What Is “Integration of Faith and Learning?” Follow Up (Part 3) to Series on “The Christian Worldview” In a way, the two part series “Is There a ‘The Christian Worldview’?” is simply a preamble to this post/essay. At least in Christian higher education circles, one of the main functions of developing a “the Christian worldview” has been to use it as a tool for encouraging, sometimes requiring, “integration of faith and learning.” A main reason for the existence of Christian... Read more

Is There a “the Christian Worldview?” If So, What Is It? Part 2 If you have not read Part 1 of this series “Is There a ‘the Christian Worldview’?” this second installment may cause some confusion; I suggest you go back and read Part 1 first. I believe there is a “the Christian worldview”—a minimally necessary cognitive content to “seeing the world as” Christianly. “Seeing as” is what philosopher of religion Richard Hare called a “blik”—a basic perspective on reality.... Read more

Is There a “the Christian Worldview?” If So, What Is It? Part 1 A while back I posted here a very positive review of Molly Worthen’s excellent book Apostles of Reason. I had almost nothing but praise for it. Now I want to express one perhaps (but perhaps not) quibble with the book’s analysis of the problem with evangelicalism. Worthen criticizes evangelical scholars’ obsession with “the Christian worldview” and connects that with Reformed rationalism. Worthen is not a theologian and... Read more

My Response to Al Mohler’s Defense of Limited Atonement No, I’m not obsessed with Al Mohler or “dogging him” as the colloquial phrase has it. When I respond to him it’s for two reasons: 1) someone asked me to respond to him, and 2) he is widely considered a spokesman for evangelical Christians and I think that’s a misconception. People need to know that Mohler does not speak for all evangelicals. He doesn’t even speak for all Baptists. According to... Read more

Something for Arminius Geeks Our number is few and I’m not even sure I’m one. Here I use the word “geek” in a non-pejorative way—as someone peculiarly (to others) interested in a very technical subject. If having read all of Arminius’ writings that exist in English translation makes me an “Arminius geek,” then I’m one. However, I happen to be more interested in Arminianism than in Arminius. So call me an Arminianism geek. But that interest has driven me back... Read more

My Response to Al Mohler’s Ambiguous Defense of the Death Penalty Before you read my response, you should read Southern Baptist seminary president and theologian Al Mohler’s column at: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/01/why-christians-should-support-the -death-penalty/ . I have addressed capital punishment here before and found it to be one of the most controversial issues. I get more responses and the temperature is higher in many of them (than with most other subjects). A few weeks ago I attended a meeting of about twenty-five evangelical... Read more

Theologians I Have Known: Reflections on Their Personalities Part 2 This is, of course, a continuation of “Part1” which began with an introduction. Please go back and read that before continuing here (assuming you haven’t already). I don’t recall exactly when I first met Donald Bloesch, but it was at a meeting of the American Theological Society (Midwest Division) that meets every Fall and Spring in Chicago. I joined the ATS not long after arriving to teach at Bethel. My... Read more

Hello Darkness My Old Friend? Questions and Thoughts about Barbara Brown Taylor’s Discovery of the Sacrament of the Dark When I saw the cover of the April 28, 2014 Time I had to buy it. I’m a sucker for theology in pop culture and journalism. The cover shows a railroad track surrounded by trees at night. The title is “Finding God in the Dark: Beyond enlightenment: Acclaimed preacher Barbara Brown Taylor argues that strength, purpose and true faith are found... Read more

Theologians I Have Known: Reflections on Their Personalities Part 1 Over the approximately forty years since I entered seminary I have had the privilege of meeting and spending quality time with many professional theologians (by which I mean men and women who spend the bulk of their time teaching theology and/or conducting research and writing in the field of theology). Some of them were not famous when I met them, but they became famous (among people interested in theology) later.... Read more

Faith and Reason: Is Christianity Irrational? It’s common for especially evangelical Christians and secularists to criticize “reasonable faith” as an oxymoron. In this case we see strange bedfellows—agreeing from entirely different premises and worldviews. Some evangelical Christians (and, of course, other kinds of Christians) run from any suggestion that Christianity ought to be reasonable—in the sense of holding beliefs that are intellectually intelligible. They appeal to “faith” as if that means blind faith, unexamined belief, in truths delivered by authority.... Read more