Whatever Happened to the New Age Movement (NAM)? If you didn’t live through the 1980s or were too young to notice cultural movements and events, you may not remember or even know about the so-called “New Age Movement” (henceforth “NAM”). Even if you did, and were aware of the hype surrounding it, you may never have figured out what it was. You wouldn’t be alone. Everyone talked about it, but few seemed to know what it was—beyond Shirley MacLaine’s shenanigans.... Read more

Books I’m Reading Right Now (and Why) This is a little unusual—compared to most of my blog posts, but I am often asked what I’m reading at the moment. Then, when I answer, some ask “Why?” I don’t know why people are interested in what I’m reading, but apparently some are. This blog is my “musings” and telling what I’m reading and why counts as musings. Maybe someone out there will be informed about reading in a way that’s helpful.... Read more

I recently gave this talk to a group of very bright young Christian student workers at various universities. They came together for a “summit” and I was asked to speak to them on this subject–from my book Questions to All Your Answers: The Journey from Folk Religion to Examined Faith. I apologize for the formatting; that is what WordPress does to an outline created in Word and cut-and-pasted here. Although this is not an essay, I think you can easily... Read more

Are Men Obsolete? Are Boys in Danger? More on The “Decline of Men” and The “Boy Crisis” These musings were triggered by some recent articles and blog posts. A December (2013) Time article described a national effort in Sweden to erase gender distinctions that, many men say, is really aimed at erasing masculinity. Another December Time article reported on a scholarly conference held in 2013 that asked “Are Men Obsolete?” A Patheos blogger argued during the same month that society,... Read more

The article is “Evangelicals Find Themselves in the Midst of a Calvinist Revival.” The author is columnist Mark Oppenheimer. The place of publication in The New York Times. The date is January 3, 2014. (That was the date of its release; it may not appear in print until later.) The article/column may be read at many web sites. Google the author’s name and the article’s title. I am quoted in the article. To be quoted in the New York Times... Read more

Mark Oppenheimer is a columnist for the New York Times who writes about culture and religion. This week he interviewed me about “neo-Calvinism” or “the new Calvinism” because he plans this weekend’s column to be about that. We’ve also exchanged e-mails about Calvinism and non-Calvinism in American religious life today. Of course, I have no idea exactly what he intends to say, so I will be very interested in reading it. If you have access to the NYT I suggest... Read more

Does God Foreordain and Render Certain Sins? (And Why Some Questions Annoy Me) Not infrequently some Calvinist confronts me with a question that, in the way it is asked, implies two things: 1) I must have overlooked parts of the Bible, and 2) They have not read any non-Calvinist theology. The way these people often ask their question annoys me because it’s insulting. First, more often than not, I’ve answered the question in either Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities or... Read more

One of the questions I am frequently asked is “Whom can I read to learn about philosophy from a Christian perspective if I’m not trained in philosophy?” Another, related question, is “Whom can I recommend beginners read in Christian philosophy?” I have one constant suggestion: Keith Ward. Look him up (google him and look at his web site and his amazon page). Ward is an orthodox Christian and trained philosopher who has written and continues to write many books of... Read more

The FACTS of Salvation: A Summary of Arminian Theology/the Biblical Doctrines of Grace By Brian Abasciano   (For a pdf file of the present article, see here.)   The distinctive tenets of Arminian theology may be presented using the acronym FACTS. The opposing theology of Calvinism is well known for its acronym TULIP (for a description of TULIP, see here). But Arminians prefer to deal with the facts rather than play with flowers. And here they are, presented by logical... Read more

My latest post regarding the ongoing reality of the incarnation provoked many good questions about underlying assumptions, which, in turn, have led me to respond about the Reformation debates about Christology (which led to debates about the Lord’s Supper). I want to make clear that I hope to draw a line, however indistinct it may seem at times, between “basic Christian orthodoxy” and “theological speculation.” This is one reason I wrote The Mosaic of Christian Belief–to pare Christian doctrine down... Read more