Featured Essay / Blog
A concerned student recently asked me to use my authority over a friend of theirs (also a student and mentee of mine) to help get them on the right track, for this friend was involved in quite destructive behavior. As we were talking, I was growing increasingly uncomfortable, but when…
Essay / Education
Our reading assignment: Martin Luther’s “Theses for the Heidelberg Disputation,” “Two Kinds of Righteousness,” and “The Freedom of the Christian” from Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings. Faculty training at the Torrey Honors Institute puts our pedagogy to the test. We call our semesterly training meetings
Essay / Misc.
Abraham Ibn Ezra was a medieval Jewish commentator on the Old Testament. His commentaries are a bizarre combination of unconstrained creativity and extreme jot-and-tittle conservatism. He also wrote poetry and is highly regarded as a philosopher. His way of talking about any subject is often
Essay / Culture
Each new year is unsullied. It is time and space that, to our knowledge, no humans have traversed or occupied. We make plans, set goals, and create resolutions for the 31,536,000 seconds (give or take a few seconds) that we believe must be better than
Essay / Misc.
Scriptorium Daily has been an active and successful web publication in 2008. We’ve added more bloggers to the team, and together we’ve posted with a regularity that almost justifies our name. Our hit counts, subscriptions, and e-mails suggest that lots of people are appreciating what
Essay / Misc.
A student brought one of these to me after the PCUSA’s general assembly last summer, and I have been using it to frighten children ever since. But I didn’t realize until today that the Calvin cut-out mask was also available on the web so that
Essay / Misc.
Playmobil makes great little cartoons of their toys in action. The english-language site is good, but true Playmobil fans know to keep an eye on the German site, playmobil.de, which is more up to date. The latest thing there is the Ancient Egypt line of
Essay / Culture
J.P. Moreland, 2008. I am delighted to have this opportunity to discuss my most recent bookâThe God Question. Let me explain a bit about why I am so passionate about it. In a way, it is my attempt to provide an alternative to the wave
Essay / Misc.
If you’re like me, you’re about 100 years behind the curve on understanding technology. Sure, you can make all the latest electronic doo-dads beep and hum and chug, but when you have to actually explain their functioning, you start sounding superstitious. “I touch the magic
Essay / Misc.
“Have you ever heard of the ‘white lab coat syndrome,’ Dave? It’s what happens when people like you step outside their area of expertise. You’re a scientist, so you have authority only when you speak as a scientist. But when you speak as a sociologist
Essay / Culture
Professors are people with full-time jobs teaching students, researching subjects, and publishing their findings. Why would they add to this schedule something that is not a part of their job description: blogging? The question is not merely, ahem, academic. There are plenty of professors who
Essay / Misc.
I will be bringing (among other things) dessert number four to our Thanksgiving feast. I may make a pear tart. It’s strategic, making a light and fruity dessert number four. How else should I expect it to be eaten, after the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and
Essay / Misc.
As of right now (November 16, 2008) my house is permeated by the smell of smoke. With all of the windows closed and the air filter running it is still impossible to filter out the smoke smell. Smoke is one of those smells that you