This past Saturday was Day One of the online conference that I had been co-organizing with some of my officemates from St Andrews. It was both exhausting and exhilarating. Because it was designed to be an international conference, my day began at 6am local time in California and ended at 4pm local time. During this time period I heard papers presented live from South Korea, Australia, Scotland, Canada, Arizona, Michigan, Maryland and Texas. And all...
Being socially conscious is hip. In the past few years social media has made advocating a particular cause convenient and, dare I say, prestigious. Need proof? Scroll through your Facebook friends and see how many of their profile pictures include the pink equals sign on a red background for marriage equality, an image with a red “X” marked on the back of the hand, or perhaps a face with red tape over the mouth. Perhaps you or...
This week as I was perusing my Facebook news-feed the following quote surfaced: “Humans motivated by lofty ideals are capable of inflicting great suffering with a clear conscience.” – Paul Hollander The concept intrigued me, but I was immediately curious about the original object of Hollander’s critique. Is he interested in the effects of “lofty ideals” as such, or was there something more particular that he had in mind? I was interested to find that in its...
My friend Adria Murphy writes for me this week, with thoughts on materialism, treasure, and the wisdom of Wendell Berry: The jewelry store in my mother’s neighborhood was going out of business. Sale prices intended to empty the shop of its shining inventory, handwritten on construction paper, obstructed our view of the otherwise impeccably clean display cases. The contents of the cases were simple, classic, and costly. Sapphire stud earrings and delicate diamond tennis bracelets–tasteful,...
Note: This review was written before professional basketball player Jason Collins came out as gay today in Sports Illustrated. I saw the movie 42 tonight, and I have to say, I kind of enjoyed it. Yes, I know it was extremely sentimental at some points. During certain scenes I could have sworn I was going to get a cavity from all the sugary sweetness of those early heart warming familial moments. That being said, I...
At the time I write this, over one-hundred thirty people have been injured and at least two killed after bombings that took place in Boston following the Boston Marathon. At this time, no suspects have been identified publicly, nor have any groups stepped forward to claim responsibility. In a post-9/11 United States of America, one that has seen a decade of warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq, most people would reasonably assume that this attack was...
I thought it might be fun to give a psych perspective on the current American obsession with the ever-impending “Zombie Apocalypse.” Undoubtedly you’ve noticed that the movies, shows, and increasingly so, merchandise, are popping up everywhere. I don’t think there’s anything coincidental or surprising about it. So why is our culture obsessed with it? I think it’s important to first look at what else is happening in culture. There are many things we can consider:...
“Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.” -Richard P. Feynman[1] For many in our society, Dr. Feynman’s above quote pretty much summarizes the telos (the goal, or end-all) of sexual activity of any type—its about pleasure, desire, and self-satisfaction (maybe even the satisfaction that comes from pleasing another). But… that’s about it. Despite the natural results (conception and childbearing) that the exercise naturally produces,...
The details for our upcoming conference, Ecclesia & Ethics: A Eco-Friendly and Economically-Feasible Online Biblical Studies and Theology Conference, are being finalized. The ‘Call for Papers’ has ended and the parallel presentations have been selected. In addition to our main speakers – which includes notable figures like NT Wright, Stanley Hauerwas, Michael Gorman, Shane Claiborne, Brian Rosner, and more – we will have several additional presentations. We are uploading the titles, times, abstracts, and bios for...
Alex Lundry, Mitt Romney’s data analyst, recently reported that over 60% of evangelical youth support the legalization of same sex marriage (SSM). This number is in stark contrast to the responses of older evangelical Christians to poll on the issue. Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen cited this statistic on NBC’s Meet the Press this past Sunday. The context was a discussion over the upcoming Supreme Court decision regarding the constitutionality of state laws banning SSM. The panel...
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