I rarely repeat posts here, but I think this old one (2011) is worth posting again. I’ve become increasingly concerned that many American Christians (and perhaps especially evangelicals) confuse patriotism with nationalism to the extent that idolatry lurks close by. Patriotism is love for one’s country without blinders about its flaws and defects.  Patriotism seeks to actualize the highest and best ideals of one’s country which can sometimes look like disloyalty to nationalists.  Nationalists tend to confuse “country” with “government”... Read more

Must Gays Be Offended? One reader of this blog, whose opinions expressed here I usually find constructive and helpful (even when I don’t agree) suggested in her comment that refusing to refer to civil unions as marriages is offensive to gay persons. I understand this challenge, but, at the same time, think that persons should not be offended if others, driven by conscience and/or religious conviction, call their unions “civil unions” rather than marriages. Gays need to recognize that conservative... Read more

A friend mentioned this church to me because he thought the name was unusual (to say the least): Cheers, the Church. It’s a Pentecostal church in British Columbia, Canada. I invite you to suggest church names here for the (mythical) award of “strangest church name.” The only restrictions are these: The existence of the church must be verifiable (but don’t post hyperlinks!), the church must not exist only on the web, the church must actually meet weekly, the church’s name... Read more

Churches that believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman now must decide what to do–in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Will they simply go along with the government and recognize legislative and judicial rulings as valid for them or will they resist? And what would it say about them if they simply bow to the high court’s ruling and begin accepting gay unions as legitimate marriages? If not, will they begin to recognize the inconsistency... Read more

Is the “New Apostolic Reformation Movement” a Cult? Over the past several years I have received many e-mails asking for my opinion about something called the “New Apostolic Reformation Movement” (NARM). A few acquaintances have expressed profound concern about it—fearing that it might be an attempt by some conservative Christians to take over America for Christian fundamentalism. I have heard it briefly alluded to in some new broadcasts and commentaries—always as sinister if not downright pernicious. One name is usually... Read more

“Reformed Arminianism?” Another Book about Arminian Theology Reviewed: J. Matthew Pinson’s Arminian and Baptist: Explorations in a Theological Tradition (Randall House, 2015) At the very end of his excellent book Arminian and Baptist Free Will Baptist theologian J. Matthew Pinson reviews by book Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities (InterVarsity Press) and, while praising it, criticizes me for glossing over what he considers very real and deep differences among evangelical Arminians. He supposes I did that due to a concern to... Read more

The “Deeply Flawed” Father Meme (And Why We Need to Counter It) Richard Dawkins introduced the term and concept of “meme” in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene. A “meme” is an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture. Anyone who pays close attention to popular culture can easily see certain memes there. They are not necessarily tied to any reality, but they create a perception of reality by repetition. One meme all too... Read more

This is not a continuation of the Mormonism discussion just closed–at least not directly. It’s a “spin off” from that discussion which raised the question “Who decides who’s a Christian?” I have discussed that here before, but not recently enough (apparently). Let me set forth a few basic theses for consideration and discussion: 1) While everyone should have the freedom to call himself or herself (or his or her church) “Christian” it simply cannot be the case that every claim... Read more

Please note that I closed the discussion of Mormonism yesterday. The response to my and Robert Millett’s essays were so voluminous and lengthy that I simply do not have time to moderate that discussion anymore. I think virtually everything that can be said was said by someone. If you are interested in the subject, read the books I recommended in my initial post about Mormonism and Christianity. If you attempt to comment here about Mormonism you will be wasting your time.... Read more

Shallow Religious Fads and Fashions Looking back over my life among American evangelical Christians I am conscious of a pattern among us. We tend to form “tribes” identifiable by clothes, hair, mannerisms, even glasses. I count myself a fairly keen observer of this pattern and I alternate between laughing and crying over it. The other evening my wife and I were watching one of our favorite television programs called “House Hunters International” (on the HGTV channel). I like to watch... Read more