This Advent, do not assume a spherical Jesus
Spherical Cow, from Abstruse Goose via The Last Word on Nothing. Creative commons 3.0. You know, I thought I had just coined the phrase, “spherical Jesus.” But no. UPDATED 12/7 I woke up this morning and realized this post, as it was, made no sense. So I dropped the Harold Camping business and added Jesus. [...]
Buddha’s back
Image source: introductionbuddhism.info Pray allow me me a little self-disclosure. I am Christian in faith and practice. Nine hundred ninety-nine days out of a thousand, I don’t give serious thought to religions outside my own. I have had several opportunities to learn about Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc., some of them firsthand, but my understanding of [...]
The only way out is through
Madelene Purdie, Stations of the Cross. Purdie, an Australian aboriginal artist, follows the minority convention of placing a resurrected Christ in a 15th panel When in seminary I had a New Testament professor who said something I will always remember. He said that of all the world’s religions he preferred Buddhism and Christianity because these [...]
More on the 9/11 cross
Photo by Mario Tama As we all know, American Atheists have filed a lawsuit against those who plan to display a cross-shaped piece of wreckage at the 9/11 memorial. This is an artifact that brought comfort to many Americans, most particularly New Yorkers and those who were involved in the cleanup of Lower Manhattan. And [...]
Did Jesus really die for our sins?
Fritz Eichenberg, The Black Crucifixion, 1963. Placing a black Christ on the cross changes the meaning of the image. We may need a change in our understanding of the atonement and of Christ’s passion and death. Image source: Sacred Art Pilgrim We’re in the Christian season of Lent, and Lent is a good time to [...]
Hovercraft Jesus and the problem of love
There are rules here at psnt.net. One of them is: There shall be no posts even remotely related to Justin Bieber or his mom. Another one is: Never post images that flash, make noise, or move. But when we saw this sweet animated gif, our resistance proved futile. Image source: lol god As many of [...]
Living and loving in the multiverse, or, the trouble with Jesus as a dolphin
Guglielmo, Jorge in Wonderland, 2007. Jorge Luis Borges is the author of The Garden of Forking Paths, published in 1941. It is one of the earliest literary uses of the idea of parallel universes. The idea now carries a degree of scientific respect, a reality that we here at psnt.net are having a hard time [...]
Fear not
Sandro Botticelli, Mystic Nativity, 1501. National Gallery, London. Click on the image for a high-resolution version. Image source: Wikimedia Commons Dear Alert Readers, I hope this find each of you enjoying a day of celebration and rest. Christmas is to me the greatest of all miracles. Holy Week is sobering, Easter is wonderful, but Christmas [...]
Why I am a Christian
Marc Chagall, White Crucifixion, 1938. This is my favorite image that reflects Jesus’ love for the world. Chagall was Jewish (note Jesus’ prayer shawl) and the background images show scenes form the Holocaust. Image source: The Art Institute of Chicago For those of you who are new to psnt.net, welcome. For those of you who [...]
Advent II: Karl Barth and the nativity’s troubling ambiguity
Georges de La Tour, The Newborn Christ, 1645-48. Source: Wikimedia Commons Every time I read Karl Barth I end up feeling like a moron. He utterly convinces me of the thinness of my theology and the poverty of my understanding of Christ. So, predictably, I don’t read too much of him. But for my church [...]
