Is There “Power in the Blood?” Thoughts about the Blood of Jesus Somehow I happened to get included in the list of people who receive meditations, mini-sermons, theological musings, from a person. (I’m not going to name any names here.) The list of names includes some pretty well-known evangelical leaders. Here is a recent example of the list owner’s theological musings: “One of the problems of many modern day preachers of today is they do not preach on the blood of... Read more

The Disappearing Difference between Rhetoric and Argument Recently (during and since the 2016 U.S. presidential election) there has been a lot of “chatter” about “facts.” Someone publicly labeled a public truth claim an “alternative fact.” This neologism created a great deal of consternation, controversy, and more than a little tittering. This event, or series of events, provoked me to think about truth claims, “facts,” and reality. Long before someone uttered the phrase “alternative fact” someone else said that “perception is... Read more

Review of Greg Boyd’s Crucifixion of the Warrior God Have you ever been perplexed about the Old Testament’s “texts of terror” including especially those in which God is reported to have commanded the merciless slaughter of not only men and animals but also non-combatant women and children? If you’re still perplexed and care enough about the problems these texts present for Christian theology (and Christianity’s reputation in a skeptical world), you need to read Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting... Read more

Does anyone believe that all non-profit organizations, whether religious or secular, must be totally and unqualifiedly “inclusive” in order to exist in a state of justice? I doubt it. Read more

What is it about ‘denomination’ that people run away from? Read more

What I Would Believe Were I a Metaphysical Naturalist First, let me say that, whatever others may think of me, I believe I have the capacity to think rationally. I do not claim that reason governs everything I believe and do, but I do claim that I have been trained in rationality and have the knowledge of the laws of reason and evidence necessary to think and behave rationally. I have taken courses in philosophy (including on the graduate level... Read more

The Reason for Christian Higher Education (and Pressures to Abandon It) One purpose of this blog is to support what I call the “biblical-Christian plausibility structure.” I believe it is the primary reason for being of Christian higher education. (Yes, one could say it is the reason for being of all Christian education, but for my purposes it suffices to designate “higher” education.) I have been deeply embedded in Christian higher education in America for more than forty years with... Read more

Once again a police officer has been acquitted of all criminal charges in the shooting death of an innocent and unarmed black American citizen. Read more

Stranger Things: Does God Still Speak to Us with a “Still Small Voice?” Anyone who has read my books, articles or blog posts more than “just a little” knows that I am a strong believer in the supernatural. My most recent book Essentials of Christian Thought: Seeing Reality through the Biblical Story (Zondervan) attempts to rehabilitate the word “supernatural.” Like so many good words that are part of the Christian “language of Zion” it has been stretched to the breaking... Read more

How Should a Christian Church Celebrate America? Advice… Just a few blocks from my house stands a very large and active mainline Protestant church. (I’ll leave the denomination unnamed.) Throughout the year it sponsors and hosts numerous special events including seasonal worship services attended by hundreds if not thousands. Its Vacation Bible School yard signs are all over the neighborhood and I see them throughout the city. This is one of the most active and attractive churches in this area—which... Read more