For years now I have made my Intro to Bible students list the books of the Bible in order on their final exams. I think that Christians should at least know what is in their Bibles, if they have not actually read everything. Of course, reading it all would be ideal, but at least knowing the table of contents is a start.
Now, this has led to some great misspellings over the years, but I think what I had on one test this year might be an all time high for hilarious misspellings.
Keep in mind, this is not a mashup, these were all on one exam.
The normal misspellings:
Jashua (Joshua)
Esra (Ezra)
Nehimia (Nehemiah)
Isiah (Isaiah)
Lammonations (Lamentations)
Galasians (Galatians)
Phelipians (Philippians)
The funny ones:
Ex Sades (Exodus)
Lavidicus (Leviticus)
Dutereny (Deuteronomy)
1 Colethleans (1 Chronicles)
2 Coletheans (2 Chronicles)
Probers (Proverbs)
Jemiaha (Jeremiah)
Hubbaka (Habakkuk)
Celemons (Colossians)
1 & 2 Thesolionions (1 & 2 Thessalonians)
Runner Up:
Ezekeaskles (Ecclesiastes with an apparent mashup of Ezekiel)
Grand Prize:
Splams (Psalms). Now, I have seen Pslams before, but never Splams.
Good for a laugh during finals week.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Jesus SeM&Minar
Today in my historical Jesus class we conducted our very own Jesus SeM&Minar. Now I must admit, I got this brilliant idea from James McGrath of Exploring our Matrix fame as I used his syllabus as the template for my own course this year as I was teaching it for the first time. I thoroughly modified his syllabus to my own needs, but I had to keep the Jesus SeM&Minar.
The idea is to, Jesus Seminar style, vote on various sayings and/or deeds of Jesus as to their historical probability, but instead of using colored stones, one uses M&Ms. More fun, and hey, you get to eat your vote after you are finished.
Here is how I set up the voting for our class.
These colors more or less correspond to the Jesus Seminar's Red, Pink, Gray, and Black.
I was a little nervous going into the class because my student makeup is to a great extent on the conservative evangelical end of the spectrum and I was afraid of vote after vote of all red M&Ms, because for many conservatives, if it is in the Bible, it has to be historically factual.
I chose 6 sayings/deeds that we were to vote on. They are:
After voting, I had the students defend their positions based on various Jesus criteria (multiple attestation, dissimilarity, embarrassment, coherence, historical plausibility, etc.).
I stacked the deck in my selection of deeds/sayings, choosing some that Jesus scholars clearly think are historical and others that are clearly on the non-historical side. Out of 15 students, plus my vote, here are the results.
Beelzebul: 8 Red, 7 Orange, 1 Green, 0 Brown
Temple Cleansing: 9 Red, 7 Orange, 0 Green, 0 Brown
Water Walking: 6 Red, 2 Orange, 8 Green, 0 Brown
Mustard Seed: 10 Red, 6 Orange, 0 Green, 0 Brown
Dead bury own dead: 9 Red, 5 Orange, 1 Green, 1 Brown
Church Discipline: 4 Red, 6 Orange, 4 Green, 1 Brown
Looking at these vote counts, it was not as I feared. Obviously there was some conservative tilt with a lot of red and orange. The biggest red light issue for me was the walking on water with 8 votes going toward historical authenticity, or at least close to authentic. But, miracles are a touchy issue and I understand the vote, even though I tried to get the students to disengage their belief and try to act under the confines of historical research only.
The other shock for me was perhaps #6, Matthew's exposition on church discipline. This is a largely anachronistic use of the ekklesia, portraying Matthew's Sitz im Leben, not that of Jesus. Yet, this vote was actually the most interesting, because the verses that I had included in the vote really can be broken down into two sections: vv. 15-18 which is talking about church discipline proper, and vv. 19-20, which talk about binding and loosing and where two or more are gathered. I called a re-vote, this time just on vv. 15-18 and the results were fascinating. 1 Red, 2 Orange, 5 Green, and 8 Brown. Wow, 13 people in my class were skeptical or outright dismissive that these words belonged to the historical Jesus. I believe I have succeeded in communicating that the gospels do indeed often represent not just the brute facts of history, but also the concerns of the evangelists themselves.
It has been a really fun class this semester. I have learned a lot, I think my students have learned a lot, and this Jesus SeM&Minar was a great way to bring many themes from throughout the semester into one discussion here at the end of the semester. Thanks again to McGrath for the idea.
