I just wanted to post a quick update on what’s going on behind the scenes of Miqlat. In a nutshell, we’re strategizing on how to produce (and maintain) more of my content, make improvements to my current content (i.e., my homepage and websites), and manage a non-profit. Without getting into the gory details, here’s an overview of what’s happening and what to look for.
1. YouTube Channels
I’ve created a YouTube Channel for each blog. Each is also associated with a Google+ page. They are associated with my existing YouTube account, but viewers can subscribe to the individual channels (and should). Didn’t know I had a YouTube account? That’s because the 550 videos or so that live on it are unlisted (the content is for MEMRA students). Here are the three channels (only two have videos on them, as the person who volunteered to make the edits I wanted is still working on them). Eventually, all three will have content, and that content will include the sessions shot in Missouri last October. Once I have material on these channels, I’ll be linking them to Roku channels.
Naked Bible
Paleobabble
UFO Religions
2. Planned website changes
There are two types of changes coming: (1) improved categories and searching, and (2) design and branding. The first will please many of you who miss the old website, where categories were displayed on the right-hand side, making it easy to find posts collected on specific topics. I’ve already redone the entire list of categories for all three blogs (the whole site, actually). We now need to make design changes so those are visible. We’re moving in the direction of using Google’s search power within the website so that categories, tags, and post titles will be included in searches. With respect to branding, your input on the recent survey has proven quite useful. We’re not sure if or where new art will show up on the site (along with other design elements), but when they begin to appear I’ll alert everyone.
3. Video Production
Most of what exists on the new YouTube channels is old content. As I noted in my Dec 22 post, I now have a studio for video in my garage. I’ve shot 24 videos to date. All of them are short since they were designed for social media (Facebook). Ten of them live on my main YouTube account. They form my “Top Ten List of Myths about Bible Study,” and aim to market the 60 Second Scholar book series. Note that these aren’t super-professional in terms of editing. I did them myself. The idea is that I need to learn how to just walk in, shoot a video, and produce it — at least the short ones. A couple of people have stepped forward to help with editing lengthier videos — like a series on Genesis 6, Sitchin fallacies, or 1 Enoch’s reception in the early church (those are the first three I have on my to-do list). I’ll shoot those and then enlist the help of professionals.
4. The PEERANORMAL Podcast
We’ve recorded the first episode of PEERANORMAL, my new podcast devoted to discussion of peer-reviewed research on all things popularly conceived as paranormal. Trust me, this is something no one is doing and is long overdue. When the first episode goes live, I’ll announce it here. It shouldn’t be too long for that.
5. Writing Projects
I’ve made some decisions, and still thinking about others. I’m going to re-purpose some blog content to produce (for Kindle only) a Naked Bible series for personal and small group study. I want it to be small group content with an edge — something that goes beyond the fluffy small group curriculum as we know it. I’m open to series title suggestions. Right now, I’m leaning toward this series name:
series title: Sunday School Shouldn’t Be Forever
sub-title: Serious Bible study for Individuals and Small Groups
Within the series there would be volumes focused on one topic. I’m guessing each would be 50-60 pages in normal 6 x 9 book format, which is why they will only live on Kindle (.99 items). I think I can do one per month (they will be substantive re-writes). Here are the volumes I have planned (titles are tentative, but they convey the edge I want):
- The Truth about Interpreting Bible Prophecy: Everybody Cheats
- Romans 5:12 — It Doesn’t Mean What You’ve Been Told
- Baptism: Everyone Disagrees Because Denominations Like it That Way
- Salvation: For by Grace are You saved through Faith Without Works is Dead
- “God of All Gods” Means Exactly What it Says
- The Inspiration of the Bible: It Wasn’t a Paranormal Event
- God as Man in the Old Testament: What Judaism Used to Teach before Jesus Showed Up
I’m still debating on what will be my lone book-length writing project for the year. I’ll likely figure that out in February.
