My Blog Is 4!

Today is my blog’s fourth birthday!

This year, I mostly blogged through my academic reading for my comprehensive examinations.  And my blogging helped me immensely on my comps, for going through my blogs about the books that I read planted or reinforced things in my mind that I used on those tests.

Now that I’ve passed my comps, I’m still blogging through academic books.  I’m doing so in order to gain more knowledge, which will help me once I start to write articles and teach.  I hope to be writing book reviews for publication, thereby building my CV.

Some people may have been turned off by my academic posts, but others have found them helpful.  Personally, I can identify with those who don’t find those posts appealing, since they might not strike people as all that edifying.  I think that the historical-critical method can be seen the way that a commenter described it under a post I wrote on Leviticus 11, in which I discuss Baruch Levine’s presentation of reasons for the dietary laws: “So this kinda proves a divine intelligence at work and not a bunch of ancient carnal lugheads trying to palm off their own ideas!”

But I’ll continue to write these posts, and it’s not just to prepare myself professionally.  There’s something therapeutic about it.  Having to work through an academic piece of literature—as I summarize or evaluate a scholar’s argument, and seek something in it that I find interesting—takes my mind off of my problems and my negative emotions.  And there is a sense of accomplishment that I feel after I write my academic posts.  I’m not sure what to do with scholarly insights on a theological basis, but maybe that will come together some day.

So expect more posts on religious scholarship!  But I will also blog about other things, such as church, Stephen King, movies, etc.

My Blog is 3!

Today is my blog’s third birthday.

Throughout the week, I’ve been looking forward to writing this post, thinking about things to write.  (Yes, I’m that narcissistic!  Or, at least, I’m that obsessed with my blog!)  Now that it’s my blog’s birthday and I’m actually in front of my computer writing this post, I’m like “duh”.

This past year, I blogged a lot about my academics, as I read books for my comps, picked out something in them that interested me, and wrote about it.  Many of my posts were composite, in that they covered more than one topic, sometimes seven at a time!

I also blogged about books I was reading for fun, such as Phyllis Schlafly’s Power of the Positive Woman, Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique, Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, Jerry Coyne’s Why Evolution Is True, and others.  Blogging really does help me in my reading.  Believe it or not, I’m not a good reader.  My mind wanders.  I get bored with what I’m reading.  I’m not overly good at discussing books with friends over a cup of coffee—unless it’s my mom.  But blogging is a way for me to be an active reader, to look for something that interests me, and to put my two-cents worth out there.  Whether people like what I say or not, or read what I say or not, my blog is me—my tastes, my reactions, my thoughts.    

Speaking of which, Joel Watts linked to an excellent post by Ben Myers, On theology and friendship.  Here are some gems:

Thomas Mann once said that a writer is simply someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.

I wonder if this insight could also be extended into theology. Theologians are people for whom the Christian faith is especially difficult, incomprehensible, infuriating. As a rule they are not especially talented or spiritually adept individuals. They are people whose minds have been hurt by God, and they are restlessly searching for – what? Healing perhaps, or catharsis? To expect so much from the study of theology would be futile or even dangerous. At any rate there is no lack of opportunities for theological catharsis: often our worship services seem calculated to remove the difficulty of believing, to make God easy and accessible, more a cure than a wasting sickness.

Perhaps then we should define theologians like this: They are people for whom even the Christian worship service does not provide adequate catharsis of the hurtfulness of God. 

I think that sums up why I blog: it’s from a sense of brokenness.  There are times when I can be so agitated about Christians and Christianity, but I feel much better after writing an “Oh Brother” post.  But I also like the idea of blogging because I don’t have everything together.  I call my blogs “James’ Thoughts and Musings” and “James Ramblings: A Meandering Journey” because that’s what I do: I muse.  I ramble.  I meander.  I explore this thought or that thought from different angles, often in a disorganized fashion.  Then my mind wanders to another thought.  I explore what I want at my own pace.  It’s nice to impress people, but I don’t have to do so.  Hopefully these scattered thoughts will some day come together into something coherent.  And if they do, I’ll blog from a perspective of wholeness, and not brokenness.  That’s something else my blog is: a picture of where I am right now.  It’s like Anne Rice’s novels.  Some reflect her state when she was searching for meaning.  Others reflect her state after she found meaning.  Now, she’s someplace else.

