Greenflame

Jottings on science, religion, technology, pop culture, photography and faith from the Aotearoa New Zealand

  • Theology and Popular Culture Gateway

    The Dept. of Theology at the University of Birmingham, UK have a useful web portal to

    a range of web resources that are relevant to the study of religion, theology and popular culture. Some of these websites are for academic journals, or for research projects based in academic institutions. Other sites are aimed at a more popular audience, but can be useful sources of information and can illustrate how religious groups interact with different forms of popular culture.

    You can find it at: Theology and Popular Culture Gateway

  • Earth Bible – Reading the Bible from the Perspective of the Earth

    Saw this the other day. I’ve been thinking (& lecturing) about the imago Dei recently and its implications for humanities relationship with the world and this seemed helpful possibility if they finish it. And it has an Antipodean flavour.

    From their web site at: Earth Bible

    The basic aims of the Earth Bible Project are to

    1. develop ecojustice principles appropriate to an earth hermeneutic for interpreting the Bible and for promoting justice and healing of Earth;
    2. publish these interpretations as contributions to the current debate on ecology, ecoethics and ecotheology;
    3. provide a responsible forum within which the suppressed voice of Earth may be heard and impulses for healing Earth may be generated.”

  • Life goes on (and on…)

    Been finishing off my poster presentation for Auckland Uni’s Exposure03 event next week which has been hard work. There’s nothing like trying to take your theology into the marketplace to get you reexamining your assumptions and how you present it to a different audience. How will it stand up against medicine, science, engineering, law and arts presentations? Should I even be concerned about that and just let it stand on its own merits? I think they’re important.

    Typically posters have the scientific: aim, method, results (graphs etc.), conclusions model. Works well if you’re into experiments – does not work well if you spend most of your time reading dead theologians etc.

    Will post a copy of the poster when it’s done.

    Back to the lecture prep.

  • Wellington rugby

    I’m a big fan of Wellington sport – especially the Lions and Hurricanes rugby teams. Yesterday the Lions gave us a rollercoaster ride in their 38-38 draw in the Ranfurly Shield challenge with Canterbury.
    (See Wellington come-from-behind effort not enough to lift shield.)

    I’ve often thought the Wellington teams are just like the church – at times completely woeful and at other times reaching sublime heights – and often within the same game. Not enough listening to the coach?

    Anyway, thanks to the boys for a great experience – now concentrate for the whole game!

    For more information on the Wellington Lions and Hurricanes rugby team click on the lion below.

  • Subvertising

    I was struck the other day by a couple of self-subverting advertisements on TV – both by banks.

    The ANZ ad for their banking services that remove the need to use a branch with real people leaves their character “Ira Goldstein” feeling unhappy and missing the human contact. The message – buy this product and have yet another social element of your life removed and replaced by an impersonal system.

    And the BNZ’s appropriation of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” for their ads also seems odd given the opening lyrics from that song:

    ‘Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, this life
    Try to make ends meet
    You’re a slave to money then you die…’

    Still as we all know “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, and marketing people are from some other dimension.”

    From some really subversive responses to advertising and consumerism check out:

    AdbustersCulture Jammers Headquarters
    www.subvertise.org – “Advertising serves not so much to advertise products as to promote consumption as a way of life.”

    I’m very much reminded of what Amos had to say about this kind of thing in Amos 8:4-6

    Hear this, you who trample the needy
    and do away with the poor of the land,

    saying,

    “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain,
    and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?” –
    skimping the measure,
    boosting the price
    and cheating with dishonest scales,
    buying the poor with silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals,
    selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

  • “0wnz0red”

    A cyberpunk short story about programmers who hack their own bodies, don’t need exercise and never get sick by Cory Doctorow. A nice fictional example of the posthuman intent that my research is examining. From Salon.com’s web site: “0wnz0red”

    If you need help decoding some of the geekspeak see Glossary for the Jargon File and Leet – Wikipedia

  • CTNS–Embryos from Stem Cells?

    Ted Peters raises some good questions about stem cell research and Christian bioethics in his brief editorial on the CTNS (Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences) web site: CTNS–Embryos from Stem Cells?.

    Poses a few questions for those who follow the Augustinian view of linking the transmission of original sin with the sexual reproductive act.

  • Technology and faith bibliography

    I’m giving a lecture on science, technology and faith in the contemporary world at BCNZ in a few weeks time and I’ve added the bibliography I’m giving to the class to the web site. Like all these things it started off small and grew (and is still very incomplete) – hence the “Quick Start” section at the top to get them up and going.

    See Technology and faith

  • Requiem for a space probe

    Always a fan of interplantary probes I remember the hype around the launch of the Galileo probe to Jupiter back in 1989. Now 14 years later it’s finally going out in style.

    NASA’s Galileo Heads for Its Grand Finale Plunge

  • All We Like Sheep…

    Following up on the ecology theme from yesterday I’ve been reading some of Andrew Linzey’s stuff (e.g. Animal Theology) recently as part of looking at how the doctrine of the image of God might relate beyond the normal “domination/stewardship” model normally discussed in that context. An accessible article by Linzey on the gospel and its implications for the redemption of creation and relationship, in particular, with animals can be found at:

    All We Like Sheep…

    Any references to articles containing on the widening of the imago Dei to non-human species would be appreciated. I have a few relating to artificial intelligence research already in the file.