John Dyer, PhD

Writing

BestCommentaries.com Update and The Problem of (Religious) Algorithms

By John Dyer on July 23, 2021July 27, 2021

I’m happy to announce that today, I’m releasing the first major update to bestcommentaries.com in almost 10 years. I originally created bestcommentaries.com in 2008, as a project for one ofContinue readingBestCommentaries.com Update and The Problem of (Religious) Algorithms

Jacques Ellul on Propaganda and QAnon

By John Dyer on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021

Jacques Ellul wrote on Propaganda in 1965, but his ideas have an eerie relevance to today’s world. … Continue readingJacques Ellul on Propaganda and QAnon

NASB 1995 / NASB 2020 – Every Change

By John Dyer on December 3, 2020December 3, 2020

The Lockman Foundation just released the a major update to the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and I’ve attempted to provide a summary of the changes here (similar to the NIVContinue readingNASB 1995 / NASB 2020 – Every Change

Christmas Nativity Mistakes: Cybertrucks and Overbooked Inns

By John Dyer on November 30, 2020November 30, 2021

The Traditional Nativity Scene Language is humanity’s first technology (Gen 2:20), and it powerfully shapes what we see and don’t see about the world. A great example of this comesContinue readingChristmas Nativity Mistakes: Cybertrucks and Overbooked Inns

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary (Sally Poet)

Does the Bible Pass the Bechdel Test? A Data-Driven Look at Women in the Story of Scripture

By John Dyer on September 11, 2020October 26, 2020

Image: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary by Sally Poet The Question Sometimes a friend’s tweet can send you down the internet rabbit hole in the best way possible. ThisContinue readingDoes the Bible Pass the Bechdel Test? A Data-Driven Look at Women in the Story of Scripture

I Saved 15% on My Dissertation by Switching to APA

By John Dyer on June 30, 2020July 2, 2020

This time last year, I was in the throes of finishing my PhD thesis (American’s call it a dissertation), when I learned that I had made a major mistake. IContinue readingI Saved 15% on My Dissertation by Switching to APA

Digital Baptisms: What We Can Learn from Online, Virtual, and Broadcast Practices

By John Dyer on April 18, 2020April 19, 2020

Easter has traditionally been a time for baptism, but this Easter was not like most Easters. Millions of Christians spent Easter at home, and instead of seeing the highest attendanceContinue readingDigital Baptisms: What We Can Learn from Online, Virtual, and Broadcast Practices

What is an (Online, Virtual, Broadcast, Local) Church? Some Helpful Distinctions

By John Dyer on April 10, 2020July 15, 2021

Twenty years ago, Chris Helland proposed a distinction between religion-online (when an religious organization provides information over the internet) and online-religion (when religious people engage in spiritual activities on theContinue readingWhat is an (Online, Virtual, Broadcast, Local) Church? Some Helpful Distinctions

Digital Communion: History, Theology, and Practices

By John Dyer on March 23, 2020April 21, 2020

Part 2: Digital Baptism The Digital Church in the Age of Corona The novel coronavirus pandemic has sparked a flood of creative uses of technology to maintain relationship while stayingContinue readingDigital Communion: History, Theology, and Practices

worship.ai – What an Artificial Intelligence Lyric Generator Teaches Us about Image Bearing

By John Dyer on March 6, 2020March 8, 2020

This tool generates song lyrics using artificial intelligence. But more than that, if offers us a clear example of how our tools reflect our values and how we can choose to reflect the values of our maker. … Continue readingworship.ai – What an Artificial Intelligence Lyric Generator Teaches Us about Image Bearing