By: J. Aaron Simmons – Department of Philosophy – Furman University – aaron.simmons@furman.edu I. I was raised in the American evangelical subculture and have recently been part of several different non-denominational, generally evangelical, (mega)churches in the American South. As a result of these experiences, I have become increasing concerned about the way in which the […]
The Hound of the Baskervilles was Basil Rathbone’s first turn as Sherlock Holmes—and one of only two Rathbone Holmes movies set in the Victorian era. The casting is perfect; Rathbone has all the lean intensity of the original Sidney Paget illustrations, and his cool acting style embodies the man Watson once described as “the most […]
Joan Roughgarden’s Evolution and Christian Faith (2006) is a gentle, thoughtful, and—to me—unsatisfying book. For one thing, confirming my initial impressions from a few weeks ago, I am frequently unsettled by the sense that its voice has been crafted to allay or bypass the suspicions of readers who take the Bible as a more or […]
First of all, I like St. Nick. At least I think I do. It’s tough work plodding through hagiography, but he seems all right. So, you know, no hard feelings Nicholas–this really isn’t about you. (Oh, and I apologize for the bad puns. What can I say? Groucho Marx is my Sanity Claus.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS2khYJZKwA I’m […]
Mythologies (macro-scale meaning-maps) are a byproduct of religion in the same way that stories are a byproduct of life. This is fine. But our stories are not alive and our maps are not the way. It’s a mistake, I think, to think that religions are in the business of making meaning. Religions make meaning the way […]
For author Greg Moore, the season of Advent is rooted in a divine memory.
If you flinch while you watch Tyrannosaur, that is the right response. For an angry person, a flinch is a form of communication. It is a sign that their grievance, nameless as it may be, has been heard and felt by someone else. There isn’t anything therapeutic about the chain of events that results in […]
Advent is a season of waiting, of being drawn into the spiritual discipline of anticipation. Our spiritual director is Mary, the mother of Jesus, the one in whom we see revealed the patience of God. Mary waits for the Messiah, and in doing so she invites us into a way of life that welcomes the gospel through a posture of waiting.
As we move into the darkest season of the calendar year, daylight runs in short supply, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where The Other Journal makes its home. By the time the winter solstice arrives, we’ll experience about eight and a half hours of daylight, with plenty of thick, low-hanging clouds to obscure our rare […]
