Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4674 )

• 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

• Poppins Fresh

  

  The holiday season often means doing things out of the ordinary. Despite writing books that deal with movies, I can’t afford to see them in theaters often, but... Read more

  Posted on 29 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Fossilized Ideas

  

  In our current political climate, perspective helps quite a bit. Indeed, one of the shortcomings of our conscious species is our inability to think much beyond... Read more

  Posted on 28 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Cult of Relaxation

  

  Relaxation comes with a price. As with most people who work hard, I find taking more than a day or two off work tricky. It’s not that I want to go to work, but... Read more

  Posted on 27 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Puzzling Traditions

  

  Like most families, we have tried over the years to develop our own holiday traditions. These, like all things, evolve. When I was a professor the semester brea... Read more

  Posted on 26 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Christmas Lights

  

  How many people read a blog on a major holiday? The process of writing takes no vacations, however, and I often think of holidays as a time to write. Read more

  Posted on 25 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Night Before Reading

  

  Like many people bound to their circumstances by work (and now a mortgage) I see travel to far-off places is a dream. On my personal bucket-list is Iceland. Read more

  Posted on 24 December 2018 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY