On Monday (the Lord willing) I will post something here about open theism and the evangelical debate about it.  For now, let me just say that I am very glad to see some of my former colleagues from that Christian liberal arts college (where I taught for 15 years) joining the discussion here.  I want to say for their benefit that during that most agonizing debate over open theism they, my colleagues, were always supportive.  Even those who did not agree... Read more

A common response to my rejection of the term “inerrancy” is “If the Bible contains a single error, how can we know it is God’s Word?”  First, let me say again: It is the TERM “inerrancy” that I reject, not the authority or trustworthiness of Scripture.  AND every inerrantist I know or have read admits there are errors in Scripture as we have it today.  Only the original autographs were inerrant in the strictest sense.  What I want is an... Read more

I know I promised more about postconservative evangelicalism today.  Even though it may not seem directly related to a delineation of that, this post does help explicate how most postconservatives think about the inspiration and authority of the Bible.  First, a strong affirmation.  As evangelicals, we postconservatives DO believe the Bible is our (and should be every Christian’s) norming norm for life and belief.  Tradition is our normed norm–a secondary guide or compass that is not infallible.  Scripture, we all... Read more

Contrary to what one respondant claims, classical Calvinism does believe that God’s election of persons to salvation is absolutely unconditional.  To say it is not absolutely unconditional because it is based on God’s “good pleasure” does nothing to ease the problem.  What causes God’s “good pleasure” to be found in electing one person and not another to salvation?  I have read literally scores of classical Calvinist authors on this very subject (from Calvin to Piper) and found no hint of... Read more

I just heard about my friend Clark Pinnock’s death on Sunday, August 15 at age 73.  My heart is heavy for his family but full of joy for him.  He was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and is no doubt now in the joy of the Lord’s presence without pain or loss. I followed Clark’s career and theological path over the years after first reading him while in seminary.  I made note of his change from Calvinism to Arminianism and then... Read more

Only occasionally will I take the time to respond in  a post to a specific respondant’s challenge, question or critique.  Normally I won’t be able to as the purpose of this blog is to share my theological musings and let others discuss them as they wish.  However, a recent poster here claimed that an Arminian should not object to the Calvinist idea of God unconditionally passing over many people whom he could save.  The “passing over,” of course, refers to... Read more

Previously I confessed that I can no longer call myself an “evangelical” without qualification.  The term has been so sullied by the media and by fundamentalists within the evangelical movement (insofar as that even exists anymore!) that I find it necessary to say that I am some particular kind of evangelical to distance myself from the popular perceptions promoted by the media and also from many self-appointed spokesmen for evangelicalism. Some years ago (around 1998) I adopted the adjective “postconservative”... Read more

Recently I heard that author Anne Rice is “quitting Christianity.”  According to reports I have heard and read, she believes the term “Christian” is too fraught with connotations of extreme right-wing politics.  She prefers simply to be called a “Jesus-follower.”  I don’t have that problem with the label “Christian.”  I don’t give up on good labels easily; I prefer to try to invest them with positive meaning rather than simply discard them because of misconceptions in the popular mind. Many... Read more

One person responding to one of my postings said something about the diversity of Arminianism compared to Calvinism.  The thrust of his message, as I recall, was that Arminianism is so much more diverse than Calvinism that it makes it difficult to respond to Arminianism.  I argue that Calvinism or Reformed theology today is just as diverse if not more diverse than Arminianism. About Arminian diversity: Yes, among Arminians today one can find disagreement about God’s foreknowledge and the universality... Read more

Occasionally I will review or just recommend (or not) books here.  Yesterday I received a new book Baker kindly sent me.  It is by two old friends–Steve Wilkens and Don Thorsen.  The title is Everything You Know about Evangelicals Is Wrong (Well, Almost Everything).  The sub-subtitle is An Insider’s Look at Myths and Realities.  From the table of contents: Evangelicals Are Not All Mean, Stupid, and Dogmatic. Evangelicals Are Not All Waiting for the Rapture, Evangelicals Are Not All Anti-evolutionists, Evangelicals Are Not All Inerrantists,... Read more