Matthew L. Halsted

husband + father + professor + Anglican priest

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

https://t.co/8sYbpGrcTX

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

In the latest episode of The Bible (Unmuted), I chat with biblical scholar, Dr. Leslie Baynes, Professor of Religious Studies at Missouri State University, about her new book on C.S. Lewis. Dr. Baynes discusses Lewis’ views on Scripture, as well as his use and interpretation of biblical texts in both his fiction and his non-fiction.

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

I can’t think of Frodo’s statement at the end of Return of the King without thinking of the cross. Hate does a lot of damage; it’s a vicious virus. It invites—indeed, lures—us into the trap of seeking vengeance by promising us peace in return. But it’s always a lie.

To the contrary, Christ is the Truth; he is the Way—only in him and by him and through him can we find what we’re really looking for.

“It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing.” -Frodo

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

I had great time talking to Leslie Baynes about one of my favorite, all-time heroes -- namely, C.S. Lewis. I recently read Baynes' new book, "Between Interpretation & Imagination: C.S. Lewis and the Bible," and it was a pleasure to chat with her further on the podcast about her research. Fun discussion! The episode comes out this Thursday. In the meantime, here's a snippet!

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

Part 2

https://t.co/ukNFDITWea

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

https://t.co/r30B9OWGWS

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

Yesterday my homily centered around John 15. I’m *abiding* in this text again today. μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί, κἀγὼ ἐν ὑμῖν. So much to consider…

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

It’s striking how this has been — and seemingly continues to be — a bipartisan issue…

[Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer]

For decades, UFO disclosure has been a distant object — unidentified and unexplained.

That’s starting to change. I’ll keep pushing until we land on the truth.

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

I wrote this 3 years ago. Today’s a good day to share it again :-)

[Logos Bible Study App @Logos]

Aliens and UFOs! 🛸 Does belief in these resemble religious devotion?

Read More: https://t.co/OmjoYmivZO

Theologians and biblical scholars are starting to wade into the "murky waters" of these unidentified phenomena. Explore why the "strange" shouldn't scare us and what it means for our faith.

[Marik vR @MvonRen]

TWINING MEMO:

It’s fantastic to finally see one of the most important historical UFO documents on an official site.

The 1947 Twining Memo correctly described UFOs as “real and not visionary or fictitious.”

Highly maneuverable “metallic” “discs” flew over the U.S. in the 1940s.

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

Link to full episode: https://t.co/G0NHVmAUjD

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

The resurrection and hermeneutics...

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

This is a fair point, but it's unlikely to satisfy advocates of the "UFOs-are-demons" hypothesis. Even if, for example, one were to grant the incorporeality of spirits (such as angels), the Bible nonetheless sometimes associates them with chariots -- for reasons that, perhaps, have nothing to do with accommodating their traveling needs. At any rate, the demon hypothesis is often motivated by other assumptions, many of which are not at all persuasive, e.g., "The Bible says nothing about aliens or flying saucers; therefore, all such things are demons." UFOs are strange, indeed -- but some hermeneutic approaches to the Bible are far stranger.

[Luke Stamps @lukestamps]

Demons are incorporeal spirits. They don't need flying saucers to get around.

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

I agree with Joe: There's every reason to be skeptical about this whole thing. Was evidence presented at this mysterious meeting? Did they ask questions about the things they were told, or did they believe everything they were told without any critical assessment?

[Joe Murgia @TheUfoJoe]

These are CLAIMS.

I have sources/contacts who tell me things but I always keep one foot on the skeptical side of the fence until I can look into it myself. Many times, that's not possible.

As far as these folks? I'm skeptical that what they're saying is true.

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

Agreed - this is the right sort of question to be asking...

[Ross Douthat @DouthatNYT]

Category of weird things I'd like to understand: Why someone affiliated with or pretending to be affiliated with the U.S. government decided to rent a rural Airbnb to one-shot a group of Pentecostalist pastors with a very specific theory of UFOs:
https://t.co/lYwAkPSnti

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

On Tuesday (May 5), rumors were circulating that officials within the U.S. government organized a meeting with a group of pastors/ministers to talk about UFOs and aliens. Allegedly, these pastors were warned that they need to prepare their congregations for new revelations that are coming—revelations, they say, that may shake a Christian’s faith if they aren’t adequately prepared. Some of the rumors, it seems, center around the idea that UFOs are actually the work of demons intent on deceiving people.

I have a lot of questions, several of which I've posted on substack ⬇️

https://t.co/u87WJHtv1d

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

I was recently invited to chat about all things Revelation on the Ask a Scholar podcast. Check it out here:
https://t.co/wvr85azEh0

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

This reminds me of something I wrote in my book, The End of the World as You Know It:

"Throughout history, beastly leaders and institutions have emerged... we need to ask how we can bear the seal of the Lamb in a land filled with the iconography of the Beast. We need to commit ourselves to rethink our own role in society as we, too, confront the propaganda of empire" (p. 87).

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

New article: "The Politics of Easter: On faith, conduct, and heresy"

https://t.co/iF46wf62fe

[Matthew L. Halsted @MatthewHalsted]

Here's part 2 of my conversation with Ellie Paley (PhD, Cambridge University) about the book of Job. https://t.co/7fnwIfiSca