Visit Israel.

It is difficult to deny how seeing a place with your own eyes – instead of just looking at pictures or reading about it –brings to life a certain historical figure, an event, or a place where a famous person was in the past. That's why I love going to museums and going on historical tours because it subtly makes me feel connected to the times when those people lived. In the case of Israel, I am heavily interested – I'm a deeply committed Christian, so that's a factor – because of certain events and people in the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible for Jews) and the New Testament. For the Old Testament, I'm thinking of the place David fought Goliath, the death of King Saul, etc. For the New Testament, I'm thinking of "The Feeding of the Five Thousand," the synagogue at which Jesus probably taught most frequently in Capernaum, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher – the location of Jesus' crucifixion and tomb based on the oldest traditions – and the possible location of Jesus' Passover meal with his disciples before being crucified. It's just crazy how much history there is in one small country!

Visit Rome.

Rome is one of those masterpiece cities that you just can't not go to. It's connected to Cicero, a famous political philosopher; Saint Augustine, a medieval Christian who was heavily influenced by Plato and who wrote "Confessions" and astronomically influenced Roman Catholicism and Protestantism; the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul; etc. The Apostles Peter and Paul were both executed as martyrs by the Romans in Rome. I would just love to maybe find old archaeological remains of where Peter and Paul were held before they were executed. So much of that would bring the New Testament to life. And then, of course, you have the food. I love Italian food. It's probably my favorite.

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.

Russell Wilson is the main quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. He's really insane as a player and is an admirable person based on how he handles himself in the media and what he does in his local community. Okay, I'm being a bit bold here in what I'm about to say. I highly doubt it would happen, but it's worth mentioning. I'm not talking about attending a Seahawks home game while Wilson is still with them, though that would be nice. I'd actually like to meet him and maybe dine out with him and maybe another player. That would be amazing. I'm inclined to think that it won't happen because I'm nobody famous, and I'd have to give a really compelling reason to ask for his time. But in any case, it's worth mentioning.

Make major contributions academically.

I don't know if any or most of these goals will happen before I die, but they are currently on my bucket list for a reason. I'm not one who typically makes audacious goals because I typically have to be reminded of my potential, and I'll occasionally get sparks of what I'd like to pursue. Here they are. I'd like to make major contributions in the following fields: bioethics and Christianity and culture. For bioethics, I'd like to develop a strong and hopefully potentially devastating argument that would make it difficult for bioethicists who defend infanticide and/or abortion to deny the moral permissibility of enslaving a human being. I know that probably sounds weird and perhaps even insane. You might be thinking, "Ben! Do you really think they'll accept your critique?!" And I can understand why you'd say that. That's why it's on my bucket list.

For Christianity and culture, I would like to edit a book published with a major academic press – Routledge, Cambridge, Oxford, etc. – that gives a full throttle critique of contemporary, secular liberal and leftist views and positions on a variety of issues from a conservative stance. This book would have contributions from Christians, but the arguments would not be directly "Christian." The critiques would be launched against same-sex marriage, homosexuality, transgenderism, abortion, and so on. Yes, I am sure I just pushed someone's button by daring to mention this.

I am heavily persuaded that the conservative stance on these issues is rationally superior to agreeing with those positions. With that being said, the best of the best defenders of same-sex marriage, homosexuality, abortion rights, and gender constructionism would be represented in this book so that no one could say that these positions are misrepresented.