Divinity United

Here is the concluding quote from a recent study by Kuznekoff and Titsworth on the use of texting and social media posts by students in the classroom: ". . . students who use their mobile phones during class lectures tend to write down less information, recall less information, and perform worse on a multiple-choice test than those students who abstain from using their mobile phones during class." Cited from,  J. H. Kuznekoff and S. Titsworth,"The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning." Communication Education, 62.3 (2013): 233-252 at 251. Not any surprise here. This is also why texting and driving are illegal in most places. Some further illuminating quotes from the study are as follows: "The practical implication stemming from the tests surrounding hypothesis 2 is that students who were actively texting/posting simply recalled less information than students who were not texting/posting. Specifically, students in the control group...

Ran across this post on the value of recreational reading as important and a valuable human activity. There is some wonderful discussion of P.G. Wodehouse, one of my favorite authors, as an example of excellent recreational reading. The post and Wodehouse are worth some time of recreational reading.

For those interested in what some biblical scholars are saying about Reza Aslan's book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. A selection of reviews and blog comments are located below. I highly recommend Robert Gundry's razor-sharp review, but you can't go wrong with Le Donne, Hurtado, Evans, and Carey either. Reviews:  Robert Gundry's review of Zealot  in Books and Culture "Jesus as a Jewish Jihadist":  http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/2013/novdec/jesus-as-jewish-jihadist.html Anthony Le Donne at Jesus Blog:  http://historicaljesusresearch.blogspot.ca/2013/07/a-usually-happy-fellow-reviews-aslans.html#more Larry Hurtado:  http://larryhurtado.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/zombie-claims-and-jesus-the-zealot/ Craig Evans at Christianity Today:  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/august-web-only/zealot-reza-aslan-tells-same-old-story-about-jesus.html Greg Carey at the Huffington Post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-care...

I can tell from postings of mine over the last few months or the lack of posts that it has been a busy semester. I just added a link under Blog List to the Jesus Blog run by Anthony Le Donne and Chris Keith. There are posting some interesting things about historical Jesus research. You can find them here:  http://historicaljesusresearch.blogspot.ca/  

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada is sponsoring a student presentation initiative of what makes the humanities and social sciences great. Students can make a three minute video or other social media presentation and compete Canada-wide for 25 finalist spots. More information below: SSHRC launches student contest to promote liberal arts research   The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has launched a contest that challenges PSE (post-secondary) students to show Canadians how liberal arts research is “affecting our lives, our world and our future prosperity.” SSHRC is accepting submissions from November 1 to January 15 in the form of a 3-minute pitch via podcast, op-ed, video, or infographic. The top 25 finalists will receive registration and accommodation at SSHRC’s Congress 2014 conference in May, at which they will promote their project and participate in a research communications workshop. 5 jury-chosen presenters will the...

Wycliffe Centre for Scripture and Theology Fall Colloquium 2013 announced . It is a geat line-up on "Reading Paul: Exegetical Method and Interpretation after the 'New Perspectives.'" ............................................................................................................................................................ Reading Paul: Exegetical Method and Interpretation After the "New Perspectives" Presentations by Dr. Ian W. Scott   (Tyndale) "Overview of the 'New Perspectives'" Author of Paul's Way of Knowing: Story, Experience, and Spirit. Baker, 2008. 9:15am Dr. Douglas Harink   (King's College) "Prolegomena to an Imagined Project: Systematic Theology as a Commentary on Romans" Author of 1 & 2 Peter. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Brazos, 2009; Paul among the Postliberals:...

Dr. Thomas Albert Howard of Gordon College in Wenham, Mass recently wrote a article for Inside Higher Ed entitled "The Promise of Religious Colleges."  Howard argues that the current challenges facing higher education actually offer religious institutions of higher education "a propitious opportunity." The positives as he states them are, first, that religious institutions are still about the personal, about the interaction between faculty and students not just in the classroom but also, and almost more importantly, outside the classroom. The discussion of things that matter and the mentoring that occurs at these institutions is something that cannot be offered in the same way or at all at larger universities. Second, codes of conduct still exist are religious institutions and need not seem antiquated. Third, these universities and colleges focus on vocation and calling and not career. The religious institutions challenge students to shape their lives and fu...