Fake Giants

Last updated on: August 1, 2011 at 10:23 am By James F. McGrath

I’m sharing some links about the subject of alleged discoveries of giant skeletons because someone mentioned them to me at church yesterday. My relatively small stature thus has nothing to do with my interest in this subject… They Might Be Giants at Snopes.com National Geographic Giant Skeleton found in Middle East (Urban Legends) Rationalist International on the origin of the photos Exposing the crooks behind the myth (traces some early versions). Hoax-slayer has the same treatment. Museum of Hoaxes Afarensis Read more

Mystical Pregnancies and Other Sci-Fi Tropes Around the Blogosphere

Last updated on: August 1, 2011 at 5:53 am By James F. McGrath

TheoFantastique and Political Jesus shared a video as well as some links related to a classic trope in both religion and sci-fi: the impregnation of a woman with a child from another world: Elsewhere in the realm of sci-fi, Rod of Alexandria also posted a farcical account of the most famous time lord bringing the fourth quest for the historical Jesus to an end. A post by David Bailey also fits under this heading, since it addresses the way young-earth... Read more

Always Be Prepared To Make Up An Answer

Last updated on: August 1, 2011 at 3:01 am By James F. McGrath

I remember from my younger days in a conservative Christian context the importance we placed on 1 Peter 3:15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” We didn’t often continue into the sentence that follows, “But do this with gentleness and respect…” But that isn’t what I want to focus on here. I know from my own experience that I did not in fact consistently... Read more

Carnivals are Coming

Last updated on: July 31, 2011 at 11:58 pm By James F. McGrath

Dan McClellan’s Biblical Studies Carnival will be here soon. Do also keep in mind that the next Biblical Studies Carnival after that will be hosted right here at Exploring Our Matrix. And so, as you write your posts on topics related to Biblical studies during the month of August, feel free to send me a link right away. Since it is a Biblical studies carnival and not a biblioblog carnival, what matters is not whether the blog in question usually... Read more

The Secret of David’s Success?

Last updated on: July 30, 2011 at 9:02 pm By James F. McGrath

HT Arni Zachariassen Read more

New Web Address for the Clergy Letter Project

Last updated on: July 29, 2011 at 10:26 pm By James F. McGrath

In connection with Michael Zimmerman’s move to a new academic home (he has become the academic vice president and provost at the Evergreen State College), the web address for the Clergy Letter Project and Evolution Weekend has changed. The web site can now be reached at http://theclergyletterproject.org/ If you are connected with a religious community of any sort, please consider getting your congregation to participate in Evolution Weekend! Read more

Making Stuff Up About Messiahs and Me

Last updated on: July 29, 2011 at 10:04 pm By James F. McGrath

Neil Godfrey is at it again. I suspected from some of his recent posts that he had either misunderstood or was gearing up to misrepresent me – not to mention the field of Jewish studies. In his latest post, he writes the following: “James McGrath claims all Messiah figures were expected to be conquering kings.” Of course, Godfrey is either forgetting or deliberately ignoring things that I have not only written, but written to him, in the past. Here is... Read more

Day of Archaeology 2011 #dayofarch

Last updated on: July 29, 2011 at 1:55 pm By James F. McGrath

As several bloggers have mentioned, today is Day of Archaeology 2011. So go read the official Day of Archaeology blog, and go read some other archaeology blogs. Go on. You know you want to! Read more

Jesus With His Head In The Clouds?

Last updated on: July 29, 2011 at 12:38 am By James F. McGrath

I had the privilege of being present for Mark Goodacre’s paper proposing a conjectural emendation of the Gospel of Peter, so that it does not feature a walking, talking cross, but instead referred to Jesus as “the crucified.” Remnant of Giants has blogged about Mark’s proposal twice recently, and Mark himself has also done so. I think Mark’s proposal has a lot to be said for it. It fits well with the image of two angels leading/supporting Jesus as he... Read more

On the 8th Day, God Created Photoshop

Last updated on: July 28, 2011 at 9:36 am By James F. McGrath

HT Arni Zechariassen Read more