As some of you know, I used to work for Answers in Genesis back in my fundamentalist days. And certain contacts I’ve maintained have let slip the next big phase of Ken Ham’s “Ark Encounter” theme park. According to my sources, plans are underway for an immersive re-creation of the plagues of Egypt. The book of Exodus teaches that God inflicted the land of Egypt with ten plagues in order to convince them to release the people of Israel. Now... Read more
Tony Campolo is one of the most gracious and well-spoken voices that I know of within Evangelicalism. For years, he has focussed his ministry on living out the “red letters” of Jesus. And for years, his son, Bart Campolo, took part in this ministry with him. But that all changed when Bart realized he no longer believed in God. In Why I Left, Why I Stayed, Tony and Bart discuss their diverging journeys, their now-differing beliefs, and their still-shared convictions.... Read more
My background is steeped in Young Earth Creationism (YEC). I heard it taught as gospel truth by my parents, my high school, my college, and every church I attended for a long time. I was trained to believe that churches which didn’t teach YEC were “liberal” or “apostate” or at least “compromisers.” And I personally spent five years working for Answers in Genesis (the ministry of Ken Ham), where I vigorously defended the YEC message myself. According to YEC, Darwinian... Read more
I recently watched the movie Arrival, and I think it’s one of the best science-fiction films to come out in years. I loved everything about it. This is the kind of story that keeps you thinking long after the credits roll. But as I continued processing, I began to realize that I had seen a good bit of it before. Or more accurately, I had read a good bit of it before. Quite a few details are shared with one... Read more
Dear Jesus, Let me start by saying how much I appreciate the majority of what you stand for. Your message of love and unity is exactly what the world needs right now. And I’m thankful to see your stance toward oppressed peoples on the margins of society. They deserve to have more good men like you standing with them. So understand that my criticism is coming from a place of general agreement with you. I just feel that your platform... Read more
I frequently see these quotes make the rounds on social media. They’re mostly great sentiments, but they don’t come from the people they’re usually attributed to. I’ve been guilty of sharing about half of these myself before learning they were fake. So let’s set the record straight, and then let’s be more careful to fact check before sharing. #12: “If the you of five years ago doesn’t consider the you of today a heretic, you are not growing spiritually.” —If... Read more
A certain discussion between Jesus and the Sadducees has led to a widespread belief among Christians that there will be no marriage in the resurrection.1 But is that really what Jesus taught? The account is nearly identical in all three Synoptic Gospels, so we’ll follow the passage in Mark, being most likely the earliest version. There came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection. They asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother... Read more
This is a book about the Trinity, but it’s not your average exposition of the Athanasian Creed. There is very little in the way of formulaic explanation. And perhaps that’s how it should be when we speak of the Trinity. Much more mystical than theological—more practical than dogmatic. The Divine Dance started out as a series of talks by Richard Rohr, which Mike Morrell used as the foundation for the book. This resulted in an unusual format that is worth... Read more
The majority of my reading is generally nonfiction theology. But within the realm of fiction, there are few subjects I enjoy exploring more than time travel. So when I come across a novel with a time-travel plot, written by a theologian I appreciate, you’d better believe I’m going to want to read it. And C. Baxter Kruger’s Patmos does not disappoint. The story is written from the perspective of Aiden, a modern-day theologian, who is unexpectedly transported through time and... Read more
Hippie Heretic
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