Today I was trying to explain to my granddaughter what the Easter Bunny has to do with Easter. It wasn’t easy. As I have said here before, I consider there to be two distinct holidays toward the end of December: Christmas and The Winter Holidays. Many people who celebrate The Winter Holidays minus Jesus call it “Christmas.” I don’t. Those are two different holidays that coincide in time. One is religious (Christian) and the other one is secular. Of course,... Read more

Here I continue discussion of the book That We May Be One: Practicing Unity in A Divided Church by Church of God pastor Gary Agee Here I will take up Chapter Three: Taking on a Posture of Unity. You are welcome to comment even if you have not read this chapter, but know that you may then misunderstand and be open to correction. I have already decided that Agee is talking in this book about unity among Christians and I... Read more

The accompanying picture is of Texas Democrat James Talarico, Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. He is a Presbyterian seminary graduate and openly Christian. He makes no secret of his Christian beliefs and motives for his political involvement. Many are now asking if his popularity, even in a traditionally conservative district and state, signals the rise of a new “Religious Left” in America. I don’t know if that is the case. That is, I don’t know if Talarico’s rising... Read more

Here I continue discussion of the book That We May Be One: Practicing Unity in a Divided Church by Church of God minister Gary B. Agee. Everyone is invited to participated this time, but be sure to follow the rules stated at the end here. I fail to find a single, clear definition of “unity” in the chapter entitled Speaking of Unity. The first section is headlined “Unity Defined,” but what I find there is a description of unity. In... Read more

In recent years a wide divide has opened up within Anglicanism. The Episcopal Church USA is still affiliated with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the nominal leader of Anglicanism worldwide, while the Anglican Church of North America is affiliated with the Global Anglican Church (GAFCON). Late last year the bishops of GAFCON officially announced that it is the world Anglican Church, not the one affiliated with the Archbishop of Canterbury. It all began with the Church of England’s and the Episcopal... Read more

Here I begin discussion of Gary B. Agee’s book That We May Be One: Practicing Unity in a Divided Church (Eerdmans, 2022). Unlike previous book discussions here, I invite all to participate (following the rules stated at the end). However, if you have not read the chapter(s) under review, be sure to say that so we know how to “take” what you say. I’m interested in this subject—Christian unity, unity of the church—because: 1) Jesus himself wished and prayed for... Read more

Every Known Theistic Approach to Old Testament “Texts of Terror” The phrase “texts of terror” usually refers to stories in the historical books of the Hebrew Bible that describe God as commanding his people to slaughter groups of men, women and children and “show them no mercy” (to quote on such command). Here I will lay out all the theistic approaches to interpreting these texts I am aware of. Every “other” approach I know about seems to me to fall... Read more

In about a week to ten days I will begin discussing That We May Be One: Practicing Unity in a Divided Church by Gary B. Agee (Eerdmans, 2022). Be careful because there are other books with the same basic title (That We May Be One). Buy the right one. It is available for Kindle. I am attracted to this book because I am a masochist. I have written two “Against” books—Against Calvinism and Against Liberal Theology. Agee mounts a biblical... Read more

Before the German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel, Christian talk about God “becoming” was shockingly heretical. It still is in some conservative Christian circles. Hegel started the ball rolling by talking about all consciousness becoming; for him there is no consciousness that does not become. For him, finite and infinite consciousness are intertwined together and by the very nature of consciousness itself both become through a dialectical process that involves negation and sublation (German: Aufhebung, suspension and transformation). After Hegel,... Read more

Everyone involved in Christian higher education knows that many contemporary liberal American colleges and universities were once quite conservative and even evangelical. This trend has become so well-known and talked about in evangelical academic circles that many people are highly sensitive to any rumor or hint of progressive thinking or teaching in their alma mater or college/university/seminary associated with their church or denomination. I served in American evangelical higher education for forty years. I avoided administration. One of my seminary... Read more