Welcome back to the ongoing Emerging Scholars Network Sci-Fi Film Festival! I'm having conversations on various classic and current science fiction movies. Feel free to watch along and join the conversation. This week's film is 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. The conclusion of the 40+ year Star Wars saga was too big for one guest, so this week I'm joined by previous contributors Mike Beidler and Sam Blair and new addition to the festival Will Rose. The conversation was also two big for one post; … [Read more...] about Sci-Fi Film Fest: Talking The Rise of Skywalker (Pt 2)
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Science Corner: Lent 2019
As my church background does not have a strong Lenten tradition, I decided to take a look at what Pope Francis has written about Lent in his annual messages for this season. Since he is a scientist and a theologian, I thought he would be a good point of reference. While the sermons are not primarily focused on science, a few themes related to science did emerge within a broader discussion of love, charity and compassion and other facets of the Gospel. … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Lent 2019
Science Corner: What the FOXP2 Say
Regardless of how one understands our relationship to the animal kingdom, many of us are interested in what distinguishes us biologically from animals, especially the animals most similar to us: chimpanzees, gorillas, and the like. Thanks to genomics and widely quoted numbers like 98% genetic similarity between humans and chimps, DNA becomes central to how we answer that question. One gene that has become popular to mention in that conversation is FOXP2. There is evidence linking FOXP2 to language, and of course … [Read more...] about Science Corner: What the FOXP2 Say
Review: Thinking Through Creation
With Thinking Through Creation, Chris Watkin succeeds brilliantly in providing a short, clear and accessible volume that sets the reader on a path towards his stated goal of developing a biblical “interpretive grid” to understand culture (p. 3). … [Read more...] about Review: Thinking Through Creation
Book Review: Embracing the Body
Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh and Bone, Tara M. Owens. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015. Summary: An invitation to move beyond guilt and shame around our embodied selves to discover the goodness of our bodies and how God made us, meets us, and works through our bodied lives. … [Read more...] about Book Review: Embracing the Body