The vigor with which some people defend their beliefs online – refusing to do basic research, offering completely unpersuasive off-the-cuff arguments, and denigrating their opponents – has long puzzled me. Losing your faith (or, if you are an atheist, losing your lack of faith) can seem like a terrifying prospect, to be avoided at all costs. But what most people are defending isn’t their “faith.” It is the details of their worldview, their belief system. And the fact that examining... Read more
I apologize that it has taken me a while to mention the recent passing of Geza Vermes, the renowned scholar of ancient Judaism and the historical Jesus. I had wanted to mark his passing not merely by linking to what others wrote, but by trying to round up and share some of his writings and videos that can be found online. Alas, other things got in the way. So I direct readers to the blog posts about his life and... Read more
We were told that, in the episode of Doctor Who “Nightmare in Silver,” Neil Gaiman aimed to make the cybermen scary again. It is arguable that he accomplished that, not only by making the cybermen a little scarier, but also making them part of something even scarier than they are. Spoilers ahead! Some speculated about whether the ending of the last episode might lead to the kids in Clara’s care being included on an adventure. We did not have long to wait.... Read more
Congratulations to Butler University's 2013 graduates! I wish you every success in the future! Please keep in touch! Read more
Tablet magazine has an article about Doctor Who from a Jewish perspective. It includes less well known details, such as the Jewish background of the show’s creator Sydney Newman, as well as more familiar topics such as the depiction of Nazism in the form of the Daleks, and the seemingly ineffable name of the Doctor and how it relates to the ineffable name of God. It is a fairly short treatment, so it does more to raise interesting discussion points... Read more
Since one of the topics this blog explores is the intersection of religion and science, I had to give a mention to the Madonnas of Science by Chris Shaw which an IO9 article recently highlighted, and which are currently on display at the San Francisco Museum of Art. Read more
Today was the Feast of the Ascension. There are two favorite quotes of mine related to the ascension, which I have shared at least twice before on this blog. Here they are again: First, Keith Ward (The Big Questions in Science and Religion, p.107): We now know that, if [Jesus] began ascending two thousand years ago, he would not yet have left the Milky Way (unless he attained warp speed). And second, from James D. G. Dunn’s article on “Myth” in Dictionary of Jesus... Read more
I recently rewatched the double Doctor Who episode “Silence in the Library” and “Forest of the Dead.” Having now seen so much of the later interaction between the Doctor and River Song, and having so many questions answered and details filled in, rewatching the episode where they first introduced River reinforces just how impressively the show has dealt with these two time travelers whose lives intersect out of sequence and sometimes in reverse order. The episode hinted that River Song... Read more
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Retelling Romans: Introduction
I have long said I wanted to write a “blogmentary” (blog commentary) on Romans. I think what I really wanted to do, above all else, is try retelling Paul’s letter to the Romans so that it can be heard afresh by a modern Christian audience. One big challenge for Christian readers of the Bible is the tendency to know who the “good guys” are in stories and assume that we are them. And so we assume that we’re the Samaritan, or... Read more