W. Travis McMaken

It's always fun to get a shout-out from @trippfuller.bsky.social on the Homebrewed #Christianity podcast. And, yes, I *would* call that #idolatry! Listen to figure out what we're talking about.

www.homebrewedchristianty.com/2025/08/28/n...

"The #church cannot claim for itself privileges it would deny to others." - Jan Lochman

§2. Introduction & Salutation, 1:1-5 (session 5, part 2)—Paul’s Letter to the Galatians: A Presbyterian Adult Spiritual Formation Series DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

Paul's single #resurrection reference in #Galatians establishes the #apocalyptic framework: there's a cosmic war between #spiritual forces, and Christ's resurrection is the beginning of #God's victory over #sin, death, and the #devil.

"It is a good thing to...produce more space for concrete humanity to cross all ideologies. ... The reduction of ideologies within the church, both in message and in practice, is indeed our task." - Jan Lochman

"In a 'dogmatic society' the church should be, by its very existence, a champion of intellectual freedom and open-mindedness." - Jan Lochman

"The history of modern secularization is also the history of the shrinking credibility of Christianity. And Constantinian Christianity is not without blame." - Jan Milic Lochman

What Am I Reading? Candida Moss’s “God’s Ghostwriters" DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

"God's Ghostwriters" isn't just about who wrote what—it's about how systems of enslavement were woven into the very fabric of early #Christianity. The texts we call sacred emerged from and were shaped by those power structures. ⚖️ #SocialJustice #NewTestament

What Am I Reading? Candida Moss’s “God’s Ghostwriters" DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

The people you think wrote the #NewTestament didn't write it the way we imagine. Candida Moss reveals how enslaved collaborators were the hidden hands behind these sacred texts. The #history we weren't taught. 📚✨ #BiblicalStudies

That's very kind of you to say!

Great point. I should have emphasized that more (perhaps I'll edit it). I don't know the specialist lit well enough on my own. But that piece made so much sense when you said it - stating what should be obvious but isn't - that it really "clicked" for me.

What Am I Reading? Candida Moss’s “God’s Ghostwriters" DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

Writing in the ancient world wasn't a solo act—it was intensely collaborative. From scribes to carriers to interpreters, enslaved people shaped the meaning of texts that would become the New Testament. @candidamoss.bsky.social shows us the invisible labor behind the New Testament.

"The fear of false familiarity is the beginning of historical wisdom" - Paula Fredriksen

Ghostwriters Then and Now: Biblical Scribes, Generative AI, and Collaborative Authorship DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

Anxiety around AI and authorship? We've been here before. My new article with James Hutson draws surprising parallels between biblical scribes and generative AI, revealing authorship as always collaborative.

I think that's a fair point. I'm thinking more of folks who would automatically treat use of gen AI tools as de facto plagiarism.

That way of thinking about authorship w/ref to AI oversimplifies things and engenders misplaced polemics about the use of AI

That was of thinking about authorship w/ref to scripture or other ancient texts renders invisible the collaborative agency of enslaved / low class scribes.

You're right that the parallel isn't exact, but the comparison importantly complicates how we conceive of authorship. The key thing for me is to get away from the solitary, authoritative "author"

Ghostwriters Then and Now: Biblical Scribes, Generative AI, and Collaborative Authorship DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

"Rather than seeing AI as a radical break from traditional authorship, our article suggests we're witnessing the latest evolution in a long history of collaborative creation." ~ @wtmcmaken.bsky.social

Ghostwriters Then and Now: Biblical Scribes, Generative AI, and Collaborative Authorship DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

What do #biblical scribes and #ChatGPT have in common? My new article with my colleague James Hutson, "Dictating the #Divine," explores how mediated authorship connects ancient religious texts to today's AI outputs. Turns out collaborative creation isn't new.

Prometheus’s Three Challenges to Christian Theology According to Jan Milíč Lochman DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

"Inactivity is as basic a form of #sin as hubris." Powerful insight from Lochman on how the Promethean myth challenges #Christian #theology to embrace liberating engagement in #history. Read more!

So I am reading Cocksworth & @wtmcmaken.bsky.social ‘s edited volume on Karl Barth’s spiritual writings. There’s a quote on p.45 that I feel is powerful, but I suspect a lot of North American progressive Christians would dislike. I’m unsure what to do with this tension other than to name it: (1/x)

Prometheus’s Three Challenges to Christian Theology According to Jan Milíč Lochman DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

The Promethean #myth isn't just #Greek mythology—it became a powerful challenge to #Christian thought. Jan Milíč Lochman shows how this "theological mirror" reveals blind spots in how we understand #God, #sin, and #grace.

Prometheus’s Three Challenges to Christian Theology According to Jan Milíč Lochman DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

New blog post: Prometheus's Three Challenges to #Christian Theology According to Czech theologian Jan Milíč Lochman. How the mythological #titan became a focal point in Marxist-Christian dialogues of the 1960s. Read more! #Theology #Marxism

What is Truth? The following is the opening portion of a Christmas letter I wrote at the end of 2024. I’ve been meaning to post it, but haven’t gotten around to it…until now. So, here are some r…

This popped into my feed as suggested, I read it, enjoyed it, and when I went back to like and repost, I couldn't find it...

So, check this out from @laurenrelarkin.bsky.social

So, You Want to Read William Stringfellow? DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

"Listen to this man" - #KarlBarth on William Stringfellow. 40 years after his death, Stringfellow's prophetic critique of #empire, consumerism and privatized #spirituality feels more urgent than ever.

@jscottjackson.bsky.social

We could really use Stringfellow today.

So, You Want to Read William Stringfellow? DET is a multi-author theology blog that engages the Christian tradition's diversity but is especially rooted in 20th century theology.

Today marks 40 years since William Stringfellow's passing - the lawyer, activist & Episcopal #theologian who challenged #America's moral powers. His work on "principalities and powers" remains vital for our fraught times.

@jscottjackson.bsky.social

Cover image of The Freedom of Christian Theology: New Studies in Dialogue with Eberhard Jüngel

The first book in the series Studies in Dialectical Theology that I coedit with @wtmcmaken.bsky.social has finally come out, and it’s a superb volume of essays on Eberhard Jüngel’s theology. Ask your academic libraries to order a copy. rowman.com/ISBN/9781978...

Markus Barth’s Criticisms of American Foreign Policy A book review of Mark Lindsay's "Markus Barth: His Life & Legacy."

Markus #Barth's critique of #American foreign policy - he challenged the idea that spreading US #democracy = humanity's #moral perfection. Instead: peace comes through "the power of #God through #Christ to make right the affairs and life of wicked men."