Dear readers, Don’t despair!  (As if you would!)  I will be back.  (Some of you may wish not!)  Today is the first full day of classes and I have much last minute preparing to do.  And my mind is distracted by the thought of getting to know so many students and introducing my subjects to them.  Occasionally I will skip a day (maybe even two once in a while), but let the discussions continue.  I will do my best to… Read more

In the January 9, 1995 issue of Christianity Today I reviewed the then new book The Openness of God and ended by raising a question about the maturity of evangelicalism: “How do American evangelical Christians handle theological diversity? Have we come of age enough to avoid heresy charges and breast-beating jeremiads in response to a new doctrinal proposal that is so conscientiously based on biblical reflection rather than on rebellious accommodation to modern thought? This may be the test.”  Needless… Read more

I have forwarded posts with which I strongly disagree, but I don’t have time to correct every misconception or misrepresentation of Arminianism or other theological systems.  However, I would like to clarify a couple points about classical Arminianism.  Classical Arminianism does NOT say God never interferes with free will.  It says God NEVER foreordains or renders certain evil.  This relates to the issue of Arminianism and inerrancy.  An Arminian COULD believe in divine dictation of Scripture and not do violence… Read more

On Monday (the Lord willing) I will post something here about open theism and the evangelical debate about it.  For now, let me just say that I am very glad to see some of my former colleagues from that Christian liberal arts college (where I taught for 15 years) joining the discussion here.  I want to say for their benefit that during that most agonizing debate over open theism they, my colleagues, were always supportive.  Even those who did not agree… Read more

A common response to my rejection of the term “inerrancy” is “If the Bible contains a single error, how can we know it is God’s Word?”  First, let me say again: It is the TERM “inerrancy” that I reject, not the authority or trustworthiness of Scripture.  AND every inerrantist I know or have read admits there are errors in Scripture as we have it today.  Only the original autographs were inerrant in the strictest sense.  What I want is an… Read more

I know I promised more about postconservative evangelicalism today.  Even though it may not seem directly related to a delineation of that, this post does help explicate how most postconservatives think about the inspiration and authority of the Bible.  First, a strong affirmation.  As evangelicals, we postconservatives DO believe the Bible is our (and should be every Christian’s) norming norm for life and belief.  Tradition is our normed norm–a secondary guide or compass that is not infallible.  Scripture, we all… Read more

Contrary to what one respondant claims, classical Calvinism does believe that God’s election of persons to salvation is absolutely unconditional.  To say it is not absolutely unconditional because it is based on God’s “good pleasure” does nothing to ease the problem.  What causes God’s “good pleasure” to be found in electing one person and not another to salvation?  I have read literally scores of classical Calvinist authors on this very subject (from Calvin to Piper) and found no hint of… Read more

I just heard about my friend Clark Pinnock’s death on Sunday, August 15 at age 73.  My heart is heavy for his family but full of joy for him.  He was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and is no doubt now in the joy of the Lord’s presence without pain or loss. I followed Clark’s career and theological path over the years after first reading him while in seminary.  I made note of his change from Calvinism to Arminianism and then… Read more

Only occasionally will I take the time to respond in  a post to a specific respondant’s challenge, question or critique.  Normally I won’t be able to as the purpose of this blog is to share my theological musings and let others discuss them as they wish.  However, a recent poster here claimed that an Arminian should not object to the Calvinist idea of God unconditionally passing over many people whom he could save.  The “passing over,” of course, refers to… Read more

Previously I confessed that I can no longer call myself an “evangelical” without qualification.  The term has been so sullied by the media and by fundamentalists within the evangelical movement (insofar as that even exists anymore!) that I find it necessary to say that I am some particular kind of evangelical to distance myself from the popular perceptions promoted by the media and also from many self-appointed spokesmen for evangelicalism. Some years ago (around 1998) I adopted the adjective “postconservative”… Read more