Evangelicalism, Salvation, and other Religions: The Conversation Continues

June 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Over at respectfulconversation.net, the second round of dialogue is now beginning. This month the topic is on evangelicalism and salvation (we theologians like to call it "soteriology"). These are some of the questions we are addressing: 1. Is Christianity “exclusive”? What does that mean? Is Christianity the one true faith? 2. Is there anything for evangelicals to learn from other faiths? 3. Are all people who do not believe in Christ in this life consigned to eternal separation … [Read More...]

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Twister

May 22, 2013 By 2 Comments

In the aftermath of another horrific natural disaster, I include a few comments from my book Nature's Witness reflecting on the theological implications, with no intent to address the deep pastoral concerns for the people in Moore (for that see Rachel Held Evan's recent tet-a-tet with John Piper). In fact, if you're suffering in Moore, read this next year. Meteorologically speaking (this from meteorologist Paul Douglas in Minneapolis): In spite a warming Earth there's no conclusive, … [Read More...]

Minnesota Rice

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Friend and law professor Mark Osler wrote yesterday about the climate in Minnesota, both the meteorological and the political. As for the weather, it went from snow one week to 102 degrees the next. Today it's back in the 50s. I don't know what clothes to wear. As for the politics, Minnesota is … [Read More...]

The Future of “Evangelical”? Don’t Miss This Conversation

May 13, 2013 By 1 Comment

Over at Respectful Conversation, hosted by Harold Heie, an interesting conversation is underway regarding the place of evangelicalism within larger Christian traditions. What does it mean to be "evangelical" today? Does evangelicalism and evangelicals have a distinct, usable entity? What will be the … [Read More...]

Kierk Out

May 8, 2013 By 1 Comment

I may have been one of a handful of ministers who devoted his/her sermon this past Sunday to existentialism, but it was Soren Kierkegaard's 200th birthday. Søren Kierkegaard is the ascribed father of modern existentialism, that philosophical theory which emphasizes the existence of the … [Read More...]

“Troubled Minds”: Mental Illness and the Church’s Failure to Address it

May 6, 2013 By 9 Comments

Mental illness is on our minds. Recently, Matthew Warren, son of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, took his own life after a long struggle with severe mental illness. This tragedy, directly impacting "America's pastor," has brought the discussion of mental illness to the forefront (and, … [Read More...]

“Emerging Prophet” and Kierkegaard’s Big Birthday

May 3, 2013 By 1 Comment

Søren Kierkegaard was born on May 5, 1813. In honor of his bicentenary, my publisher is offering a 40% discount on my new book, Emerging Prophet: Kierkegaard and the Postmodern People of God.  (The original list price is $20). To get the discount, just follow the link and enter the coupon … [Read More...]

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The Will to Live

May 2, 2013 By 1 Comment

Archaeologists excavating a trash pit at the Jamestown colony site in Virginia have found the first physical evidence of cannibalism among the desperate population, corroborating written accounts left behind by witnesses. Cut marks on the skull and skeleton of a 14-year-old girl show that her flesh … [Read More...]

You Can Always Go On

April 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

One of the more interesting resources on the Internet is the collected interviews at Paris Review. It is a sixty-year archive of hundreds of long form conversations with poets and writers, like Mary Karr, R Crumb, Billy Collins, Robert Frost, Jack Kerouac, and Czeslaw Milosz, among many, many … [Read More...]

The High Cost of Cheap Clothes

April 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Over 300 people have died in the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh. There are 50 people buried under the rubble. The factory was built on a swampland. This raises, once again, really tough questions for us--for which there are no simple answers. Anna McMullen has a helpful, balanced, … [Read More...]

Boston Strong

April 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

As a longtime Boston resident, and one who still deeply loves that city, I so appreciated George Packer's piece in a recent New Yorker. I think it says a lot of what I felt about all the difficult yet inspiring happenings there this week. To watch a week ago Monday as scores of Bostonians, with … [Read More...]

Death, Wine, & Cheese

April 23, 2013 By 2 Comments

The artist exists in an awkward relationship to her audience. She labors for many months, perhaps several years, to produce an exhibition of paintings to present to the public. She sacrifices time with her family and friends, isolating herself emotionally, intellectually, and physically. She reads, … [Read More...]