An Example of Modern, American Barbarism We Americans think we are civilized, not barbaric. Of course, we believe there are barbaric people among us, but we think of our society itself as anything but barbaric. And yet there are a few practices that are widely accepted almost without question that stand out as barbaric. Barbaric is the only word for them. One has been in the news lately. County officials in two locales have charged fourteen year old boys as... Read more

Is Demonic Possession Real? What about Exorcism? The reason for this blog essay is the recent Netflix movie (or movie on Netflix) titled “The Deliverance” starring Glenn Close. But also, the streaming service series “Evil” (Paramount Plus). Both feature dramas related to demonic possession and exorcisms. I watched a few episodes of Evil and decided it wasn’t my cup of tea. I mean, it just wasn’t that interesting. Every episode leaves the viewer wondering if the story was really of... Read more

My Trickle-down Theory of Ideas and Practices Several readers have asked me about the relevance of theology as I have written this series of essays about revolutions in modern theology. ”The trickle-down effect” is a phrase usually used with regard to economics. It is the belief that if the rich get richer that will benefit even the poor. “A rising tide lifts all boats.” US president Ronald Reagan used the phrase to support his policy of cutting taxes of the... Read more

Does God “Become?” Another Revolution in Theology Recently here I wrote about a major turn in modern theology beginning with the German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel who talked about God as Subject and not substance. (Or, in one place, Subject as well as substance.) Later, after Hegel, many especially Protestant theologians picked up on that and made more of it. These included Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Juergen Moltmann, Eberhard Juengel and Robert Jenson (whose picture I attached here). I... Read more

Strange Bedfellows: Hegel and Kierkegaard My immediately preceding post was about Hegel’s revolutionary idea of God as subject rather than substance. It was a reaction against Protestant (and Catholic) scholasticism which had engaged in what we today call “ontotheology”—treating God as a thing, an object, to be examined by the human mind without personal involvement or commitment. Hegel didn’t go all the way with his insight; later theologians such as Karl Barth went further with it, partly with the help... Read more

The Modern Revolution in the Doctrine of God I have here before talked about the book that launched my interest in modern theology and especially modern thinking about God: God after God by theologian Robert Jenson. But what was the revolution in thinking about God among Christian philosophers and theologians that God after God illustrated? Of course we could trace the revolution I’m talking about further and further back; that’s always the way it is. Who started it? “It” referring... Read more

  For a long time I’ve been saying to whomever would listen that the progressive turn toward females in our American society, especially in matters of health and education, will predictably alienate especially young men in ways not good for the whole of society. There, that was a mouthful. I know that I will, as always, receive push back. I’m not promoting the “Manosphere” here but only sounding an alarm. It cannot be good for society as a whole for... Read more

The Journey of Modern Theology (New Edition) I received in the “mail” (some delivery method) a box containing three paperback copies of my magnum opus: The Journey of Modern Theology: From Reconstruction to Deconstruction (InterVarsity Press). I was surprised again at its length. I suppose that hinders its sales. 700 plus pages! I have trouble believing I wrote it! How did I do that? Backstory: My first published book was 20th Century Theology: God and the World in a Transitional... Read more

No Such Thing as “The Evangelical Church” There, I heard it again. A talking head, a scholar, commentator, on MSNBC uttered the phrase “the evangelical church.” There is no such thing as “the evangelical church!” One of the reasons I suggested that we here discuss the video series “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory” (Randall Balmer, PBS) is that it well illustrates the diversity of American evangelicals. There never was and is not any evangelical headquarters  or human head, not... Read more

Was Richard Nixon a Communist? Did Donald Trump say the late President Richard Nixon was a communist? Well, no, not exactly. In fact, I’m not sure he was thinking of Nixon at all when he said (I saw and heard it on NBC News) that “price controls” are a communist idea. In August, 1971, and I remember this well, then President Richard Nixon imposed wage and price controls to try to reign in rampant inflation. Rampant inflation? 5.84% per annum.... Read more