Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4660 )

• Turnabout

  

  Fair play, so the adage dictates, includes turnabout. Well, that may be overstating it a bit, but after reading Joe Nickell I decided to give the other side a... Read more

  Posted on 18 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Obso

  

  Oxford Biblical Studies Online is a subscription service for institutions that gives access to many biblical studies resources produced by the press. Read more

  Posted on 17 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not Quite Thursday

  

  I discovered Jasper Fforde, as these things so often happen, at the recommendation of a friend. A writer of rare talent, he’s conjured a few meta-worlds where... Read more

  Posted on 16 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Quantum Magic

  

  This history of ideas is perhaps the most stimulating of intellectual topics. At least to me. The pedigree of an idea tells us something of its validity—its... Read more

  Posted on 15 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Fun with Skeptics

  

  You have to love skeptics. Really. Like most people who’ve spent many years attaining a doctorate, I’m naturally skeptical about many things. Read more

  Posted on 14 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Now Hiring?

  

  In keeping with my recent theme of jobs you never knew you could have, I recently read a story a friend sent me from The Vintage News. The story concerns a... Read more

  Posted on 13 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Truth of Fiction

  

  The thing about reading is that it’s a lifestyle. I record books both here and on Goodreads, but I read a lot more than books. Although I don’t have much time... Read more

  Posted on 12 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not About Pigs

  

  Pseudepigrapha always struck me as a great name for a pet guinea pig. Neither members of the porcine family nor from Guinea, these rodents are remarkably... Read more

  Posted on 11 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Mephistopheles

  

  Jeffrey Burton Russell is one of the clearest thinkers I’ve ever read. I first encountered him in my background reading for Holy Horror, and have subsequently... Read more

  Posted on 10 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Care and Keeping of Books

  

  I take good care of books. It’s my personal goal that after I’ve read a book you won’t be able to tell. I used to mark books up, but it occurred to me that I... Read more

  Posted on 09 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Shut up Or Shut Down?

  

  So the government’s shut down over a presidential temper tantrum. Like most people, I suspect, I haven’t really noticed. Except for two things. Read more

  Posted on 08 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Instant Gramification

  

  To be a writer these days, so industry publicists tell us, one must be savvy on social media. But do not spend too much time, they tell us, on that same media. Read more

  Posted on 07 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Mastering Ravens

  

  One of the most difficult things in modern life is to keep up with all the new jobs available. That’s not to suggest that unemployment isn’t a real problem—it... Read more

  Posted on 06 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Web Design

  

  As those who read this blog on the actual site will have noticed, I’ve been playing around a bit with my “look.” Neither famous nor influential, I’m just a... Read more

  Posted on 05 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Problem with History

  

  is that it shows foundational views are constantly shifting. Let me preface this statement by noting that although I taught Hebrew Bible for many years my... Read more

  Posted on 04 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Reentry

  

  Image credit: NASA/ISS Expedition 28, public domain from Wikimedia CommonsThey call it reentry, I suspect, because of the perils and stress experienced by... Read more

  Posted on 03 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Bookish Dreams

  

  Driving into upstate New York via interstate 81 you’ll find a remarkable rest stop. To put this into context, I should say that my wife and I have driven from... Read more

  Posted on 02 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• New Horror

  

  Now that Holy Horror is out I’ve been noticing an increasing number of scholars who are writing on the topic of monsters. Book writing takes several years, as... Read more

  Posted on 01 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Yearn Books

  

  While this blog ranges over an outdated map of my mind, one of the two common elements that hold it together is books. I don’t have many bibliophile followers,... Read more

  Posted on 31 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Holly Days

  

  Thirty years ago today, my wife and I were penniless grad students. Trying to be logical about when to marry—I’d been accepted at Edinburgh University shortly... Read more

  Posted on 30 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY