Coming Here Soon: Critiques of Molinism, Please watch for a coming series about Molinism and Arminianism. I have written about that subject here before, but now respected Arminian theologian Robert Picirilli is publishing a two-part series on the subject. I’ve read part one and it is just excellent. I will post links to his essays. The tragedy is that many self-identified Arminians are adopting Molinism (not just “middle knowledge”) to “explain” how God’s absolute, meticulous sovereignty is compatible with libertarian... Read more

Abusing Scripture for Personal or Political Purposes Every Christian ought to be repulsed and speak out against politicians or anyone changing the words of Scripture to support their own agendas or vested interests—including those of their parties, organizations, businesses, or nations. Recently, in the U.S., someone speaking at a major political party event “quoted” a passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews inserting words that make it sound as if the Bible (this passage in Hebrews, anyway) supports his or... Read more

The Needed Next Step in Empowering Women and Improving the World One hundred years ago women finally achieved the right to vote in the United States. One hundred years later women still form a tiny minority of government leaders in the U.S. There exists an imbalance of power; men hold most of the power. The rise of women is notable and to be celebrated, but it is still not enough. What we need, I propose, is a true balance of... Read more

How This Blog Began: An Outrage in 2011 Before 2011 several friends urged me to start my own blog. Blogging was a relatively new thing then. I wasn’t anxious to do it. I’m not adept at technology and I didn’t need another writing project. I put them off and did not intend to start a blog. Then something happened that so outraged me that I couldn’t resist the temptation (or call) to speak out publicly—including on a blog. That’s when... Read more

Excellent Historical Documentaries about Christians in 1930s Germany Paraphrasing philosopher George Santayana: Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. Here are three excellent, relatively brief documentaries about Germany in the 1930s—how Hitler came to power and how German Christians supported him—including some notable theologians. Please watch them and comment on them. They are all readily available on Youtube: How Hitler Gained Absolute Power In Germany | Impossible Peace | Timeline German Christianity and the... Read more

The Worst Idea Ever: The “Catastrophe of…” Yes, I left the title incomplete because I wanted to “hook” you into reading this. I consider what I have to say here absolutely essential—for anyone who wants to understand a very basic philosophy that underlies and influences everything I say there. That people do not know this philosophy, misunderstanding and miscommunication are almost inevitable. I find myself often sitting back bemused by many of the responses I read here because, I realize,... Read more

Can You Be a Baptist and Hindu (or Buddhist)? Now, before someone jumps to the wrong conclusion…I am NOT saying that Kamala Harris (Joe Biden’s chosen running mate) claims to be both Baptist and Hindu. However, I have heard people SAY that she is both Baptist and Hindu—as if that were possible (and some have said it as if it were good!). Kamala Harris, very possibly America’s next Vice President and possibly America’s next president, was raised by a Baptist... Read more

Why I Have a Problem with the Phrase “Practical Theology” Most seminaries in America have a department or unit of the curriculum (and professors who teach those courses) called “practical theology.” There are Christian scholars who specializes in “practical theology”—who write books that fit into that category and who speak and inform professors, students, pastors and lay people about this subject or some part of it. What does “practical theology” usually include? Usually it includes such subjects as congregational leadership,... Read more

Our Feet Are Set on Slippery Places: Reflections on the Political Divide in America What more is there to say about this subject? Numerous commentators have weighed in on it. And yet, we don’t seem to be making any progress toward greater civility. The divide is growing wider and deeper and people on both sides of it are demonizing people on the other side. It is worse than any time that I can remember (which goes back to the 1960s).... Read more

Second (or Third) Thoughts about Situation Ethics (Part 2) Before reading this be sure to read Part 1. (Any response to this Part 2 that indicates you have not read Part 1 will not be approved.) So was Joseph Fletcher’s “situation ethics” a “new morality?” He even he admitted that most of what he was saying was not new; he mentioned frequently as precursors of his situational approach to Christian ethics: Saint Augustine, Emil Brunner, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Augustine famously... Read more