See/hear the clip of that title at youtube.com.  I don’t know any more about it than what’s there.  It sounds like Bell’s voice, so I’ll assume, unless someone proves otherwise, that it is his voice. Read more

This is for those of you who consider yourselves Arminians or who just want to understand classical Arminianism better. There are all too few good books about Arminius.  This one is expensive, but well worth the $125 (or so) for anyone avidly interested in understanding Arminius’ theology.  If you teach at a college, university or seminary, you ought to have the library order if even if you can’t afford one for yourself. The book is God’s Twofold Love: The Theology... Read more

For those of you wondering what view of God’s sovereignty Piper MIGHT be talking about in his youtube clip (that we’ve been discussing here), watch and listen to this youtube clip: Letters Q&A – If God loved the world why did he let Satan control it? I suspect the crucial word in Piper’s youtube clip (that some have mentioned but most have not) is “ultimately.”  I do think he is saying in that youtube clip that a person who “ultimately”... Read more

Please view and listen to the following video clip on youtube.com: Why does God allow Satan to live? – John Piper If you’re not familiar with Youtube, just go to www.youtube.com and enter that title into the search field.  Click on the title when you see it as a live link.  It’s only a few minutes long. What do you think John Piper is saying about those who disagree with him about God’s sovereignty?  His comment follows immediately after his... Read more

This statement was written in 2001 and signed by 110 evangelical scholars and leaders.  I think it is even more needed now than then.   The Word Made Fresh: A Call for a Renewal of the Evangelical Spirit To be evangelical is to be committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ–the Word incarnate–in all areas of life and to the supreme authority of the canonical Scriptures–the written Word–in all matters of faith and practice. To be evangelical also entails being... Read more

I often am asked to identify beliefs I think are essential to being authentically Christian.  Of course, one approach to answering that is the well-known black-and-white one that says “Here’s a long list of doctrines and anyone who doesn’t believe them isn’t a Christian.”  People who love solid and narrow boundaries and who love to exclude people go for that.  Some of us are aware of difficulties with such an approach. I’ve tried to come up with just such a list... Read more

I rarely (perhaps never so far) post a reader’s comment as one of my own posts, but this one expresses my sentiments about the present state of evangelicalism so well I just have to share it.  I know not everyone can read every comment I approve, so I am “elevating” this one to the status of one of my own posts.  See below: Dr. Olson, I continue to follow you carefully on your blog. I really appreciate your insight, your... Read more

In a recent post here I mentioned the division among evangelicals between those I call neo-fundamentalists and those I call postconservative evangelicals.  I do not claim that all evangelicals must fall into one of these two camps.  Rather, many of the leading evangelical theologians and biblical scholars fall into one of them. I do NOT consider all “traditionalists” neo-fundamentalists.  Neo-fundamentalism is NOT defined by beliefs held; it is defined by HOW beliefs are held and HOW disagreement is handled. According... Read more

In a previous post I mentioned that Billy Graham is an inclusivist.  Someone responded with a statement he said he found at some web site affiliated with Graham retracting what Graham said in an interview with Robert Shuller.  The interview is all over youtube.  Supposedly someone associated with Graham’s organization claimed he was ill or suffering after affects of some medical condition or treatment and that caused him to say the things he said to Shuller on the TV interview. ... Read more

Discussion of Bell’s Love Wins is now allowed here for those who can truthfully say they have read it.  If you post a comment about Bell’s book be sure to say whether you have read it. I finally received my copy yesterday.  (Sometimes I think mail has to arrive in my city by Pony Express!)  I read it last evening and this morning.  First, it is obvious to me that early critics of the book were wrong and they owe... Read more