In some ways it  has been the curse of my life, a genuine burden and even bane of my existence. For as long as I can remember I’ve tended to see problems everywhere I look. To my way of thinking, they simply jump out at me. I don’t have to strive to see or find them. They’re just there: ignorance (of those who shouldn’t be ignorant), injustice, malice, short-sightedness, illogical thinking and communicating, neglect (of people and issues that shouldn’t... Read more

Here Comes “Movember?” (Or Not) A few years ago I was strolling on the downtown pedestrian zone of Boulder, Colorado when I saw an intriguing sign in a store window. The sign was announcing a movement and month-long fund raising project called “Movember.” It explained that the purpose was to raise money for men’s health, especially cancer awareness and research, during November by asking men not to shave. I never did really figure out how that would raise money, but... Read more

Christian Thoughts about Our (American) New National Holiday: Halloween Of course, it’s not really a “national holiday” in any formal or legal sense; schools, banks and government offices don’t close on October 31. By “new national holiday” mean that, in recent years, what used to be an evening for kids to go door-to-door “trick or treating” has evolved into a popular festival day with television, schools and clubs devoting much time and attention to…whatever it is that Halloween celebrates. Many... Read more

Trinity Means Love: A Sermon to a Seminary Community Ephesians 1 Roger E. Olson I love ironies.  Except when I’m caught in one.  For a long time I’ve advised seminary students not to preach on the Trinity.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I was “invited” to preach the first in a series of community gatherings for worship sermons on a new hymn written especially for the seminary where I teach: “Give Us Courage” together with Ephesians 1 and the invitation... Read more

Announcements about Two of My Books and about a Forthcoming Book I recently received a new printing of my book Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities (InterVarsity Press). The only thing new is the jacket including a new cover and new picture of me (on the back flap). Ironically, the picture on the cover is still of the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) at which Arminians (Remonstrants) were condemned and exiled from the Netherlands (then known as the United Provinces). A note... Read more

“Let’s Talk about Jesus” Our Prophet, Priest and King Recently here someone chided me for not talking about Jesus enough. Well, in my own defense, my whole and entire reason for criticizing Calvinism (as well as other wrong theologies) is Jesus. Jesus as God incarnate, the perfect and yet understandable revelation of God, God’s character and will, forms the foundation and center of my whole theology. I thought I had made that clear, but apparently not explicitly enough for him.... Read more

A Rare, Good Television “Sitcom”: “Grinder” (Fox TV) Holds Up a Mirror that Should Make Us Ashamed (Or at Least Embarrassed) Yes, I know, someone will tell me I watch too much television. My only defenses? First, I still accomplish quite a lot! (Try arguing with me about that and I’ll show you my curriculum vitae.) Second, it helps me keep in touch with popular culture. Students watch television. Just the other evening, in a class on “modern theology,” a... Read more

Getting to the Bottom of Thinking: There Is No “View from Nowhere” (And an Illustration from Differing Beliefs about God) When I encounter disagreement about which I care, I attempt to “dig down” to rock bottom presuppositions and work up from there. Often, disagreements over philosophical-theological issues have to do with presuppositions. Many years ago I began to think about philosophical-theological (and I might add social-political and ethical) disagreements in terms of governing, even driving, presuppositions. One of my own... Read more

“Should A Christian Ever Act As If God Does Not Exist? (With A View toward Faith-Learning Integration)” Samford University Holley-Hull Lecture October 8, 2015 Roger E. Olson About two years ago I became acquainted with sociologist of religion Peter Berger who is a distinguished visiting professor at Baylor University. Of course I have known of Berger for many years and was actually a bit surprised when he called me and invited me to lunch. He was on campus teaching a... Read more

Why I Still Call Myself “Evangelical” In Spite of Everything or Evangelicalism Is Dead; Long Live Evangelicalism Roger E. Olson Prelude: This is the talk I would have given had I been invited to speak at the 2001 conference “Pilgrims on the Sawdust Trail” which I attended at Beeson Divinity School. It’s a bit updated, but essentially the same as what I would have said there and then. I gave it in chapel/convocation at Samford University as part of the... Read more