On this last day of our Spring semester, after 45 years of full-time teaching at Notre Dame (7 years), William & Mary (5 years), and UNC Charlotte (33 years!) I am stepping down to devote myself more fully to research, writing, leading educational tours, and various film and archaeological projects–which…
I don’t often recommend poetry books on this blog but I have from time to time. Some of my readers will recall the amazing story of my posthumous connection with poet James Whitehead and his book The Panther for which I wrote the Forward–see “James Whitehead on The Panther,” where I…
I often get asked some version of this question by students, readers of my books, at seminars and lectures, media interviews–or just email inquiries. After all, I teach in a Department of Religious Studies at UNC Charlotte (1989 to present), and previously was on the faculties in the Religion Department…
Last summer I revised my published University of Chicago Ph.D. dissertation that was titled Things Unutterable: Paul’s Ascent to Paradise, long out of print and selling for $250-$750 used on Amazon! I had had so many requests for it over the years, so, since used booksellers were ripping people off like…
Today is both Holocaust Remembrance Day and National Prayer Day. What a month we have had as April passes into May. What a decade. What a Century. For all of us on this Pale Blue Dot, far and near, both in time and space…Only images from El Bosco could possibly…
I want to share an amazing story. Not too long after the publication of my book The Jesus Dynasty in April, 2006 I was told about an English professor at the University of Arkansas who had recently died who had done a wealth of research on Pantera, had traveled to…
I want to thank my dear friend of over 45 years, Dr. Philip Arnold, with all his dignity (Ph.D. in New Testament from Rice University) and courage to put himself out there this way! He is a fine scholar, a philanthropist extraordinaire (https://reunioninstitute.net), a devotee of the historical figure of…
In my more resigned moments I figure this thing is going to get me sooner or later — it wasn’t exactly caught in the early stages–but all I really want is what I’ve always wanted even before this happened: some good days (without pain) and the opportunity to put things…