Sometimes Life Gets in the Way, Even of Theology! Dear Blog Friends, thank you for your patience and for “staying tuned” here. Don’t worry, I haven’t died or dropped this blog (the two events will almost certainly coincide but hopefully not for a long time). Theology interests me nor more than ever. I am currently conducting research on several subjects related to theology. However, recently, several life events have interrupted my research and my work on this blog. Again, thank... Read more

Answering a Question: Can There Be a Church without Doctrines? This question (Can there be a church without doctrines?) interests me a great deal. I have been asked it in various ways many times over the years. In fact, I have twice been a member of churches that claimed to have no doctrines other than “the Bible” – which I took to mean whatever the Bible says. Both churches flatly rejected attempts to establish even minimal statements of faith to... Read more

Answer to Question: What Must a Person Know/Believe to Be Saved (or to Be a Christian)? Recently I invited questions and this (or these) was one asked by several people. I’ll put their questions into my own words and hope to do justice to their thoughts. “What must a person know (cognitively) in order to be saved?” And “What must a person know (cognitively) in order to be a Christian? I think it is safe to assume that the questioners... Read more

Answering a Question about the Trinity: Is “Social Trinitarianism” a Heresy? I am informed that some evangelical (and perhaps other) theologians are again labeling social trinitarianism a heresy. To put it bluntly and “up front,” this is nonsense. But, as you should be aware, there are conservative theologians who specialize in identifying heresies. They seem never to be satisfied; three is always another heresy lurking just around a corner. They get “points” from colleagues and “higher ups” (in their denominations... Read more

Answer to a Question: Philosophy and Theology In my considered opinion, there can be no more important question for Christian theologians, than this one: What should be the relationship between philosophy and Christian theology? When I invited questions, this one popped up and that didn’t surprise me. Even “ordinary Christians” who think about Christian beliefs must touch on something like this issue—even if not in a technical or scholarly way. The Christian debate about the relationship between philosophy and theology... Read more

Let’s Talk Theology: Questions Invited Recently unusual life events have slowed down my work on this blog, especially composing new blog essays about new topics. I have long wanted to be an Advice Columnist—but about something I know about. “Lonely hearts?” Not really. What I consider myself an expert in is religion, especially Christian theology, but also cults and unusual forms of Christianity—ones that are not well known by the masses, the people in the pews and even in the... Read more

Let’s Talk about Spiritual Technologies—Theologically What is a “spiritual technology?” “Spiritual technology” is a term used in scholarly circles of religious studies for any practice that is believed to enhance a person’s spirituality. Usually, it is alleged to have some power to increase a person’s relationship with something sacred—a sacred force or power or person. Usually, if a practice is labeled a “spiritual technology it is non-mainstream although that is not necessary. For example, typically, a religion scholar will not... Read more

What Is the Essence of Christianity? Part 2 In Part 1 of this series I said that Christian theologians have identified three aspects of Christianity’s essence: orthodoxy (right belief), orthopathy (right experience), and orthopraxy (right living). Different theologians have focused on one or two or all three—as most crucial to identifying Christianity’s essence. Why is it necessary to identify Christianity’s essence? Well, simply because there have been and are so many very different individuals and groups calling themselves Christians who... Read more

What Is the Essence of Christianity? Part 1 Obviously, this question would take a whole volume to answer and even one volume might not be adequate to answer it. There have been several such volumes. Atheist Ludwig Feuerbach famously wrote a volume entitled Das Wesen des Christentums (pub., 1841). Liberal Protestant church historian and theologian Adolf Harnack gave a series of lectures in Berlin in 1900 with that same title, but it was published in English as What Is Christianity?... Read more

Let’s Talk about Evil-Theologically A recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) opinion piece by Lance Morrow asserted that “Not That Long Ago Evil Really Meant Something.” A popular Netflix comedy series “The Good Place” deals with issues of good and evil, sometimes seriously. The issue of the meaning of “evil” is rising again. I have raised it here many times before. Is anything really, objectively, absolutely, universally evil without God or something like God? That is the question I want to... Read more