Writing series comments,
Series title:
Guerrilla Sunday school studies; or How I learned to love the bible and stop worrying about the group.Had to throw that out there for fun. Unseen Realm, monumental and fun. My idea of fun.
wow – I like it! Got that one down! Thanks!
Subscribed to the YouTube channels …excited about the coming Kindle books …book suggestions (purely selfish on my part mind you)the third book of the fiction trilogy.
btw – got people in IN and VA buying and listening to your materials …just to reassure you there is a definite hunger and appreciation.
Thank you …ms
thanks; glad to hear that.
Title suggestion… I’m building my foundation at the moment but I’m being called to teach Sunday School at the college level. The title I was going to use (teaching your material) is Beneath the Surface: Not Your Mommy and Daddy’s Sunday School Class.
Book Suggestions…
1) I loved the podcast with David Burnett and the qualitative aspect of the stars! Any further exploration of this would be fascinating.
2) A respectful rebuttal to NT Wright’s disagreement to the qualitative aspect of the stars.
3) NT Wright’s work on Paul was groundbreaking! But any NT scholar (Wright, Beale, Bauckham, Hayes etc.) who hasn’t accommodated for Unseen Realm… their work must now be revisited. That’s a never ending supply of book ideas right there!
Just my 2 cents.
Joined MIQLAT today!
Thank you for all that you do and the value you give to others!
Nathan
Thanks, Nathan!
Sorry, I’m not trying to fish older blogs, I just didn’t see another place to post this…
I had some additional book ideas:
1) having been the only person translate the OT word for word into KJV… what about producing a more accurately translated Bible or at least OT Bible? Every translation gets somethings wrong and none of them are perfect, we all know that. But what if an attempt were made to fix that… one that wouldn’t have to follow the dogma of KJV (e.g. go fetch a compass) or some other version. Take the bits and pieces that each translation gets right and combine them into a single cohesive unit? Too much??? Just a thought.
2) And this idea might be a no go because it may bleed over into Last Days theology which I know you try to avoid… But in my prep for this college class I’ve been studying up “hell” and what the Bible has to say about it. I’m reading some interesting books on the subject of Sheol, Gehenna, Hades and the Abyss… But it seems like both sides on this issue have a prejudicial agenda regarding “hell” that primarily revolve around Revelation being just a prophecy on the fall of Jerusalem and ending there (thus ending hell) vs. using the language for the fall of Jerusalem and expanding it globally… Bottom line there’s not a single book on the subject of “hell” written by a scholar that I know and trust. You’ve written on election, salvation etc. so I didn’t know if this was a topic you’d be interested in or not. Again, just a thought.
Thank you for all that you do!
Nathan
The first one would take years, so I’m not interested. I think the world needs other things more than a Heiser translation. The underworld/hell issue is one that I’ll get to at some point on the Naked Bible podcast.
Dr Heiser, question:
You are a driving force in Logos, why do they not translate the LEB with your standards?
Certainly it wouldn’t take very long for them to go forward and make minor tweaks on the way?
I’ve taken note on several translation issues and see why you use the ESV as much as you do, however with the LEB being virtual certainly making those changes a little at a time wouldn’t be so hard?
They would just have to follow the translation notes in the FSB?
Not sure what you mean by “my standards”. LEB was originally designed to be used (only) internally in certain tools and products. Eventually, though, the decision was made to take what we had and make it into a translation. We had an experience editor (someone who had supervised a committee translation before), but his wife fell ill and we couldn’t find anyone with a name and experience for the task. The job eventually went to several people to edit the translation and try to make it sound uniform in rendering.
There are all sorts of things to think about when producing a translation. It would take years and a couple dozen hands (which is why they all do). It’s not a question to tweaking English. To do that requires looking at the original in every verse (“What were they thinking when they wrote XYZ here?”). You might as well start over. For one person, this is a minimum of a decade task, and I have better things to do.