I don't always blog about Doctor Who. But when I do, for the most part I blog about the intersection of Doctor Who and religion, meaning the treatment of religious themes, motifs, and images on the show. Today I had a link drawn to my attention about Doctor Who as religion. Granted, the article is a year old and is from Cracked.com. But still, when it has stuff like the following, it is surely worth sharing: Watching Doctor Who Is... Read more
The Sunday before last in my Sunday school class we talked about the two witnesses in Revelation 11. I mentioned the fact that, some years ago, I was contacted by e-mail by someone insistent that I ought to share his view on this subject with readers of my blog. His view is that the “two witnesses” were John Lennon and Paul McCartney. So I shared his e-mail, but not because I recommended anyone adopt his approach! We discussed some possible... Read more
The Doctor Who episode “Ghost Light” is the penultimate episode from the classic series. For those interested in the intersection of religion and Doctor Who, the episode is full of food for thought and discussion. Early in the episode we are treated to a visit to a house by one Rev. Ernest Matthews, Dean of Morthouse College, Oxford. He is there to talk to the master of the house, one Josiah Smith, about his “mumbo jumbo theories,” which unsurprisingly turn... Read more
Clergy Family Confidential has a list of ten reasons why one would not want to be Jesus’ wife. And then they came up with another ten. For more humor related to the topic, see Christian Brady’s suggestions of how the text might have continued after “Jesus said, ‘My wife…'” and also see the cartoon at the end of this post. Mark Goodacre has posted a third pdf by Francis Watson. This one highlights the relatively small amount of space that... Read more
The Bible’s authors were inspired by God. That statement has been the focus of an incredible amount of controversy. But for some reason, late last night the thought occurred to me that the controversy is largely the result of taking that phrase in something other than its normal English sense. There have been countless books and movies which were inspired by true events, or by the life of a particular individual, or by a song or a poem. If we... Read more
Whether you enjoy Doctor Who for the humor or the drama, or both, and whether you share my interest in religious themes in the show or not, there was a lot to love about tonight's episode, “The Power of Three.” There were no fewer plot holes than in the holiest of previous episodes. But if you watch Doctor Who regularly, you will be able to see past such concerns and simply enjoy the show, and perhaps even be inspired. Spoilers... Read more
I am grateful to Patheos for the opportunity to participate in the book club about Mary C. Neal’s book To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story. This is not a scholarly or academic book, but a personal account by this medical doctor of the experience she had of drowning, and of finding strength from her near-death experience, and belief in divine providence, as she and her family passed... Read more
I made the above poster after a game of Words With Friends that I was playing ended today. It was originally going to be just a blog post, with the text below, but I thought that a poster made the point better. Now more than ever you are likely to encounter a dacoit wearing a jubhah, who is chewing qat or perhaps eating za with ingredients that won't imbalance their qi. That isn't the “Words With Friends Effect.” The “Words... Read more
A few days ago I had the privilege of listening to a lunchtime talk with snippets of performance by my colleague Kate Boyd, who worked on and performed John Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano during her recent sabbatical. John Cage, I learned, had his thinking about the purpose of music transformed by a phrase he encountered both from a living Indian composer and from a 16th century English writer, both of whom said that the purpose of music... Read more
I am grateful to Patheos for the privilege of viewing a screening of the new movie Hellbound? before its official opening. This movie is a powerful exploration of the doctrine of hell from a Christian perspective that does one basic thing that all Christians ought to do, namely not simply assume that the view which is articulated most bluntly by Westboro Baptist Church is the right one. The movie in fact begins with conversations with members of Westboro Baptist Church – seen holding... Read more
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