we find such strata in rocks on Mars? Of course, one can always come up with some sort of ad hoc “explanation” for anything if one is determined to. Indeed, feel free to propose outlandish suggestions for... Read more
There is material in Hebrews 4-5 that is particularly striking when considered in relation to some of the classic creedal formulations of Christian orthodoxy, as well as other popular ways of Christian thinking about Jesus. We reached this section Sunday in my Sunday school class, and I wanted to share some thoughts on the passage. To say that Jesus was tempted in every way that other human beings are seems incompatible with the view that Jesus was an omniscient divine... Read more
I just saw that John Green has shared the text of his commencement address, delivered at the graduation ceremony at Butler University this year. It was great, and so I encourage you to click through to read it! Read more
I had a librarian mention to me that they had heard about a scholar whose blog got not merely quoted but responded to and interacted with in a peer-reviewed journal article. I quickly responded by saying that I know the blogger in question – Mark Goodacre, who blogged about his experience recently. Blogging is just one part of the changing face of scholarly communication. We need to be proactive in thinking about how the etiquette and protocols of what we... Read more
If you are a Doctor Who fan, you have surely heard the news that some copies of the season 7 Blu-Ray shipped early, meaning that a few lucky people in the United States who pre-ordered them now have access to the season finale, “The Name of the Doctor,” before it airs next Saturday. If you have been looking for torrents of the episode, or trying to find it on Usenet or Rapishare, your searching is over. Here is a link... Read more
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