Paul Gitwaza in Indianapolis

Last updated on: June 16, 2015 at 9:55 am By James F. McGrath

I had the pleasure of hearing Paul Gitwaza speak on Saturday at the licensing ceremony for Emmanuel Musinga, who pastors a congregation of refugees that meets in the same building as Crooked Creek Baptist Church. He then made an unanticipated visit to Crooked Creek Baptist on Sunday morning and so delivered the morning message. That evening, he spoke at First Baptist Church in Indianapolis about the history behind the Rwandan genocide and his own work towards reconciliation. Then on Monday,... Read more

Fundamentalism’s Fundamental Fallacy

Last updated on: June 16, 2015 at 6:15 am By James F. McGrath

I often tell my conservative friends that their belief in an inerrant Bible is just as subjective as my subjective belief in an errant Bible. But they just can’t see it. They continue to shout the same refrain that their position rests on objective truth and mine subjective. These conservatives genuinely believe that they are the only truly rational ones and that we progressives pick and choose what is true without any rational basis. This is one of the great fundamental fallacies of fundamentalism.... Read more

My Blog Post Has Become An Essay

Last updated on: June 15, 2015 at 2:52 pm By James F. McGrath

I expanded my recent blog post about the experience of my son discovering RateMyProfessors.com into an essay for Inside Higher Ed. You can now read it on their website: “When My Son Discovered RateMyProfessors.com.” Read more

The Phoenix Affirmations: A Progressive Christian Statement

Last updated on: June 15, 2015 at 9:23 am By James F. McGrath

Chuck Queen recently shared the text of the Phoenix Affirmations in Baptist News. I am sharing them in turn below, and hope you will discuss them in the comments section. CHRISTIAN LOVE OF GOD INCLUDES: Walking fully in the Path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths that God may provide for humanity. Listening for God’s Word, which comes through daily prayer and meditation, studying the ancient testimonies which we call Scripture, and attending to God’s present activity in... Read more

Approaching Failure Scientifically

Last updated on: June 15, 2015 at 6:45 am By James F. McGrath

The Biggest Heresy of All

Last updated on: June 14, 2015 at 6:43 am By James F. McGrath

The quote comes from Jeremy Myers’ post “The Biggest Heresy of All Time.” Here’s a larger quote from the context of the quote above, to whet your appetite: If I hate a person because I’m mean, well, then that’s just mean. But if I hate a person because “Jesus told me to hate him,” this is not just mean, this is satanically mean. This is why the lack of love – especially the lack of love from people who claim to follow... Read more

Movie Trailer for the Papal Encyclical

Last updated on: June 13, 2015 at 10:52 am By James F. McGrath

I may be mistaken, but I believe that this may be the first time in history that, even in jest, someone has made a movie trailer for an encyclical that the pope is expected to issue. The subject is climate change, and it there are high expectations for it. Does a trailer like this actually help raise expectations for the actual encyclical? Or does it distract from it? Or does it just provide a bit of light comic relief? Read more

Not Far From The Kingdom

Last updated on: June 13, 2015 at 8:43 am By James F. McGrath

In a recent sermon, my pastor raised the question of whether Jesus’ reference to certain individuals as “not far from the Kingdom of God” was a compliment or an insult. What do you think? Is he praising them for being close, or insulting them for not quite being there yet – or perhaps both, simultaneously? And if such language is authentic, what light does it shed on Jesus’ conception of the Kingdom of God? Read more

The Deep End of the Library

Last updated on: June 13, 2015 at 6:28 am By James F. McGrath

I Passed for Black

Last updated on: June 12, 2015 at 12:10 pm By James F. McGrath

As a fan of John Williams’ music, I am aware of the old movie “I Passed for White” and blogged about it a while back. Today there has been a prominent news story about the reverse situation – someone who is “white” passing for “black.” Rachel Dolezal, president of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) chapter in Spokane, Washington, is apparently listed as “white” on her birth certificate, and yet she has identified herself as African-American. I hope... Read more