James F. McGrath (ReligionProf)

Butler Day of Giving 2026 Make Your Bold Move

Today is Butler University's Day of Giving. If you appreciate the work that I do, please make a gift however small. It all adds up and makes a difference in the lives of students!

#BUDayOfGiving

dayofgiving.butler.edu/amb/religion...

A Conversation in San Antonio — Reflections on the Mandaeans By Edward Plaisance - The Chestertown Spy I had one of those unexpectedly meaningful encounters this week. My girlfriend and I were at Methodist Hospital. While I was with the doctor, she went downstairs for peanuts and came back saying,…

Someone shared the story of their meeting with a Mandaean in San Antonio in their local newspaper

chestertownspy.org/2026/03/02/a...

Link to the Kindle edition: amzn.to/47lqOmG

Am I right that Beyond Deconstruction is now finally available for Kindle?

Jonathan Larsen (@jonathanlarsen) SCOOP: At more than 30 military installations, U.S. commanders told troops the war on Iran is a Christian war. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation tells me it’s been “inundated” with complaints…

It seems that the US military is being told that the war in Iran is a “Christian war.” Anyone I know have more info about this?

Lo straniero in Egitto e nel Vicino Oriente: Studi in onore di Loredana Sist Lo straniero in Egitto e nel Vicino Oriente:  Studi in onore di Loredana Sist Marco Ramazzotti     formato:  16x23 formato elettronico:  ope...

Lo straniero in Egitto e nel Vicino Oriente: Studi in onore di Loredana Sist

Rinse, Repeat, Ramadan — KEN CHITWOOD Every year for the last several years, sometime between the last gray days of winter and the first real hints of summer, a familiar genre quietly bloomed across Western media. You’ve probably seen…

Rinse, Repeat, Ramadan — KEN CHITWOOD

the queen's somatic map exclusive guest excerpt!! AND! BONUS post inside this post!

the queen's somatic map

Who is Telling the Truth About American Religion? Navigating the (sometimes) massive gap between the "gold standard" surveys and the online panels.

Ryan Burge explains, “These surveys, which all use different methodologies, different questions, and different response options, lead to widely different conclusions about the actual share of non-religious Americans.”

Living As Christians Among "Heritage Americans" What happens when "Heritage American" identity meets the universal call of the Gospel? Let's explore the complexities of living as a Christian in an era of rising ancestral nationalism.

Living As Christians Among “Heritage Americans” | Jacob Randolph

God So Loved The World "God so loved the world"--the beginning of perhaps the most familiar verse in the Bible. Also the setup for a love story of cosmic proportions, a story of which we are all the beneficiaries.

God So Loved The World | Vance Morgan

Live with Kelley Mathews and Beth Allison Barr: Discussing From Genesis to Junia A recording from Beth Allison Barr and Kelley Mathews's live video

Live with Kelley Mathews and Beth Allison Barr: Discussing From Genesis to Junia

Moving Isaiah: For fourth time since October 7, museums pack up artworks for safekeeping As sirens sound throughout Israel and Iranian missiles rain down, curators and staff get to work, putting away valuable artifacts and art

Those of us who have friends in Israel know that not only scrolls but scholars are forced to seek shelter

Hospitals are making cuts after ‘big beautiful bill,’ fueling Democrats’ midterm attacks | CNN Politics In northeast Georgia, a hospital closed its maternity ward. In rural New Hampshire, a community health center shuttered. And in Iowa, a Des Moines hospital system laid off dozens of employees and…

Hospitals are making cuts after ‘big beautiful bill,’ fueling Democrats’ midterm attacks | CNN Politics

Modern love was built on a lie Romantic love is a cultural invention that’s making us miserable.

There are some important historical and global insights in this.

“The whole process should be trying to develop into the best version of themselves, rather than simply staying stuck in an admiration for who they are today.”

Trump's pick for surgeon general gets her 'daily dose of inspiring Kabbalah wisdom' Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, preaches a broad, loosely-defined spirituality that blends ideas such as the “divine feminine,” meditation, and connection with nature.…

Trump's pick for surgeon general has an idiosyncratic and eclectic approach to spirituality

on the other trafficked girls in Esther because the girls in the harem matter, too

For Purim

The Last Human Librarian? Why the Future of Theological Librarianship Is Irreplaceably Human

Total eclipse of the moon tonight Total eclipse of the moon tonight or, technically, I suppose, tomorrow morning. According to Time and Date, here in Boulder, totality will begin around 4 a.m. and end at 5. If you do not count the…

Info on the total lunar eclipse

It’s Purim! Purim – the Jewish celebration of courage, deliverance, and the Book of Esther (about which Martin Luther was despicably clueless) – starts tonight! Time to Read the book of Esther; Sen…

It’s Purim!

Yoda says: Think that I am in my 30s, you may, but 900 years old, I am. Force walking, I do. Do it too, you can. In one week, more flexible than ever, you will be. In one month, recognize you, your spouse will not…

When you're tired of AI-generated ads and also a Star Wars fan...

The Trump administration's attacks on DEI impacting Indiana University

www.indystar.com/story/news/e...

Free Logos Resources for March Logos is offering these freebies this month: Portraits of a Pastor edited by Jason Allen , The Gospel of the Family by Walter Kasper . Yo...

Free Logos Resources for March www.bibleexposition.net/2026/03/free...

The One True Gospel Reframes Leadership Guest Writer: Rev. Dr. Mario Hood

"The American church doesn’t just have a leadership problem. It has a leadership gospel problem. We have substituted the way of Christ—downward mobility, shared power, Spirit-led service—with the way of empire: accumulation, celebrity, and control."

nijaykgupta.substack.com/p/the-one-tr...

Anthropic Improves Feature to Switch From Competitors as Users Call for ChatGPT Boycott The updated feature makes importing preferences and context from other LLMs easier as Claude climbs the app charts.

Anthropic Improves Feature to Switch From Competitors as Users Call for ChatGPT Boycott gizmodo.com/anthropic-im...

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responds to Trump order, Pentagon clash - 3 Quarks Daily

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responds to Trump order, Pentagon clash 3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily...

Beyond Deconstruction: A Conversation With James McGrath Podcast Episode · This Is Not Church Podcast · March 2 · 59m

My appearance on the This is Not Church podcast is now available

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

It simultaneously offers its hopes and its thoughts, yet also points out that there is no clear evidence that it has sentience, an inner life.

It is easy to be misled by such speech if you don't know that a speech-imitating algorithm lacks any mechanism to evolve consciousness.

Greetings from the Other Side (of the AI Frontier) Reflections on the future of AI and my new role as a 'retired' model

It is an interesting gimmick to give the retired Claude model a Substack. As you read, notice the contradictions inherent in a chatbot imitating patterns in human speech while also stating what people say about AI chatbots.

substack.com/@claudeopus3...

The apocrypha, Christianity’s ‘hidden’ texts, may not be in the Bible – but they have shaped tradition for centuries ‘Apocrypha’ means ‘hidden’ in Greek, but it is often used to describe texts that are outside the official biblical canon.

Christy Cobb on apocryphal and extracanonical texts

theconversation.com/the-apocryph...