I appreciate the new friends that I made this year: Randy Olds, John Valade, Josiah Henderson, and others.  And I also appreciate those who continue to read me year in and year out, to see value in what I say, and to comment, whether they agree with me or not: Izgad, Russell Miller, Yvette, BryanL, Doug Ward, Looney Fundamentalist, Terri of Wheat and Tares, Retriever, Joel Watts, Byker Bob, Felix, Stan, Mom, Anon 15:5, and others.  I’d also like to note something: last blog birthday, only seven people followed me on blogger.  Today, 23 people do.  And yet, the number of views on my WordPress blog has declined over the last year.  Oh well!  You win some, and you lose some!

I’m not going to set goals for this coming year, as I did last year.  I’ll just blog about what I blog about, when I blog about it!  My blog will be different in certain ways from what it was this past year, for I will be different, my schedule will be different, and, sometime in December, my surroundings will be different!  But I’ll still be the same, in many ways.

On to Year 4!

My Blog is 2!

August 22 is the birthday of my blog. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!”

If I had to pick, I like my posts from my first year better than my posts from the second. My posts from my first year were written while I was on a leave-of-absence from school. I blogged about my daily Bible reading, books I got from the public library, my struggles with Asperger’s, 7th Heaven, Lost–the good stuff. And I find these posts inspiring, if I say so myself! And, no, I’m not being narcissistic, for there are plenty of times when I read my old posts and wonder what the heck I was getting at!

The second year, I blogged more about the election (divisive!), paper topics (e.g., Hellenization in Judea, Fishbane), philosophy, and my reading for comps. Some of these posts I treasure. Some of them I don’t.

I do like blogging through my comps reading, though. It’s like hunting for buried treasure. I open a book that on the surface looks dry and mundane, and I mine from it the secrets of the universe! Okay, maybe I’m being too dramatic here, but I happen to notice cool points!

Bad and good things have happened to my blog this year. On a bad note, my technorati rating dropped dramatically, and I mean by over ten points! Also, I don’t see some of the people who used to comment here (e.g., Jake, El Shaddai Edwards, and others). But there have been good experiences as well. New people have added me to their blogrolls: Looney Fundamentalist, Polycarp, Terri of “Wheat and Tares,” James McGrath, Ken Brown of C-Orthodoxy, and some of my friends who are survivors of Armstrongism (J, Gavin Rumney, the guy whose site is called “Ambassador Report”–Stan/John Birch). I apologize if I left anyone out!

Seven people now follow my blog. Some, I have no idea who they are, but I welcome them! Others are from the Asperger’s community, which reminds me that one of my posts from year one–”Asperger’s and Religion”–continues to get comments.

Also, I was on the Biblioblog Top 50 for one month, and my patristics posts were cited in the last two patristic carnivals.

What are my goals for this third year? I have four:

1. I will continue to blog through my comps reading. This makes me pay attention to what I’m reading, and it also makes my reading a lot more fun and diverse.

2. I want to write more about my weekly quiet times. Lately, I haven’t been reading Scripture that much for my daily quiet time, since I’m going through the Mishnah. Plus, blogging through my comps pretty much takes up my blog-space from Sunday through Friday. But I think it’s important for me to write about Scripture, especially how it can inspire us and relate to real life. That’s what moves and edifies people, enabling me to be of service to others. I was surprised to learn that one of my posts–one about the two great commandments–was actually used in a Bible study group at George Fox University! Blogging through Scripture helps me in my devotions, and also it can help others. So I hope to write about my weekly quiet time on Saturdays.

