Monthly Archives: January 2005

Being involved in a website like that of the Quartz Hill School of Theology I do get email. Most of it is quite positive, though once in awhile I get some negative stuff that can be unpleasant, but it’s what … Continue reading →

In Douglas Adam’s humorous novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, scientists build the computer Deep Thought and ask it “the great Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” After contemplating for seven and a half million years, the computer … Continue reading →

I have run across the oddest comments lately by various people about the supposed erosion of freedom in the United States. Desmond Tutu is recorded in a recent Newsweek web interview, of making the following statement: “I was teaching in … Continue reading →

The importance of freedom is easily underestimated. Many years ago I taught at an institution with a rather strict statement of faith. Rather than being descriptive, it was prescriptive. In order to work there, one had to abide by every … Continue reading →

Superstition imagines that there is a way to manipulate God. After all, I can pour gasoline into my lawnmower, pull the cord, and proceed to make my lawn look well cared for. By my actions, I have control over how … Continue reading →

The best selling author Larry Niven once got a letter from a reader upbraiding him for the beliefs and attitudes of one of the characters in a novel he wrote. Larry Niven responded this way: “We in the writing profession … Continue reading →

Ann Lamott wrote a book called Bird by Bird, which discusses what it is to be a writer. One chapter title in the book is “Someone to Read Your Drafts”. She talks about the importance of finding a close friend … Continue reading →

When God revealed himself to the human race, he decided to do it by way of literature. I’m sure his thought was that we human beings enjoy stories, understand stories, understand how literature works, and so what could be an … Continue reading →

I do not understand the oposition of some Christians to the Harry Potter books. Especially those who on the one hand criticize Harry Potter and then praise C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of The Rings. It strikes … Continue reading →

One of the differences I’ve very recently realized between writng nonfiction and fiction relates to their very nature. When writing a fiction, one of the cardinal rules is that as an author, I must “show” instead of “tell.” This is … Continue reading →