#CFP A Critical Companion to Terry Gilliam

Last updated on: March 7, 2020 at 9:25 am By James F. McGrath

A Critical Companion to Terry Gilliam Edited by Ian Bekker, Sabine Planka and Philip van der Merwe Terry Gilliam is not only popular for being part of the Monty Python-troup but also for the movies he has directed in his own style, such as Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), The Fisher King (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995) and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). From dystopian to fantastic and magical settings, and worlds often populated by bizarre figures, Gilliam’s movies are united by their bizarreness in various ways. In this... Read more

The Bible Says

Last updated on: March 4, 2020 at 8:44 am By James F. McGrath

This tweet definitely seemed to me to be worth sharing with a wider audience: That tweet came in response to another tweet which said (citing Fee and Stuart) “The text cannot mean what it never meant.” That in turn was in response to a use of that principle by John Walton, who wrote: If we read modern ideas into the text, we skirt the authority of the text and in effect compromise it, arrogating authority to ourselves and our ideas.... Read more

Religion in Ireland: Study Abroad

Last updated on: March 4, 2020 at 8:44 am By James F. McGrath

I’m working on developing a new short-term study abroad course focused on religion in Ireland, from before Christianity to Brexit and the looming possibility of the revival of the troubles. I’m thinking that something like the following would work well, but having access to a wide network of faculty, present and former students, and others who’ve traveled to the Republic of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland, it seems appropriate to crowdsource this. What other places would you visit on such a... Read more

Rock around the Bible

Last updated on: March 4, 2020 at 8:43 am By James F. McGrath

With a project related to progressive rock and the Bible in the works, and the news having broken that Genesis will reunite for a tour, you’re probably expecting this post to be connected to that. It isn’t, at all, as far as I can tell. I just happened to come across several things related to the other kind of rock. And to be honest, I’d be hard pressed to decide which sort of rock I find most interesting, given some... Read more

Open Access Mandaean Book of John

Last updated on: March 4, 2020 at 9:10 am By James F. McGrath

Thanks to generous funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (which President Trump would like to see eliminated) an open access edition of the Mandaean Book of John text and translation (without the critical edition and commentary available only in the full version for purchase) has been released. It will not be available through the De Gruyter website. We’ve shared it on Academia.edu and you can find it there. It is our sincere hope that, in addition to serving the... Read more

Open Education Week

Last updated on: March 2, 2020 at 9:58 pm By James F. McGrath

In recognition of open education week, I want to highlight the way that not only I nor even just my faculty colleagues at Butler University but our institution as a whole is taking steps to address the issue of the rising costs of textbooks. While tuition and room and board present significant financial challenges to students who attend university, there is only so much room for adjustment there. When it comes to textbooks, however, there are things that individual faculty can... Read more

Doctor Who: The Timeless Children

Last updated on: March 1, 2020 at 10:08 pm By James F. McGrath

I’ve already seen people using the term “retcon” in reference to “The Timeless Children.” However, those who vividly remember episodes like “The Brain of Morbius” not to mention many from the era of Sylvester McCoy will probably be thinking “finally!” What is featured in this episode isn’t retconning (although some of that will be needed to weave already-contradictory pieces into a coherent whole, if that is the aim). It is maximum continuity, finally exploring things that have been hinted at... Read more

#CFP International Conference “The Medieval Eschatology”

Last updated on: February 27, 2020 at 10:08 pm By James F. McGrath

Call for papes: International Conference “The Medieval Eschatology” The conference will be held at the School of Geography & History (University of Santiago de Compostela) on 28th – 29th July 2020. Deadline for submission of proposals: 15 May 2020. Eschatology is one of the central components of medieval Christian culture. The end of the world, the Last Judgment, salvation, Messianism, the Antichrist, the Apocalypticism and millenarianism are inescapable elements in what we may generally describe as “Medieval eschatology”. In this universe, the coming of... Read more

Dawn Chorus Playlist

Last updated on: February 24, 2020 at 4:43 pm By James F. McGrath

One of the wonderful experiences I had when visiting Australia was to go stand outside the famous and iconic Sydney Opera House before sunrise on Sunday morning and experience the event they call Dawn Chorus, which I discovered even some locals are unaware of. The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs perform Sunday mornings on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, and they begin singing even before they come into view on the steps, to an awe-inspiring effect. I had thought that... Read more

Burden

Last updated on: February 27, 2020 at 10:08 pm By James F. McGrath

The movie Burden about a KKK member who turns from racism opens in theaters today, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to screen it in advance of its theatrical release. I am likely to be appreciative of any movie that both exposes the racism of the southern United States and calls those who persist in it to repentance. Having grown up in New York City with diversity simply as a given, the things I see in a... Read more

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