Short ‘Commercial’ for the Misquoting Jesus Podcast by Bart Ehrman
Christians criticize him (very often unfairly and without reading him seriously) for trying to deconvert people of faith. He does not. He is sincerely a scholar who does not presuppose the infallibility of scripture, but studies it as any historian would study essential tests from any era.
Brief Thoughts after reading “Why the Bible Began,” by Jacob Wright (2023)
Defeated populations viewed their subjugation as a source of shame… opting instead to extol the golden ages of the past… The thread that ties together [the Hebrew Bible] is a question that was trailblazing at the time: What does it mean to be a people? -J. Wright
Pro Social Justice Thoughts on (Re)Reading James
“But I wonder if squelching James’exhortations about the poor and rich – its pre-pro-union and pre-social justice verses – may be of particular concern to preachers and Christian leaders today.”
Thoughts on Frank Herbert’s Dune, Politics, and Religion
“God and faith is wallpaper for what’s really at work in Dune. The human struggles for power and knowledge, justice and love, drive and define religion.”
A Few Thoughts on Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses”
“Rushdie offers at least one scenario for how redactors might work – they are human beings concerned with truth, politics, the veracity of their leaders and traditions. They add, subtract, alter – sometimes for noble purposes; occasionally for personal reasons. This is true, most probably, for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity – all religions of The Book.”