Are Pentecostals Fundamentalists? Part One *Note to would-be commenters: If you choose to post a comment or question, please keep it brief (no more than 100 words), on topic (don’t misuse my blog to preach your own worldview or theology), civil and respectful (not argumentative or hostile), and do not include any links or photos.* What a question! So hard to answer. To outsiders, non-Pentecostals, yes, most often they are thought of as fundamentalists. To insiders, such as I was,... Read more

What Is “Fundamentalism?” A Personal and Professional Perspective *Note to would-be contributors: Lately a lot of commenters here have been ignoring my rules. Please don’t. If you choose to contribute a comment or question (or both) keep it relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic (relevant to what I actually wrote to which you are responding), civil and respectful in language (not argumentative or hostile), clear of any photos or links, and do NOT attempt to misuse my... Read more

Is America Worth Celebrating? *Note to would-be commenters: If you hope that your comment or question will be posted here, please keep it relatively brief, civil, not hostile or argumentative, and on topic. Address it to me as this is not a discussion board. Do not include any links or photos.* Today is an American national holiday, the Fourth of July or Independence Day. Today, we Americans, citizens of the United States of America, are supposed to celebrate our nation,... Read more

Why I Do Not Believe in the “Rapture” *Note to would-be commenters: If you hope that your comment or question will be posted here, make sure it sticks to the topic of my post, is addressed to me (this is not a discussion board), does not misrepresent anything I wrote, I not argumentative or hostile, and does not include any links or photos.* What is “the rapture?” For many conservative Protestants, especially fundamentalists and evangelicals, the rapture is the mysterious... Read more

Does Christianity Require a “Leap of Faith?” *Note to would-be commenters: If you hope your comment will be published here, follow these rules. Do not include any photos or links. Be civil and respectful, not hostile or argumentative. Stick to the subjects; do not misrepresent what I wrote. Keep it relatively brief.* I recently engaged in a brief conversation with a non-Christian who said that he could not take the “leap of faith” required to become a Christian. This is... Read more

More of Jesus and Less of John Wayne: Prescription for American Evangelicalism *Note to would-be commenters: Know that this is not a discussion board; your comment may or may not be approved to appear here. If you hope for it to be approved and appear here, make sure it is relatively brief, on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful, not hostile or argumentative, and does not contain a link or photo.* I finally finished reading “Jesus and John Wayne:... Read more

Why Not “Against Fundamentalism?” *Note to would-be commenters: Know that this is not a discussion board; it is more like an editorial page. Letters to the editor do not always get published. If you choose to compose and post a comment, know that it may not be posted here, especially if it is overly long, off topic, addressed to someone other than me, is hostile or argumentative, and includes a picture or link.* Many people have asked me why I... Read more

Are Bad Christians Jesus’s Fault? *Note to would-be commenters: If you choose to comment, know that this is not a discussion board. Think of it as an opinion page of a newspaper or magazine. I, the editor, choose which “letters” to publish. If you hope for your comment to appear here, make sure it is: relatively brief, on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful in language, and has no pictures or links.* We are bombarded daily with examples of... Read more

Toxic Masculinity or Aspirational Masculinity? *Note to would-be commenters: This is not a discussion board; it is a place for me to share my opinions and have civil, respectful and constructive conversations with others about them. Comments that are overly long or off topic or uncivil will not be approved. Do not include any links or photos. Do not write your own essay; respond only to what I wrote in my essay.* This blog post is about an essay I... Read more

Calvinism the Root of Liberal Theology I am an Arminian and a scholar of Arminian theology. Over the years I have heard many people blame Arminianism for the rise of liberal Christianity. There is a Youtube video that attempts to make that case; it is very lame. It ends with two female superstars kissing on stage and chanting “We are tired of the concepts of right and wrong!” Somehow the makers of the documentary (or is it a mockumentary?) blame... Read more