The Doctor Who episode “The Rings of Akhaten” is surely one of the best in the show’s history for those interested in seeing Doctor Who explore religion. Spoilers ahead! The episode begins with a charming scene (with the Doctor somewhat creepily spying on it) as a leaf blowing in the wind – yes, the leaf that was later “page 1” in Clara’s book – causes a man and woman to meet. Those two people will eventually become Clara’s parents. The... Read more
This is a recording of an excerpt from a class – a student asked a question about the divine name, and I answered providing a lot of background and contextual information. Read more
The above cartoon depicts the caricature of a doubter, and specifically of Thomas who became known as “Doubting Thomas.” But is skepticism in the face of seemingly incredible claims really inappropriate? Was Thomas the fool depicted in the cartoon above, or wiser than far too many gullible Christians today, whose unwillingness or inability to doubt in an appropriate way makes them liable to become the victims of charlatans? On this topic see also Steve Pankey’s post, “Doubting Thomas Didn’t Doubt” and... Read more
I’ve been looking back through some early attempts at recording my classes, to see if there is anything useful. On several occasions the lapel microphone’s battery went dead before the end of the class. But since the first part of some of these classes contains useful material, I thought I’d edit that portion out and share them. Please do let me know if, even though not the full lecture or class, they are still useful! Read more
HT Nijay Gupta Read more
Mary Doria Russell’s novel The Sparrow has almost been made into a movie twice. Now there is news that AMC is interested in turning it into a TV series. The novel explores religious themes in a fascinating way. Dare we hope that this time it might happen? And if it does, will it do justice to the original? TOR.com has a nice piece on the religious component and other considerations related to the possibility of an AMC series. Read more
This cartoon from ASBO Jesus offers a humorous slant on an aspect of the Cana story in John 2 that can be problematic. Jesus is depicted as making 120-180 gallons of really excellent wine at a wedding at which people had already drunk so much that they had depleted whatever supply those involved in planning the wedding had thought would be ample. On the one hand, it has to be noted that a host was expected to provide in abundance,... Read more
Lee M. shared this video on his blog A Thinking Reed. It is based on his book More Than Matter?: Is There More to Life Than Molecules? which I blogged about almost a year ago (see also the discussion of the book at Jesus Creed). Read more
We sometimes complain about unnecessary resistance to change, but not all change is good. When Google Reader eliminated the share function, it was a nuisance. Now that Google Reader is getting ready to go defunct, many are equally frustrated. Fortunately, there seems to be a viable solution already available: The Old Reader. I’m not sure how long it has been offering something that is akin to a clone of Google Reader, but with old features still intact and here to... Read more
There is a Huffington Post article which indicates, unsurprisingly, that most Americans say they love the Bible and most Americans read bits of it at most a few times a year. I am guessing that even those who say they read it often do not get to know it in a serious, intellectually as well as spiritually and ethically rigorous way. One has to ask what “love” means if people say they love a collection of literature that they are... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In