I delivered this talk at Vestavia Hills Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama as part of the annual Holley-Hull Lecture Series on Wednesday, October 7. (The other lectures were at Samford University.)   A Relational View of God’s Sovereignty Roger E. Olson My office phone rang and I answered it. A stern voice said “Is this Roger Olson?” who which I confessed. The man introduced himself as pastor of Baptist church in the state, implying that he was a constituent of... Read more

Outrageous “Justification” of Shooting of Black Child in Cleveland, Ohio According to an Associated Press news report by Mitch Stacy (Sunday, October 11, 2015) two consultants to the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Prosecutor’s office have declared the November, 2014 shooting of twelve year old African-American boy Tamir Rice by a “rookie patrolman” “justified.” I saw the video of this shooting on network television news—several times. I’m sure if you search for it on the internet you can see it for yourself.... Read more

This is a talk I gave to a group of outstanding students at Samford University October 7 (2015)–part of the Holley-Hull Lecture series I delivered there that week. I will post other lectures of the series over the next week. Why (High) Calvinism Is Impossible In one of his sermons against Calvinism, Methodist founder John Wesley famously remarked about the Calvinist interpretation of Romans 9 that “Whatever it means, it cannot mean that.” I think many people, especially committed Calvinists,... Read more

This week (October 6-9, 2015) I’ve had the privilege of delivering the annual Holly-Hull Lectures at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Several people asked me about receiving copies of my lectures and I promised to put those here. I’ll do that over the next week–one at a time. Others may find them interesting as well. I spoke about God’s “relational sovereignty,” what I mean when I call myself “evangelical,” and faith-learning integration. I also spoke to a small group of... Read more

One of the most famous questions ever asked in public of a public person was U.S. Army counsel Joseph Welch’s question to Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954 during McCarthy’s anti-communist witch hunt in Congress. In total disgust Welch asked McCarthy “At long last, Senator, have you no sense of decency?” This was an example of what I call public shaming for ethical misconduct that does not violate the law. Sometimes I wonder if we need more of that. Too often,... Read more

Discussion of Scot McKnight’s Kingdom Conspiracy: Returning to the Radical Mission of the Local Church Part Four A week and some days ago I invited you to read Kingdom Conspiracy (Brazos Press, 2014) along with me and participate in a discussion of it here. Hopefully you have obtained the book by now and are prepared to participate as you wish. I am offering my thoughts about the book in several response posts over a few weeks. This is Part Four... Read more

As some of you who have been my long-time readers know, Austin Fischer is my protégé even tough I can’t take credit for his intelligence or writing skills. He’s a brilliant thinker, teaching pastor (The Vista Community Church, Temple, Texas) and excellent writer. His book “Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed” (Wipf & Stock) has sold very well and is making a real impact among young Christians who have doubts about Calvinism. But I count Austin as more than a protégé... Read more

Discussion of Scot McKnight’s Kingdom Conspiracy: Returning to the Radical Mission of the Local Church Part Three A week and some days ago I invited you to read Kingdom Conspiracy (Brazos Press, 2014) along with me and participate in a discussion of it here. Hopefully you have obtained the book by now and are prepared to participate as you wish. I am offering my thoughts about the book in several response posts over a few weeks. This Part Three of... Read more

Today, Sunday, September 27, 2015, I return to my roots for a day. My home church, the church I grew up in, a “sort of” Pentecostal church (that fits nobody’s stereotype of that religious type) invited me to preach and lead the singing. Many people have asked me about my idea of an “ideal New Testament church.” I don’t know very much about my home church as it is now. I know the pastor and he reads my blog faithfully;... Read more

Current news reports (September 23/24, 2015) are pointing an accusing finger at a pharmaceutical company’s CEO for suddenly increasing the price of a medicine it manufactures and sells–from about $15 per pill to about $700 per pill. (The details vary, of course, because what price is charged can depend on the retailer.) Apparently, from reports I have seen on network news and read, this medicine has no competition; there is no generic or less expensive version or viable alternative. So,... Read more