I think the takeaway message of the above cartoon by Dave Walker is this: Churches regularly hold special events for the purpose of having something interesting and enjoyable to invite someone to who does not attend the church. The subtle message is that what church is normally like is uninteresting and unenjoyable. Now, having been to churches where every sermon was evangelistic, I want to say that it is absolutely appropriate that the typical service be aimed primarily at those... Read more
This cartoon from Answers in Genesis, shared on Facebook by Ken Ham and drawn to my attention by a friend, gets things precisely backwards in an important sense. While it is true that what one thinks and considers outside of church will impact what happens inside it, that is neither surprising nor to be avoided. But when it comes to wrapping someone in tentacles that keep them from seeing and hearing the truth when they encounter it, that is... Read more
This post will focus more on Fringe than Doctor Who or Sherlock Holmes, but this quote that came to my attention is relevant to a key element in the show. The original words of the quote in their exact form are: Sherlock Holmes is a human being who aspires to be a god and the Doctor is a god who aspires to be human. The source of the quote is a Q&A session Steven Moffat participated in. It seems like... Read more
The new semester at Butler University begins on Monday. My course on the Bible is at the same time a course on how to use the internet. The need for training in such skills is illustrated well by this image that has been circulating on Facebook: Whether or not to take advantage of the accessibility of information and literature is a choice we all must make. There are so many classic books available in electronic form perfectly legally as they... Read more
Oh, the symbolism of this item is poignant, even if it is a spoof: Via The American Jesus (HT Hemant Mehta) That’s exactly what so many Christians do with Christianity. It talks about being crucified with Christ, about taking up one’s cross, about selling all one has and giving it to the poor and following Jesus. And we find ways of turning it into something that we can be comfortable with, something that allows us to be the victors, instead of... Read more
Big Finish has announced its 50th Anniversary audiobook release: In November 2013, Big Finish will be releasing Doctor Who: The Light at the End, a very special 100-minute story to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who. Tom Baker (1974-81), Peter Davison (1982-84), Colin Baker (1984-86), Sylvester McCoy (1987-89) and Paul McGann (1996) will all reprise their roles as, respectively, the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, whose paths suddenly intersect when they face imminent destruction. “We wanted to... Read more
I was talking with my pastor today over lunch, and our conversation touched briefly on the subject of questioning God. I remarked that if someone never questions God, they probably have not paid much attention to the Bible or to life, since both lead naturally to such questioning. I recently shared a cartoon about the relative value and effect of questions vs. answers. A commenter then shared a link to a rather long but really wonderful web comic on the... Read more
This is awesome. HT SF Signal. If you are a LOST fan, you will probably laugh out loud, as I did! Read more
Through the poster above, which was shared on Facebook, I had my attention drawn to some comments George Lucas made about Intelligent Design, evolution, God, and the Bible. Click through to read the interview in which he made the comments, if you are interested. He is obviously neither a scientist nor a theologian, but as a filmmaker his vision as it relates to science and religion has been influential, and is thus worth discussing. Thoughts? Read more
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