More about Student Blogging

Last updated on: February 21, 2013 at 10:52 am By James F. McGrath

Brian LePort has continued to focus his blogging attention on the topic of student blogging. In one post, he sought to gather names/blogs of doctoral students who blog – or blogged when they were students, for those who’ve since graduated. In another, he asked about the possibility of blogging later interfering with attempts to find employment. Then Robert Holmstedt posted on his own blog his opinion that students should not blog. It includes a bit of “discovered” correspondence related to 19th-century... Read more

Is it OK to Doubt the Bible?

Last updated on: February 20, 2013 at 3:02 pm By James F. McGrath

An interesting conversation between Tom Thatcher, professor at Cincinnati Christian University, and Tyler McKenzie, teaching pastor at Northeast Christian Church. Whatever you think of some of the details of the conversation, it reflects a dialectic approach that progressive Christians can embrace: On the one hand, recognizing that doubting and even disbelieving the Bible is not only acceptable but part of a normal, healthy response to the Bible that takes its contents seriously (i.e. in a way that Al Mohler doesn’t). On... Read more

Mark Goodacre on the Gospel of Thomas

Last updated on: February 20, 2013 at 10:38 am By James F. McGrath

A video interview courtesy of EerdWord, the blog of Eerdmans Publishing Company. Read more

Easy Exam Question

Last updated on: February 20, 2013 at 9:53 am By James F. McGrath

Bob Cargill tweeted that he likes to give students at least one easy question on the exams he gives. And he showed what that looks like: I dread to think what Bob would do if a student actually picked “B”… Read more

Should Students Blog?

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

There have been several blog posts – and many more discussions not posted publicly on blogs – on the question of whether students should blog. The issue arises in particular for those studying subjects like Biblical studies. Will your thoughts that you post get you into some sort of trouble, for instance with your denomination’s gatekeepers of orthodoxy? Could they affect future employment? My own view is that the risks involved in blogging – putting your thoughts out there for... Read more

Hasn’t God Said?

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 at 9:37 am By James F. McGrath

Someone shared this status update on Facebook: The devil is using the same trick that he used in the garden by getting people to second guess what God has already told them. Has not God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Has not God said that marriage is between a man and a woman? Has not God said that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father? Has not God said come out from among... Read more

Religion and Science Fiction around the Blogosphere

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 at 7:49 am By James F. McGrath

There are several posts of interest that I want to mention here. Jeremy Smith shared powerpoint slides about theology and Star Wars, as the first post in a series with the title “Theological Science Theater 3000.” John Morehead shared thoughts on religion in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Rod at Political Jesus shared some thoughts with pictures on “Stormtrooper Christology.” Read more

Lecture on Exodus and Conquest

Last updated on: February 18, 2013 at 10:09 pm By James F. McGrath

I had hoped to make a recording of my class today, but we ended up discussing points raised by a student’s presentation, and so I recorded the above lecture in my office later in the day, so that I can post it and not take more class time covering the key points. I’d be interested to hear from scholars whose expertise is primarily in Hebrew Bible and/or the history and archaeology of ancient Israel, to get your input on whether... Read more

Djesus Uncrossed vs. Christ Crucified #progGOD

Last updated on: February 18, 2013 at 3:32 pm By James F. McGrath

I was gearing up to write a post about the slaughter of the Canaanites, a topic that came up in my class today. And then I finally got around to watching this Saturday Night Live video, “Djesus Uncrossed,” which several blogs I read had already shared: I could not help but connect the two, since the same themes – the use of violence, morality, Old Testament vs. New Testament, all come up in connection with this as well. And this... Read more

SICCs: A Revolution in Education

Last updated on: February 18, 2013 at 9:15 am By James F. McGrath

Thanks to a friend who is a time traveler, I can share this interesting higher education news report he brought back from 2033: A recent study by education specialists could lead to a radical revolution in universities around the world. A multi-year study of a range of classes has discovered that a new approach, referred to as Small-scale Interactive Classroom Conversations (SICCs), may have the potential to achieve learning and comprehension goals which far exceed what is possible using the... Read more