Today in my Sunday school class we continued our study of Revelation. In looking at the message for the church in Thyatira, we considered the figure of Jezebel, and why the author of Revelation might have labeled a certain prophetess in that church by the name of the famous/infamous Phoenician princess by that name, whose story is told in 1-2 Kings. Revelation had previously connected the teaching in another church with Balaam. In both cases, the name of a hated... Read more
Keith Ward is an author for whom I have a great appreciation. His book What the Bible Really Teaches was and is enormously important to me in helping me become comfortable in my identity as a Liberal Christian. I am thus always eager to read his latest book. But I admit to feeling some trepidation at the prospect of reading the copy of More Than Matter?: Is There More to Life Than Molecules? which Eerdmans, the publisher, kindly sent to... Read more
HT Phil Plait Read more
The Doctor Who episode The Krotons features what to viewers in our time will appear to be quite primitive and poorly-constructed robots as the key villains. If one can get past the appearance – perhaps by keeping in mind that the Krotons are supposed to be not robots but organic crystal-based life forms that are intellectually and technologically advanced, then one may be able to see beyond the low-budget costumes and appreciate the episode for what it is: a powerful... Read more
Next week I’m traveling with students from Butler University to Israel and the Palestinian territories on a 9-day tour. I just posted some tips to help students prepare for the trip on our course blog. Why not click through and take a look – and point out anything I may have neglected to mention? Read more
David Hayward offers another brilliant cartoon illustrating Biblicism’s approach to religion comically but poignantly. Read more
Jim West shared this, and while it is funny for a variety of reasons, it also nicely illustrates the challenges that face archaeologists. Trying to figure out, from our perspective, what previously unseen objects were used for in the past, really is a challenge! Read more
There are a couple of interesting posts around the blogosphere related to young-earth creationism. Fred Clark has a delightful post with the title “Answers in Genesis teaches how not to read a story.” Here’s a sizable sampling: I know, I know, picking on the young-earth creationists is too easy. Fish in a barrel and all that. But they invite it. They’re not just wrong, but audaciously wrong. The weirdness of their conclusions becomes all the more horrifying when you try to trace... Read more
Being in the throes of grading, I am a bit late blogging about the announcement of the discovery of clay model shrines at Khirbet Qeiyafa dating from roughly 3,000 years ago. The Times of Israel has an article on the subject, and the Hebrew University issued a press release. Demotix treats the find as evidence that the Bible is “not to be dismissed as legend.” It is such sensationalist claims that are causing most of the hubbub, and fortunately scholars... Read more
I’ve been meaning to mention the review of Religion and Science Fiction in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. It is written by Kevin Wetmore of Loyola Marymount University, and surveys the volume’s contents, concluding the review as follows: Overall, Religion and Science Fiction is an eclectic, interdisciplinary anthology that demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of multiauthor volumes of this type. Given the subject matter, there are some topics that perhaps could have and should... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In