Yesterday in my “Faith, Doubt and Reason” class we had a wonderful discussion, although the relevance to the subject of the class may not have been readily apparent at first to the students (who seemed sure I would intervene any moment to end the discussion). Students engaged in a lively debate about language, spelling, and terminology, including the U.S. vs. Canadian/British spelling of theater/theatre, and whether anyone calls grilled cheese sandwiches “cheese toasties” and if so who. One reason I... Read more

An article by Scott McLemee in Insider Higher Ed discusses the subject of scholarly productivity in the post-print, digital age. He also shares a link to the latest issue of the Journal of Electronic Publishing – yet another periodical I should be reading regularly and so I’ve subscribed to their feed. Also of interest on a related topic is ProfHacker’s Teaching Carnival 4.4. Read more

The blog Digging Digitally has not just a post but the post about the Blogger and Online Publication session at this year’s annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Atlanta, Georgia. It includes not just the text, not just the audio, but also the blogging of others about the session, both serious and frivolous. Thanks to Digging Digitally for providing what I can only call an “SBL Blogger and Online Publication Carnival”! Read more

I previously shared links to resources related to the Bible, homosexuality, and the ordination of gays and lesbians which have been made available on the blog Two Friars and a Fool. Today, the blog features a detailed response to some criticisms of those resources which were offered by Rev. Tom Hobson. Read more

Deane Galbraith (who I think should be nicknamed NZ Wrong) has posted the latest Biblical Studies Carnival at the Bulletin for the Study of Religion blog. There is an incredible wealth of material there. Thanks Deane! And to all readers, I encourage you to enjoy the carnival! Read more

Jeremy has not only posted the rankings for this past month, but also shared some tips on how I could have ranked higher. I’ll know better for next time… Read more

I just realized that, if we manage to organize a session on science fiction and the Bible for next year’s SBL, which will be in San Francisco, we can bill it as “SF in SF”! If that doesn’t convince you that 2011 is the year to do this, then perhaps nothing will! And just think of all the great images we can draw on for our promotional materials… Read more

While it is still the case that the Mandaeans (and the plight facing them in their historic homeland) are not as well known today as they ought to be, the internet is contributing immensely to the spread of knowledge as well as to the Mandaean community’s preservation of a sense of identity in spite of their being increasingly scattered and dispersed. Today I came across a YouTube video about the Mandaeans I hadn’t seen before. I had seen videos of... Read more

Via Antonio Lombatti and Jim West, I became aware of an article on the background to the Gospel of John. It is by Vhumani Magezi and is in the open access journal based in South Africa HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 66:1 (2010). I’ve only read those sections that discuss the Mandaeans, but was disappointed to find the author assuming that it is an adequate solution to the issue of the relationship between Mandaean sources and the Gospel of... Read more