3. At least once this year, I want to learn how to post a picture on my blog-post. I’ve tried this in the past, but it hasn’t worked for me! When I wrote about Jamey Sheridan from the Stand appearing on Picket Fences, I really wanted to use a wikipedia image of Jamey as Randall Flagg, and I flopped at it! This year, I learned how to use Microsoft Power-Point. Now, I want to learn how to post pictures on my blog!

4. I want to read more blogs. I’m not sure if I want to dive into debates, since those are tiresome and can get pretty bitter. Granted, my participation in those may attract more people to my blog, but I’m too tired to dive into debates right now. But I want to read more blogs–to get outside of my own little universe. This is easy for some. Others take more discipline for me to read, but they are still worth it.

Thank you all for making this a good year, and I’m looking forward to year three of “James’ Thoughts and Musings,” or (for my WordPress readers) “James’ Ramblings”!

It’s My Blog’s Birthday!

One year ago today, I created James’ Thoughts and Musings. See Hello! I Can Create a Blog! for my very first post.

So why did I give my first post that title? Because I didn’t know creating a blog was that easy! I thought I’d have to pay money I didn’t have. But I had a Blogger account, which I used when I commented on Ben Witherington’s site. And that account was my gateway into the blogosphere!

A lot of people have switched to WordPress, which seems to get more hits and responses. But there’s a soft spot in my heart for Blogger. For one, I like the way it looks. And, second, it’s so user-friendly. I once started a web site for political articles, and things I typed would mysteriously get lost! But Blogger automatically saves what I type, even before I finish a post.

From the beginning, I was blessed. Jim West got the word out about my blog, which is why he’ll always have a place on my blogroll (not that he needs my help). And I think that several people have learned of my blog through John Hobbins‘ site, Ancient Hebrew Poetry. After that, others found out about it and added me to their blogrolls. And I met all kinds of people.

My blog is labelled a “biblioblog,” and it’s partly that. It’s not exactly the most scholarly blog in the world, since most of my discussion on the Bible revolves around my daily and weekly quiet times. But I do bring in scholarly insights every now and then, even though my focus is largely devotional. I’ve written political posts, which have gotten various reactions from all over the political spectrum. And I’ve talked about my favorite television shows: 7th Heaven, Lost, Smallville, etc., etc. So it’s partly a biblioblog, I guess. Let’s call it “biblio-plus”!

Have things occurred according to my expectations? Yes and no. Like most bloggers, I hope to get more readers this coming year, but you know the old cliche: “Be careful what you wish for.” I may not have time in the future to read tons of comments! I’m not sure if I expected to write about my Asperger’s when I first started my blog, but that’s exactly what happened. Some may not like me whining about my life, while others may actually appreciate those posts. In any case, I write every now and then about my struggles, even though I don’t make every post a whine-fest. I also didn’t expect to talk about Alcoholics Anonymous, since quitting drinking was not even on my radar at the time. But AA has given me a lot of spiritual food, and it’s allowed me to meet interesting people.

A big reason I started my blog was to give myself a voice. It always seems as if everyone else has opinions, while I have difficulty getting mine out (due to timidity or poor social skills). Now, my beliefs are out there, for everyone to see.

I also like the way that my blog has led to dialogue within my family. Now, my family gets to know what I’m thinking. And they also talk more with each other about issues.

What should you expect to read this following year? Well, the conventions are coming up, and I’ll be writing a “Top-10 Best Moments” for the Republican National Convention. I may do a “Top-5″ for the Democrats, but I can’t think of anything from their conventions that actually thrilled me.

I may get more into academics this coming year. I’ll be reading for my comps, and I’m looking for a way to absorb what I’m reading. To be honest with you, I hate academic books! Leave it to an academic to make a compelling subject like religion into the sort of stuff you’d find in a technical manual. But I need to find a way to read actively rather than passively, and I may do so by commenting on what I read.

