Discussion of Malestrom by Carolyn Custis James (Part Four) Here I will be responding to Chapters 4 and 5 of Malestrom: “The Rise of Women” and “The Power of Power” respectively. Some of what I say here may not make sense unless you have read the chapters and my previous responses to Malestrom in parts one through three (Introduction through chapter three). Again, I find myself in general hearty agreement with James. In Chapter 4 she skillfully examines the Old... Read more

Can a Pastor Baptize an Infant and Remain Baptist? (Some Thoughts about Identities) Recently the pastor of an Ohio downtown First Baptist Church (American Baptist Churches, U.S.A.) baptized an infant. As one might expect, it caused a stir among Baptists of all kinds. This would be like a Lutheran pastor refusing to baptize an infant—advising the Lutheran parents to wait until the child is mature enough to decide for himself/herself whether to be baptized. Or it would be like a... Read more

Discussion of Malestrom by Carolyn Custis James (Part Three) Here I will be responding to Chapters 2 and 3 of Malestrom: “Patriarchy Matters” and “The Father Wound” respectively. Some of what I say may not make sense unless you’ve read the book’s Introduction and Chapter 1 and my responses to those in Parts One and Two of this series. I couldn’t agree more with the main thesis of Chapter 2: “Patriarchy Matters”: “Illusions of superiority and inferiority have no place... Read more

Discussion of Malestrom by Carolyn Custis James (Part Two) In Chapter 1, “The Genesis of the Malestrom,” Carolyn Custis James explains what I have long believed—that men and women share the image of God equally and that patriarchy is a result of the fall, not part of the intended pattern of creation. Also, contrary to belief that “this is a man’s world” (intended prescriptively, not only descriptively), Christians ought to recognize and live out the truth that this is God’s... Read more

I’m a historical theologian and I tell my students that the history of Christian theology is a series of pendulum swings–reactions that are often over reactions to events, movements, etc. I think this is true of cultural history in general. Let me give some examples. The second century Christian bishops’ response to Montanism was an over reaction that had extremely negative consequences. Instead of the church being where the Spirit is, the church became defined as where the bishop is.... Read more

What’s with the Popularity of Off-Beat Political Candidates? Many people are scratching their heads over the growing popularity of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. (To be specific—as a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination as its presidential candidate next year. However, Trump has made some indications he may run as an independent should he not receive that nomination, so I think it’s fair to just call him a “presidential candidate.”) That popularity, to say nothing of Trump himself, is... Read more

Discussion of Malestrom by Carolyn Custis James (Part One) I recently announced here that I would begin a series of blog posts based on evangelical author Carolyn Custis James’s new book Malestrom:Manhood Swept into the Currents of A Changing World (Zondervan, 2015). I realize most interested people will not have had time to order and receive a hard copy of the book. So, after this first post in the series, I’ll wait a few days until posting Part Two. This... Read more

An Invitation to Discuss Malestrom by Carolyn Custis James Either serendipity or providence. Just a few weeks ago I was on a panel discussing Christ and Gender with Ben Witherington and Carolyn Custis James at the MissioAlliance gathering in Alexandria, Virginia. It’s an explosive issue; whatever a person says will inevitably spark some strong disagreement, if not harsh criticism, from someone else. But we were all civil to each other and found common ground and raised a lot of questions.... Read more

This is a request for your help identifying relatively new Christian denominations in the U.S. It’s for a project I’m beginning to undertake. I will explain more about that project later. (I’ve had a special interest in denominations for many years and have served as a consultant to the last two editions of the Handbook of Denominations published every few years by Abingdon Press.) Here are the guidelines. Please only report to me here denominations 1) founded in the last... Read more