“[H]e thought of Carol on the day her mother had taken all of them to Savin Rock. His friend Bobby had won some money from a three-card monte dealer that day and Carol had worn her blue bathing suit on the beach and sometimes she’d give Bobby that look, the one that said he was killing her and death was sweet. It had been in their hands then; he was quite sure of it. But kids lose everything, kids have slippery fingers and holes in their pockets and they lose everything.” – Stephen King, “Why We’re in Vietnam,” in Hearts in Atlantis (Scribner, 1999), 497-498.
- Though not directly related to biblical studies, this statement by historian David Blight before Congress back in July regarding the Smithsonian (and the president’s attacks on it) is well worth the watch.
- I’ve been reading through the book of Jonah, making notes and whatnot, and I was reading vv. 4-6 of ch. 1 which, of course, made me think of Mark 4:35-41 which, in turn, made me think of the hymn “Master, the Tempest Is Raging.” As a kid, I can remember my parents popping in a VHS cassette of this or that Gaithers video and we’d all sit down to listen to it. And I really loved Jessy Dixon’s rendition of this song, singing it full of faith and soul. Revoke my atheist card, call me whatever you want, but I still love listening to the song and especially in Jessy Dixon’s voice.
- CJ Cornthwaite talks about Walter Bauer and his influence on biblical studies, as well as its relationship to Christian apologetics.
- In light of this summer’s blockbuster hit The Odyssey, Michael Kok provided some links related to it.
- Mark Goodacre looks at the apostle Paul’s claim to be a Pharisee and what that means in reconstructing both Paul and the Pharisees.
- Heather Thiessen posted a recent sermon she wrote entitled “Advice and Dissent” which used Paul’s words in Rom 13 as her anchor text. Food for thought, no matter your tribe.
- Dan McClellan’s podcast cohost Dan Beecher and Rainn Wilson (from The Office and, more importantly, the podcasts Radio Rental and Dark Air) have announced their conversion to Mormonism if they are admitted into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Good luck, fellas!
- 54 books for the year!
The Amateur Exegete 