Here is how I set up the voting for our class.
Red M&M = He said/did such a thing
Orange M&M = He said/did something like this, but not
exactly as the text(s) present it
Green M&M = He probably did not say/do such a thing
Brown M&M = He almost certainly said/did no
such thingThese colors more or less correspond to the Jesus Seminar's Red, Pink, Gray, and Black.
I was a little nervous going into the class because my student makeup is to a great extent on the conservative evangelical end of the spectrum and I was afraid of vote after vote of all red M&Ms, because for many conservatives, if it is in the Bible, it has to be historically factual.
I chose 6 sayings/deeds that we were to vote on. They are:
1.
The Beelzebul Controversy (Mark 3:20-22, Matt
12:24, Luke 11:15)
2.
The cleansing of the Temple (Mark 11:15-16, Matt
21:12, Luke 19:45, John 2:13-16)
3.
Jesus walking on water (Mark 6:47-52, Matt
14:24-33, John 6:16-21)
4.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32,
Matthew 13:31-32, Luke 13:18-19, Gos Thomas 20)
5.
Let the dead bury their own dead (Luke 9:59-60,
Matthew 8:21-22)
6.
Church Discipline (Matthew 18:15-20)
After voting, I had the students defend their positions based on various Jesus criteria (multiple attestation, dissimilarity, embarrassment, coherence, historical plausibility, etc.).
I stacked the deck in my selection of deeds/sayings, choosing some that Jesus scholars clearly think are historical and others that are clearly on the non-historical side. Out of 15 students, plus my vote, here are the results.
Temple Cleansing: 9 Red, 7 Orange, 0 Green, 0 Brown
Water Walking: 6 Red, 2 Orange, 8 Green, 0 Brown
Mustard Seed: 10 Red, 6 Orange, 0 Green, 0 Brown
Dead bury own dead: 9 Red, 5 Orange, 1 Green, 1 Brown
Church Discipline: 4 Red, 6 Orange, 4 Green, 1 Brown
Looking at these vote counts, it was not as I feared. Obviously there was some conservative tilt with a lot of red and orange. The biggest red light issue for me was the walking on water with 8 votes going toward historical authenticity, or at least close to authentic. But, miracles are a touchy issue and I understand the vote, even though I tried to get the students to disengage their belief and try to act under the confines of historical research only.
The other shock for me was perhaps #6, Matthew's exposition on church discipline. This is a largely anachronistic use of the ekklesia, portraying Matthew's Sitz im Leben, not that of Jesus. Yet, this vote was actually the most interesting, because the verses that I had included in the vote really can be broken down into two sections: vv. 15-18 which is talking about church discipline proper, and vv. 19-20, which talk about binding and loosing and where two or more are gathered. I called a re-vote, this time just on vv. 15-18 and the results were fascinating. 1 Red, 2 Orange, 5 Green, and 8 Brown. Wow, 13 people in my class were skeptical or outright dismissive that these words belonged to the historical Jesus. I believe I have succeeded in communicating that the gospels do indeed often represent not just the brute facts of history, but also the concerns of the evangelists themselves.
It has been a really fun class this semester. I have learned a lot, I think my students have learned a lot, and this Jesus SeM&Minar was a great way to bring many themes from throughout the semester into one discussion here at the end of the semester. Thanks again to McGrath for the idea.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Leaving the SBL
Well, another year, another SBL. Great weather in Chicago this year. The highlight for me: the biblioblogger's gathering last night. Even though I don't blog much anymore, and i felt a little like a poser last night, those bibliobloggers are just the most fun.
A parting pic down Michigan ave as I waited for the airport shuttle.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
A parting pic down Michigan ave as I waited for the airport shuttle.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:S Michigan Ave,Chicago,United States
Thursday, September 6, 2012
God Declares Independent
In a strangely prophetic post last week, I mentioned that if God were to send a hurricane to Charlotte to disrupt the Democratic National Convention, then we would know that God was truly an independent and not tied to either party, since Hurricane Isaac disrupted the RNC. Well, we see through a glass dimly, but we see nonetheless. While it is not a hurricane, strong thunderstorms are expected to roll through Charlotte this evening which has prompted the DNC to move Obama's address from the outdoor venue, Bank of America Stadium, to the Indoor Time Warner Cable Arena.
I guess God thinks that both parties do not represent God's interests right now.
