Moon Mysteries

By Eric Sorte

The question of the origin of our moon may sound frivolous, but it's a serious question that could reveal much about life on Earth.

Science & Nature | Dispatches

Jesus, Son of Aslan

By Wendy Love Anderson

For some readers, this may be a new and exciting–even revolutionary!–perspective on the historical Jesus. Aslan certainly hopes so: he describes Zealot as the culmination of “two decades of rigorous academic research into the origins of Christianity.” For scholars, however, Aslan’s research is neither novel nor especially rigorous. It is clear that Aslan has indeed been fascinated by the historical Jesus since his teenage years, but he is not an academic specialist in the New Testament or in early Christianity, and he does himself a disservice by portraying himself as one.

Reviews

Akin For A Fight

By Lana Stein

"What is important in this volume is not necessarily Akin’s history of his career. Rather the book illustrates the key characteristics of many in the Christian right who make a difference at the ballot box. When there is such fundamental belief in certain tenets, political and societal division is inevitable and gridlock prevails."

Reviews

Narciss-omics

By Susan Gelman

Despite mockery of the suffix, scientifically-validated 'omics'—genomics, proteonomics, metabolomics—are becoming valuable tools for biomedical research.

Science & Nature | Dispatches

Actions Louder Than Words

By Edward McPherson

Today's films revel in saturated noise. The silent films of Buster Keaton, by contrast, bring us back to a time when film narrative worked its silent magic in ways that also asked us to impose our imaginations upon what we could only see.

Reviews

“Genesis”

By Samuel Autman

"Eden’s days come back in shards of fractured memories, contextualized conjecture and research, and my mother's voice as the old reliable washing machine that spins and recycles for years after the events. I cling to these fleeting blissful moments from life on Crescent Avenue in Hillsdale, suburban St. Louis. We were as idyllic an American family as any with a mama and daddy, a son and a daughter and a German shepherd in the fenced backyard. Almost all of the actual pictures are gone. St. Louis County police and court records provide Suburban police reports reveal a patchwork quilt where compression is distortion and repetition alters the fabric."

Reviews

Research On Research

By Susan Gelman

With a science world more and more inundated with research findings and publications, scientists are realizing the value of institutionalized scrutiny.

Science & Nature | Dispatches

Heart of Hearing

By Patrick Burke

Although recommended to readers with an interest in Bacharach or in popular song of his era, Anyone Who Had a Heart is an unsatisfying book. Readers hoping that Burt Bacharach’s autobiography will reveal new depths in the man and his music may find that both come to seem shallower than ever.

Reviews

Long Sorry Short

By Nancy Berg

In a land known for its bold writers and artists, Israeli scribe Etgar Keret stands apart as an author unafraid of regret.

Uncategorized | Dispatches

Devout Unbelief, Part 4

By Ed Firmage, Jr.

In his final post on losing his religion, author Firmage asserts that religion, at its best, is truth that transcends history.

Uncategorized | Dispatches

Skip to content