Several people shared the above spoof advertisement on Facebook. I know that some conservative Christians will view the above as a jibe at liberals, whom they accuse of picking and choosing. But in my experience, liberals like myself are at least aware of what is in the Bible, warts and all, and for that very reason adopt the stance that we do, namely that we do not and should not try to believe or practice everything that is in the... Read more
This letter from a father to his son, which the recipient shared online, has been getting a lot of attention: I was struck by the language used on the blog Unreasonable Faith, which shared the letter and offered some reflections on it. The author suggested that this is a Christian mindset that says “It’s a battle between Christianity and the forces of darkness, and some sacrifices have to be made.” My response is to suggest that some Christians are gung-ho... Read more
I admit I was astonished by the blatant self-interest and attempt at manipulation of consumers that John Schnatter, CEO of Papa John’s Pizza, offered recently, saying that he would pass on the cost of Obamacare to consumers in the form of pizza costing at least $.10 and perhaps as much as $.20 more. This is a man whose annual salary is well over $2 million, but who resents having to provide improved healthcare to his employees and will penalize his... Read more
James Tabor wrongly refers to an “all-out war among the experts” regarding the question “Did Jesus exist?” At present, the only person who can be considered an expert in New Testament in any sense, and who has disputed the existence of a historical Jesus in academic publications, is Robert M. Price. He teaches at an unaccredited seminary, but his PhD is legit. That isn’t “all-out war” – not by a long stretch. Price’s “case” for mythicism is nothing but unimpressive... Read more
I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to review Richard Carrier’s latest book, Proving History: Bayes’s Theorem and the Quest for the Historical Jesus. I am grateful to Prometheus Books for sending me a free review copy. Carrier emphasizes from the outset that this is the first of two books, the second of which will focus on the evidence for there having been a historical figure of Jesus. In fact, quite a bit of attention to both the... Read more
Morgan Guyton has an excellent post on what should be the Christian approach to Scripture, namely approaching it as Jesus himself approached it. And so he takes Jesus’ Sabbath healing, and his principle that “the Sabbath was made for human beings, and not human beings for the Sabbath” as a criterion by which to evaluate the way Christians today use the Bible. Many are found wanting. Here are some highlights: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the... Read more
From the post “Fred Phelps: Why it is not possible to believe that you ate Chick-fil-A because of ‘freedom of speech’” on the blog Slacktivist. Poster courtesy of “Christians Against the Tea Party” on Facebook. Read more
Power has been restored! I express gratitude on behalf of my family and my neighborhood to the hard-working folks from the Indianapolis Power and Light Company and other contractors they brought in. Here is a song in honor of the occasion: Blogging will be back to normal soon. Read more
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I Don’t Understand Jim West
There are plenty of things that I do understand about Jim West. He has no feelings – I know this because after I made a jibe at him, he told me himself, “If I had feelings they’d be hurt.” And so really what I’m saying is that I understand that he has a sharp wit, and some people take certain things he says too seriously – while others assume he’s kidding even when he’s serious. I also understand that Jim... Read more