PSA: if you are taking this seriously, see my previous post here.
I guess God thinks that both parties do not represent God's interests right now.
PSA: if you are taking this seriously, see my previous post here.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Dangers of Sarcasm in Print
Using sarcasm in print is always dangerous because print cannot convey things like tone of voice, body language, etc. Therefore, I would like to thank James McGrath for noticing that yesterday's post was indeed a parody.
McGrath calls for consistency among a certain brand of conservative evangelicals who see every natural disaster as God's judgment on sinners. At least be consistent and call Isaac God's judgment against the Republican National Convention.
No doubt, tomorrow morning we will probably read about how Isaac is yet again God's judgment against the "Big Easy," just seven years after his last smackdown of the sinful city with Katrina. But if these hurricanes were God's judgment against New Orleans, must we not also follow logic and declare that God deliberately took momentum out of the Republican Party's national convention in a similar judgment?
Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is: "Don't schedule your party's national convention in a hurricane prone area during the height of hurricane season."
Below is an image from McGrath's blog, speaking to the same issue.
McGrath calls for consistency among a certain brand of conservative evangelicals who see every natural disaster as God's judgment on sinners. At least be consistent and call Isaac God's judgment against the Republican National Convention.
No doubt, tomorrow morning we will probably read about how Isaac is yet again God's judgment against the "Big Easy," just seven years after his last smackdown of the sinful city with Katrina. But if these hurricanes were God's judgment against New Orleans, must we not also follow logic and declare that God deliberately took momentum out of the Republican Party's national convention in a similar judgment?
Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is: "Don't schedule your party's national convention in a hurricane prone area during the height of hurricane season."
Below is an image from McGrath's blog, speaking to the same issue.
Monday, August 27, 2012
God Declares against the Republicans
I guess we will have to wait to see if God also sends a hurricane to Charlotte in a couple of weeks, thus declaring himself an independent. As one who lives in NC, here's to the democrats.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
LOST: The Final Tally
Well, the re-watch is done, and I can say that the show is still every bit as satisfying on re-watch as it was the first time through.
One thing that my wife and I did this time through was to tally up several aspects. You can see my ragged tally list in this picture. One tally list records how many flash back/flash forward/flash sideways episodes a certain character got. That is, how much time did the show spend developing certain characters. Here is the list in order of episodes each character got.
- Jack: 12 episodes (7 flash back, 2 flash forward, 1 present, and 2 flash sideways)
- Locke: 10 episodes (9 flash back, 1 flash sideways)
- Kate: 9 episodes (7 flash back, 1 flash forward, 1 flash sideways)
- Jin and Sun (counted together because they could not be separated): 8 episodes (6 flash back, 1 flash forward/flash back, 1 flash sideways)
- Sayeed: 7 episodes (5 flashback, 1 flash forward, 1 flash sideways)
- Desmond: 7 episodes (6 flash back, 1 flash sideways)
- Sawyer: 6 episodes (5 flash back, 1 flash sideways)
- Hurley: 6 episodes (4 flash back, 1 flash forward, 1 flash sideways)
- Charlie: 4 episodes (4 flash back)
- Ben: 4 episodes (2 flash back, 1 flash forward, 1 flash sideways)
- Walt and Michael: 4 episodes (4 flash back)
- Eko: 3 episodes (3 flash back)
- Juliette: 3 episodes (3 flash back)
- Claire: 3 episodes (3 flash back)
- Ana Lucia: 2 episodes (2 flash back)
- Boone: 1 episode (1 flash back)
- Shannon: 1 episode (1 flash back)
- Rose and Bernard: 1 episode (1 flash back)
- Richard: 1 episode (1 flash back)
- Daniel: 1 episode (1 flash back)
- Miles: 1 episode (1 flash back)
- Jacob and Smokey: 1 episode (1 flash back)
- Nikki and Paulo: 1 episode (1 flash back)
Notice the number 23?
Other characters on the show with significant roles but no dedicated episodes:
Libby
Rousseau
Alex
Charlotte
Lapidas
Penny
Widmore
Eloise
Ilana
Christian
Cassidy
Nadia
Does this list by number of dedicated episodes fairly depict the importance of the characters in LOST?
Some surprises to me: That Desmond jumps ahead of both Sawyer and Hurley, that Daniel, whom I feel fairly connected to, only had 1 flashback, that Nikki and Paulo ever deserved an episode.
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