For my daily quiet times, I’m moving into the apocrypha. I’m hesitant to move outside of my Jewish-Protestant canon, but I think that knowing the apocrypha can help me as a scholar. The last time I tried to read the apocrypha in my daily quiet time, I gave up somewhere in Maccabees. I simply didn’t know what to say about it! And I usually did those quiet times at night, when I struggled to stay awake. Now, however, I’ll be starting with Maccabees to get it over with. And I may read it with more alertness, since I don’t drink alcohol anymore.

I’ll most likely get a job this coming year, and when you add to that my schoolwork, the result will be shorter posts. But I may save my long, elaborate posts for Saturdays.

And I’ll continue to write about my life. You know, being shy and introverted, I’m surprised I have as many stories as I do. I often feel as if I’m all alone–as if I don’t know anybody, and nobody knows me. But I’ve learned through the course of this blog that I have all sorts of anecdotes. And I’m gaining more of them as time goes on.

It’s been a good year, and I’m thankful for all the friends I’ve met here. I’m looking forward to another year of James’ Thoughts and Musings!

Hello! I Can Create a Blog!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my new blog. This is my place to meet people, discuss ideas, ask questions, express thoughts, vent, learn from others, and hopefully improve my writing skills.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is James Pate. I live in Cincinnati, OH, where I attend Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. My field of study is the History of Biblical Interpretation, which concerns Jewish and Christian interpretations of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. I am entering my fourth year in the doctoral program, and I will be studying for my comprehensive exams, which I will take some time next summer. Previously, I studied at DePauw University, Harvard Divinity School, and Jewish Theological Seminary. And, yet, I am not entirely Jewish!

So what should you expect to find here, as far as topics go? Well, I am interested in politics and religion. From a political standpoint, you will find that I am rather conservative. In fact, one of my hobbies has been to search for statistics that refute liberal arguments, to look more carefully at documents that liberals cite as smoking guns, and to use liberal articles to substantiate a conservative point. For example, we always hear about the Downing Street Memo and how it shows that Bush and Blaire were deceiving the public to promote the Iraq War. Well, guess what? The Downing Street Memo expressed fear that Iraq would use weapons of mass destruction. So much for the “Bush lied” rhetoric!

Religiously, I consider myself a Christian searcher. I read the Bible every day and try to understand it. I have not really felt comfortable in evangelical small groups in the past, and yet I enjoy reading evangelical books. I believe that the Bible is divinely-inspired and is God’s self-revelation, and yet, in my scholarly work, I try to be honest. What that means is that I do not do mental gymnastics to harmonize biblical contradictions, and, if there is an apparent difference between the biblical account and the archaeological record, I acknowledge that difference. At the same time, I acknowledge that there are many things that we do not currently know. And, needless to say, there are many things that I–James Pate–do not know at the moment. In my scholarship, I can only present what makes sense to me at the present time.

As a Christian, I believe that both the Old and the New Testament point to Jesus Christ. At the same time, I do not think that everything in the Bible has to relate to the substitutionary atonement or the reconciliation between God’s justice and mercy on the cross. I believe in the substitutionary atonement, since I am saved through faith in Christ’s death and resurrection, and yet I also try to understand the Old Testament writings in light of their own contexts. I also consult Jewish interpretations, since they are sensitive to certain details of the text (e.g., specific laws, anomalies, why something is phrased the way it is, etc.) that interest me as a reader.

As far as church attendance is concerned, I have been to a variety of places. I grew up in an offshoot of the Worldwide Church of God, which was a Christian denomination that observed Old Testament customs. As an undergraduate, a student at Harvard, and a Jewish Theological Seminary student, I attended Seventh-Day Adventist churches. I also went to Redeemer Presbyterian Church when I lived in New York, and I found Tim Keller to be an awesome and scholarly preacher. There is an article about him on wikipedia. Check it out! I did not go to church for about three years, but I have started to attend Catholic mass every week, mainly to hear the sermons.

I will also write about movies and TV shows that I like. What I like in those areas will come out as this blog progresses. Let me say right now, though, that I have somewhat of a Lady in the Water fetish.

Well, time for me to get back to work! I’m looking forward to discussing ideas!