Review of Existence by David Brin

Last updated on: November 2, 2012 at 9:56 am By James F. McGrath

If you are among those who have complained that there is insufficient hard science fiction, imagining a future that is a realistic extrapolation based on what we now think are genuine possibilities and genuine constraints, David Brin’s novel Existence may be what you have been longing for. The future of the internet and our interaction with one another by technological means is incorporated throughout, while the impossibility of warp drive is simply taken for granted. I will try in what... Read more

Class on the Easter and Resurrection Accounts in the New Testament

Last updated on: November 2, 2012 at 7:29 am By James F. McGrath

A first attempt at using a digital whiteboard while recording a class – one that is freely available online at Scriblink.com, since the classroom I am in does not have a smartboard. Read more

Mandaeans and Other Marsh Arabs

Last updated on: November 1, 2012 at 3:53 pm By James F. McGrath

Via Access to Mideast and Islamic Resources, I learned of the Marsh Arabs Heritage Project, which looks at the cultural, religious, and social life of the marshlands of Southern Iraq, including the Mandaeans, but also Muslims, Jews, Christians, Yezidis and others. The pdf downloads appear not to have been added yet, but there is in essence an entire book online. Those interested in the people of that region and their heritage will find it interesting! Read more

Gays as God’s Gift

Last updated on: November 1, 2012 at 3:31 pm By James F. McGrath

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal provides a wonderfully satirical take on depressingly common assertions by preachers and pundits. If gays and lesbians were indeed the cause of hurricanes and earthquakes, imagine how that power could be harnessed for good… HT Pharyngula Read more

Winning Ugaritic

Last updated on: November 1, 2012 at 2:51 pm By James F. McGrath

Jim West announced on his blog today that I was the winner of his giveaway of the brand new volume An Introduction to Ugaritic by John Huenegard. Since he said that I had the most compelling answer regarding why I deserved the book, it seemed it might be worth sharing what I wrote. I realize that my having the “most compelling answer” may be a polite way of saying that, of the very small number of entries in his giveaway,... Read more

Doctor Who Shoes on my Christmas List

Last updated on: November 1, 2012 at 2:41 pm By James F. McGrath

I recently became aware of these great shoes for a Doctor Who fan: They come in men’s sizes and styles too, and so if anyone is looking for a Christmas gift for me, I’ll gladly accept a pair! Read more

144,000 Priests?

Last updated on: November 1, 2012 at 10:48 am By James F. McGrath

As I mentioned previously, in my Sunday school class we have been in chapter 14 of the Book of Revelation for the past two weeks. One of the members of my class, who in fact teaches Sunday school herself, made the interesting suggestion that the celibacy of the 144,000 (Revelation 14:4) might have to do with their priestly status – not in the sense of being Catholic priests and thus celibate, but in the sense of being set apart for priestly service... Read more

Class on the Crucifixion and Passion Narratives in the New Testament

Last updated on: November 1, 2012 at 8:58 am By James F. McGrath

Since this is another class without changing powerpoint slides, I’m making this one available as an mp3 podcast as well: [audio:http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/files/2012/10/Passion_narratives_default.mp3] Read more

The Great Thing about Doctor Who Halloween Costumes

Last updated on: October 31, 2012 at 10:05 am By James F. McGrath

Breezy Point Theology

Last updated on: October 31, 2012 at 9:39 am By James F. McGrath

This photo from Queens has been circulating widely, showing the devastation caused by fires which broke out in Breezy Point during Hurricane Sandy: The survival of the statue of Mary impressed some Catholics. But as you might expect, I think this illustrates the sort of thing which I blog about often, and which I was talking about with students in my “Faith, Doubt, and Reason” class yesterday: people often use theological language without thinking about the implications, assuming that any... Read more

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