In Revelation 14:6-7, the author says that he saw an angel bringing the eternal gospel in order to proclaim it to every nation, language, and people. Futurist interpreters claim that this shows that by that stage all Christians have been raptured or killed, and so an angel has to deliver the message. But anyone who reads Revelation carefully will note not only the absence of a “rapture” but also that it is a false dichotomy which suggests one has to... Read more
There are many people who toss around phrases like “the authority of the Bible” without giving sufficient thought to what they are saying – much as we have seen politicians toss around the language of “God's will” with insufficient prior theological reflection. And so here are a few thoughts on the subject of “Biblical authority” which I hope will generate discussion. 1. The Bible is not inherently authoritative, any more than the Qur'an is, or the Code of Hammurabi, or... Read more
The episode Terror of the Autons, the first episode from the second season featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, is an important one in the history of Doctor Who for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it saw the introduction of the Master, another renegade time lord, and former classmate of the Doctor’s, one who had previously been a friend but could now play the role of arch-nemesis. Of course, the Doctor had encountered other time lords... Read more
I was telling a colleague about the fact that there are Mandaean baptisms on YouTube, and she did a search and found this really nice video I had not seen before, which includes Mandaeans talking about the meaning of baptism for them. Read more
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David Meadows offered some more nails for the ossuary in which many are confident that the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife will be buried, and Sightings has an article entitled “The Swift Rise and Apparent Demise of ‘Jesus’ Wife’.” As we await the test results on the ink on the papyrus fragment that made news headlines recently, blogging about the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife has seen an unsurprising lull. But there has been some interesting discussion of what the online discussion... Read more
At long last I got around to watching the movie Prometheus – aka Intelligent Design: The Motion Picture. It is a great film for those interested in the intersection of religion and science fiction. And I am therefore delighted to learn that there are plans for a sequel, Prometheus begins with the discovery on the Isle of Skye the latest of a series of cave drawings depicting a giant being pointing to the sky and a particular configuration of stars.... Read more
I recorded my class on Amos and Hosea. There were no separate slides prepared, and so you can simply listen to the lecture as a podcast. I hope to try recording some things in a smart classroom at some point, so that I can even capture writing on the smartboard, much like one sees in some TED talks. Read more
There is some debate about whether there will be a 5th Indiana Jones movie, but IO9 recently shared a neglected sacred item that would be worth of the adventurer’s next quest – especially if by that stage he is so elderly that he himself needs a walker! I love this part of the piece at IO9: “But can you combine the sacred baby walker Voltron style with the Spear of Destiny and the Holy Grail to build a prayer-powered F-15?... Read more
If you are among those who have been waiting for the big reveal that Donald Trump promised he would offer about Barack Obama at noon today, he’s done it. What he revealed is that he (i.e. Trump) still wants to see Obama’s birth certificate and other records. Seriously. That’s his “big news.” In my opinion, the news that Nicholas Cage might be in a reboot of Left Behind was more exciting. See his video and press release below – but don’t expect them... Read more
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