Browsing the archives for the Theorists category
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Bart Ehrman www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News Share/Bookmark
NY Times reports the church rethinks its opposition to members seeking medical treatment. [F]aced with dwindling membership and blows to their church’s reputation caused by its intransigence concerning medical treatment, even for children with grave illnesses, Christian Science leaders have recently found a new tolerance for medical care. For more than a year, leaders say, [...]
I’m on Twitter. One person I followed very early was Howard Rheingold. He’s an amazing guy. We had just a short email correspondence when I asked if I could use some of his social media tips for my PHIL 525 a couple of years ago. Well, I had the sense that I was missing a [...]
As my students know, Durkheim, the “father of sociology”, had a great deal to say about religion. Some of it, from my point of view, helpful. Sherkat, a professor of sociology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, no longer has to worry about arguing for the key role of religion as a social force. As [...]
This isn’t a news flash, but I enjoy seeing issues we discuss in class echoed in the media. Andrew Sullivan posts this quote from Paul Zahl who’s discussing the work of Emil Brunner (d. 1966). A reflection by Brunner’s former student bring this distinguished scholar to life. Here’s a little bit of the quote: There [...]
I receive monthly greetings from a Benedictine abbot, Abbot Philip. He’s the Abbot of Christ in the Desert in New Mexico. They were the site of a Discovery Channel show in 2006. I wrote and asked his permission to quote his recent letter. He said yes! I explained to him that much of his letter [...]
I’ve re-checked out from the library Anne rice’s Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession for probably the third time. This time I’m actually reading the book. I am not a fan of vampires so I “missed out” on the past few decades of Anne Rice hoopla. And, of course, now we’ve got that new [...]
Stoicism is experiencing a resurgence. I’m not sure why, but it is. This interview with Margaret Graver present a look at some misconceptions of stoicism. Here’s a quote from A.A. Long (Classics, UC Berkeley) about Graver’s book, Stoicism and Emotion: A.A. Long wrote, “Margaret Graver’s book [‘Stoicism and Emotion’] expertly demolishes the widespread belief that [...]
Watch just the first few minutes of this clip until the credits (the whole clip is over 20 minutes). Sounds like a Jamesean mystical experience to me. Share/Bookmark
Deism is back. This is a very interesting development. There are political ramifications, I suppose. We know that some have pushed the idea that the America’s “founding fathers” were Christians. And by “Christians” they usually mean people who hold the same beliefs as contemporary American evangelicals. The topic of evangelicalism in America is way beyond [...]