I’ve blogged about this before, but just yesterday Southern Baptist philosopher/theologian/seminary dean Steve Lemke, one of the editors of the excellent book Whosoever Will (which I highly recommended here) posted a message to the SBCToday blog accusing me of committing the fallacy of excluded middle for arguing that Southern Baptists like he are either Calvinists or Arminians and should admit it and (in his case) embrace the label Arminian–something he and the other authors of Whosoever Will reject. Lemke’s post... Read more

The current issue of Christianity Today (June 2011) contains an article by Matthew Dickerson of Middlebury College entitled “Who Gets Left Behind?”  The author’s thesis (in a nutshell) is that “the popular interpretation [of the end times] owes more to Platonism or Gnosticism, which devalue the body and physical creation, than to Christianity.” I agree–insofar as he is talking only about the “popular interpretation” as in what I call “folk religion.”  However, I think he isn’t looking at the whole... Read more

A few weeks ago I posted about the killing of Osama bin Laden and said Christians shouldn’t celebrate it.  A number of people strongly disagreed, arguing that it is right to celebrate justice and his assassination was just. Both Christianity Today and Christian Century have weighed in the subject–on my side.  (Great minds think alike!) CT quotes Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler as saying “Retributive justice is sober justice.  The reason for this is simple–God is capable of... Read more

For a long time I’ve been pondering why American culture generally and American Christianity specifically have lurched so far to the right during the last few decades. When I was in high school in the late 1960s I worked for a man who owned a cleaning business.  After going to work for him on weekends and some evenings (I had to pay for my motorcycle somehow!) I discovered he was a leader in the state branch of the John Birch... Read more

I am not the only Christian objecting strenuously to such anti-illegal immigrant statutes being passed by states.  Please read the following article that contains real case studies and religious leaders’ objections to HB1804 and similar statutes: http://www.cjd.org/paper/resist.html Now, as this is my blog, I close this discussion thread. Read more

In case you’re new to this blog with this post, you need to go back and read my previous posts dealing with Oklahoma HB 1804 that SEEMS to criminalize humanitarian aid to illegal immigrants.  One commenter here has challenged my criticism of the law and its legislative formulators and those who voted for it.  The main response so far is that the law is not being enforced against Christians who provide necessary humanitarian aid to illegal immigrants.  But the law... Read more

According to some experts on African orphans, there are now too many orphanages in Africa.  How can that be?  Can there be too many orphanages? Actually, as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, too many orphanages have been built in parts of Africa with the results that 1) many of them are overcrowded and understaffed, and 2) many of their occupants are not true orphans OR are orphans but have extended family members who would gladly take care of them... Read more

Let me be crystal clear.  I don’t care what the legislature’s intentions were in passing this law ; I am only concerned with what it literally says.  In other words, in judging its rightness or wrongness (morally) we can’t take into account unstated intentions–e.g., that it not be enforced this way or that.  My concern is how it MIGHT be enforced given WHAT IT SAYS. Now, if someone can come forth and show me that the law explicitly includes exclusions... Read more

I cannot find out easily the current legal status of the entirety of Oklahoma House Bill 1804 that, among other things, made it a felony to give transportation or shelter to illegal immigrants.  When the bill was passed by the state legislature, the Roman Catholic bishop of Tulsa declared that he would have to become a criminal if the law were implemented.  (It was immediately appealed and the appeals were denied and then portions of the law ruled unconstitutional, etc.,... Read more

Totally tongue-in-cheek!  Blame it on the mountain air.  But I think there’s some truth in it, especially when referring to upwardly mobile religious people: Pentecostals want to be Baptists Baptists want to be Methodists or Presbyterians Methodists and Presbyterians want to be Episcopalians Episcopalians want to be Roman Catholics Roman Catholics want to be Pentecostals. Read more