On April 10, 2013, the Socratic Society at Oregon State University invited Todd Miles and Christian Piatt to debate on the topic; “Hell and the Love of God.” Dr. Miles took the position that hell, as a place of eternal, conscious suffering, was consistent with a God of love. Mr. Piatt took the position that a loving God was not consistent with the contemporary Christian notion of such a fate. Following is Dr. Miles’ argument. In Part 2, Mr. Piatt... Read more
Is fairness the same as justice? Is there more than one kind of justice? Can God be just without being fair? Does this youtube make me look fat? Those questions and more in this week’s Heretic’s Guide to the Bible. Read more
It’s no headline-grabber when Mark Driscoll does something to annoy me. It’s another thing entirely when he rankles his Baptist brethren. Many conservative radio stations run a program produced by Driscoll and Mars Hill, his church. But according to a recent BarthsNotes post, a 2007 sermon he offered in Edinburgh which then was broadcast on his program, crossed a line by using the Bible to argue that women should be performing oral sex on their husbands. This, from the article:... Read more
Bible Cliff’s Notes (My dog ate my Bible!) Gospel Luke 24:44-53 Jesus gives the disciples the power to understand the scriptures clearly. He claims he is given the ability to impart this power to them from God. He ascends to heaven and they wait for further instruction in Jerusalem, praising both God and Jesus in the meantime. First Reading Acts 1:1-11 The disciples are to be empowered by the Holy Spirit soon. They want to know when; Jesus tells them... Read more
Sometimes words fail. Especially on church signs! Read more
I’ve experienced some strange extremes lately. First, I attended – and spoke at – the Subverting the Norm conference in Springfield, MO, where we took some time to consider how, if at all, so-called “radical theology” could exist within today’s religious systems. Then I got home and found my latest TIME Magazine, with a cover story titled “The Latino Reformation,” which reveals what most within Protestantism have known for some time, which is that formerly Catholic Latino Christians are dramatically... Read more
If we’re being honest, we all have “those people” in our lives. And chances are, you’re “those people” to somebody else. But from what I can tell, God has some pretty great news for those people…hey, that’s us! Read more
Not to get all braggy here, but this episode is pretty great. First, we have our first return guest, and it’s one of our best: Jim Wallis. Christian moderated a discussion with Jim at Powell’s Books last week to talk about his new book about nurturing the common good, called “On God’s Side.” I swear, Jim Wallis is incapable of saying uninteresting things. What an honor to have him back (even if Jordan didn’t get to be there). Obviously, it... Read more
Bible Cliff’s Notes (My dog ate my Bible!) Gospel John 14:23-29 Jesus speaking about his ascension to heaven to be with God. (or) John 5:1-9 Jesus heals a man who has been waiting by the healing pool in Jerusalem for 38 years. He also does this on the Sabbath. First Reading Acts 16:9-15 Paul has a vision, and the disciples go to Macedonia, a Roman colony. They meet Lydia on the Sabbath and her family converts to Christianity. She invited... Read more
Yummy, Yummy, Yummy – God Serves Up a Feast of Deliverance A Heretic’s Guide to the Bible Bonus Readings from Beyond the Lectionary by David Ackerman for Easter 5: April 28, 2013 Bible Cliff’s Notes Gospel Mark 8:1-10: Jesus feeds a crowd of about four thousand people, starting with only seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. After sharing the meal, they take away seven baskets full of the leftover pieces. First Reading 2 Samuel 9:1-13a – Mephibosheth... Read more
Christian Piatt
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In