God in Our Suffering Roger E. Olson             I’m no expert in suffering. I’ve neither suffered much myself nor observed much suffering close up. In fact, to be perfectly honest, suffering scares me. I’m a suffering sissy. I don’t like suffering. However, suffering is part of life in this world. There is no truer statement in the Bible than that “Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Evil and innocent suffering are major challenges to... Read more

You Might Be “Reformed” If…. The rise of the so-called “young, restless, Reformed” movement during the past decade has given rise to concerns about the uses and misuses of the label “Reformed.” Recently, Southern Baptist and Calvinist pastor Wade Burleson has waded in on the debate. (http://www.wadeburleson.org/2013/06/the-truth-will-set-you-free.html) I’m not going to respond to his post here; I don’t want him to think I’m “dogging” him. I’ll let Reformed apologists respond to his claim that most Reformed people tend to focus... Read more

Some Good Summer Reading (Recommended New or Forthcoming Theology Books) Summer is a time when I try to catch up on reading. During the academic year books tend to pile up on a table in my home study. Eventually, usually during the summer, I get around to reading some. I’m often reading (or listening to) several books at the same time (don’t take that too literally!). I’m usually writing one book while finishing the “details” of a previous one (e.g.,... Read more

My Response to the Southern Baptist Statement “Truth, Trust, and Testimony In A Time of Tension” (A Statement from the Calvinism Advisory Committee) First, you should read the statement at http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=40419 . If you don’t read the statement first, much of what I say will not make sense to you. (Of course, it might not even if you do read the statement, but that’s a given…a given that you might just disagree with me about basic matters of perspective or... Read more

Further Thoughts on Pietism and Christian Higher Education: Seven Years Later Roger E. Olson             Seven years ago I spoke at Bethel College’s faculty retreat about “Thoughts on the Christ-centered College/University” using Wheaton College’s then president Duane Litfin’s book Conceiving the Christian College. I focused that talk on Chapter 4 of the book that dealt with faith-learning integration. Propelled to do so by this assignment I re-read that talk. I stand by everything I said there today, seven years later.... Read more

What do I mean by “it” in this post’s title? I don’t mean Hitler, of course. I mean the phenomenon described vividly and frighteningly by journalist and author Nagorski in his book (which I am reading) entitled “Hitlerland.” It’s a detailed account of Americans living in Germany during Hitler’s riser to power. Most of them were journalists or diplomats; a few tourists are included. The sources are their journals, articles, books and diaries. What’s frightening about the (true) story is... Read more

See Wade Burleson’s blog post here: http://www.wadeburleson.org/2013/06/how-to-kiss-calvinism-goodbye-gracious.html I appreciate Wade’s irenic tone in this blog post. However, the claim that a non-Calvinist must be a universalist  (which is clearly implied if not outrightly stated) is false. Throughout Christian history MOST non-Calvinists (the majority of Christians) have NOT been universalists. C. S. Lewis was certainly not one. Now, if all Wade means is that someone who does not believe in divine reprobation by decree ought logically to embrace something like Lewis’... Read more

So far, the main objection raised here has been that boys and young men with a sexual preference for males should be excluded from Boy Scouts because their presence will make heterosexual boys uncomfortable. To you who raised this objection I ask–What is your advice, then, for public schools? Boys and young men shower together after gym and sports activities all the time. Should schools exclude students with same-sex orientation? From what? How? “Gay boys” and “gay young men” have... Read more

Gay Boy Scouts—So What? According to news reports (Associated Press, byline David Crary, June 8, 2013) the Southern Baptist Convention is likely to vote a resolution encouraging SBC-related churches to phase out sponsorship of the Boy Scouts. Russell Moore, new president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is quoted as saying “I do think most Southern Baptists see the Boy Scouts moving in a direction that’s not going to be consistent with our beliefs.” The Associated Press report... Read more

Help, Mom! There Are Calvinists under My Bed! Some Ideas for a New Book Have you seen the new book published by Cross Books (apparently a division of LifeWay) entitled Help, Mom! There Are Arminians under My Bed!? I haven’t read it; I’ve just seen the “cover.” (I put cover in scare quotes because it is apparently only available in e-form. Can you really call a digital image a “cover?”) So here are some of my suggestions of what a... Read more