Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4113 )

• Rising of the Sun

  

  “When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound,” the old hymn goes, “and time shall be no more…” Before Trump’s election I always supposed this might have something... Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Ready, Ames,

  

  Ames, Iowa is famous for many things. Not only is it where my wife grew up and where we were married, but it’s also the home city of Howard Bannister from What’... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Heal Thyself

  

  One thing we can say about the misguided leadership of this country is that they’re taking the Bible seriously. As the Republicans roll out a “healthcare” plan... Read more

  Posted on 10 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Seeing Belief

  

  Although most of us can recognize it on sight, we have a difficult time defining religion. In the early parts of Film as Religion: Myths, Morals, and Rituals,... Read more

  Posted on 09 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• All There Is To Know

  

  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude but I just had to laugh. A friend sent me an article from Science Alert titled “A Physicist Just Explained Why the Large... Read more

  Posted on 08 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Do Unto Yourself

  

  Selfishness goes by many names. One of the strangest is “Christianity.” I wouldn’t presume to define a religion, but some time back my wife sent me a story abou... Read more

  Posted on 07 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Excarnation

  

  To those raised in the Christian tradition incarnation is a familiar concept. The idea, more complex than it sounds, is that God becomes human. Read more

  Posted on 06 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• An Apple a Day

  

  Have you ever bitten into a piece of rotten fruit? I suspect most of us have had the unpleasant experience. From the outside the apple looks fine but that... Read more

  Posted on 05 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Beating Around the Bush

  

  You know things are bad when another president who couldn’t win the popular vote criticizes you. Don’t get me wrong—criticism is good. In my academic existence... Read more

  Posted on 04 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Cargo of Cults

  

  Among religious studies scholars “cult,” in the popular sense, is a swear word. Professionals in the field don’t use it because it implies that a belief... Read more

  Posted on 03 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• World Stories

  

  Although I’ve not formally studied it, Buddhism has long been part of my thought process. Like Thomas Merton—and this may be the only point of comparison betwee... Read more

  Posted on 02 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Admission Price

  

  The drama of acquiring Adele Reinhartz’s Bible and Cinema: An Introduction almost overshadows the joy of reading it at last. Back in my teaching days I... Read more

  Posted on 01 March 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Doing the Math

  

  Erich Fromm once defined evil as “attraction to what is dead, decaying, lifeless, and purely mechanical.” Certainly Fromm doesn’t hold the cachet he once did,... Read more

  Posted on 28 February 2017 POLITICS

• Signs and Portents

  

  Horror movies are, of course, more than escapism. Although it’s taken many years academics are starting to pay some attention to them. Read more

  Posted on 27 February 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Seeing Thinks

  

  Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a dude! What what is it? It’s actually a cloud. I enjoy the entries on Mysterious Universe, but sometimes a cigar is... Read more

  Posted on 26 February 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The New Neighbors

  

  Apartment dwellers often ponder new neighbors. If anything gives the lie to being in control of your own destiny, renting your domicile does. Read more

  Posted on 25 February 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Dreaming Reality

  

  The problem with monsters is that they’re not easily reduced to a lowest common denominator. This becomes clear in an article about the under explored (from a... Read more

  Posted on 24 February 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Devil of a Time

  

  One might be excused for thinking so much about the Devil these days. Displays of lies and evil intentions are on pretty obvious display at the highest levels. Read more

  Posted on 23 February 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Bigger Bibles

  

  The Book of Jubilees. 1 Enoch. It’s been years since I’ve read these “apocryphal” books. I’m thinking about them today because of the concept of canon. Read more

  Posted on 22 February 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Lunar New Years

  

  Celebrating the New Year in the middle of winter is a strange idea, at first glance. As I have discussed before, January 1 is “Circumcision-style New Year,”... Read more

  Posted on 21 February 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY