Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4522 )

• Original Research

  

  “But are you able to continue your research?” they ask. Academics can be so hopelessly naive sometimes. I recently had a notice on academia.edu that I was in th... Read more

  Posted on 12 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Always with You

  

  If you read only one book this year, let it be this one. I picked up Joe Bageant’s Deer Hunting with Jesus at a used book sale because of the title alone. Read more

  Posted on 11 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Mother for a Day

  

  In a world set on tearing itself apart because of its differences, there is one thing every single person has in common. We all have a mother. Read more

  Posted on 10 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Doa

  

  Perhaps it’s just me, but the third season of Through the Wormhole has taken a dramatically metaphysical turn. I always run behind the time when it comes to... Read more

  Posted on 09 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Useful Fantasy

  

  Once upon a time, I heard about a book called The Uses of Enchantment. During my doctoral studies it was recommended to me, and I put it on my to read list. Tha... Read more

  Posted on 08 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Eerie

  

  Those who have trundled alongside of this blog for any length of time no doubt know of my interest in weird fiction. Somewhere in the mists of my youth this... Read more

  Posted on 07 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Biblical Art

  

  Although the United States is a religious nation, according to all polls, not many Americans know about the American Bible Society. Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Who’s Wright?

  

  Upstate New York used to be known as the “Burnt Over District.” In the days of the “Second Great Awakening,” many new religions cropped up in this region—some t... Read more

  Posted on 05 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Two Outlooks

  

  The word polymath used to be applied more easily. In these days of highly specialized training, it is difficult to have expert knowledge in more than a couple o... Read more

  Posted on 04 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Book Culture

  

  The book is not dead. Yesterday, on a warm, sunny spring day that veritably screamed “outdoors,” I found myself standing in line. I was at the Hunterdon County... Read more

  Posted on 03 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Brain Dead

  

  I’ve been thinking about brains (is there any more existential thing to do?). Reading a book this week about the mind (see Thursday’s post) probably has... Read more

  Posted on 02 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Google Me This

  

  Technology frequently flummoxes me. Although I use it daily, it changes more swiftly than I can hope to. Working for a British company, for example, my... Read more

  Posted on 01 May 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Mind the Gap

  

  There’s something on my mind. I guess that’s the normal state of a conscious being. William H. Calvin’s A Brief History of the Mind might clarify that a bit. Read more

  Posted on 30 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Receive History

  

  Sacred texts, without readers, are mere artifacts. While so evident as to be trite, this truth lies behind the area of biblical studies called reception history. Read more

  Posted on 29 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Post Script to Art

  

  At work Christian Century is a magazine that sometimes lands on my desk. I suspect the book reviews are the main reason for this, but I like to skim the... Read more

  Posted on 28 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Plainly Ghosts

  

  Sometimes I’ll buy a book and secret it aside to read later as a kind of reward for making it through some heavier material. Research monographs don’t always... Read more

  Posted on 27 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Bus Fare

  

  The two things most likely to kill you on the streets of Midtown Manhattan are taxi cabs and city buses. Crossing the Fifth Avenue can be a dangerous game of... Read more

  Posted on 26 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Saving Face

  

  Although it has been commented upon in Rate My Professor, my beard is not intended to be impressive. In fact, it’s not really. Since I was quite young I... Read more

  Posted on 25 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• I’m No Legend

  

  First there was The Last Man on Earth with that rare, disappointing performance by Vincent Price. Then there was The Omega Man, putting Charlton Heston into... Read more

  Posted on 24 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Lure of Lore

  

  One of my doctoral advisers, Nick Wyatt, has become a friend over the years. I’m sure he would agree that he is often called a maverick, but in the best possibl... Read more

  Posted on 23 April 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY