I’ve been actively involved in evangelicalism and especially the evangelical academy (scholarly community) for over thirty years now and I’ve noticed a bad habit among conservative evangelical biblical scholars and theologians. They seem addicted to inquisitions. It happened to me again, just today. An e-mail from “friends” (an evangelical organization I allegedly belonged to) informing me that I was under investigation (not their words, but clearly their intent) for possibly being in conflict with the organization’s statement of faith. I... Read more

God’s Omnipresence According to Hermann Cremer: The Christian Doctrine of the Attributes of God, Part 4: Divine Attributes Implicit in the Concept of God, Seen in the Light of Revelation, 2: The Omnipresence of God (pp. 61-69) If you are reading with me, and have read this section of the book, feel free to comment. If not, feel free to ask a question. In about a week I will address 3: The Omniscience of God. In this section, Cremer continues... Read more

God’s Omniscience According to Hermann Cremer Here are my thoughts about Hermann Cremer’s thoughts about God’s omniscience as spelled out in the book The Christian Doctrine of God’s Attributes: Part 4: Second Series: 3: The Omniscience of God (pp. 69-75). If you have read these pages, feel free to comment. If not, feel free to ask a question. In about a week I will comment on 4: The Eternity and Immutability of God (pp. 76=81). I approached this section of... Read more

Deus Vult! ? What Does It Mean Now? ”Deus Vult!” The historic motto and cry of the European crusades of the eleventh and twelfth centuries—against the Muslims of the Middle East, especially Palestine. Of course, it means “God wills it!” However, today, in the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is coming to have a specific cultural meaning as a meme and motto of “Christian reconstructionists.” Trump nominee Pete Hegseth, among others, touts the motto—in his case with a... Read more

Confessions of a Christian Humanist and a Call for a Renewal of Christian Humanism I confess it. I’m a Christian humanist. Some years ago I saw an article in a fundamentalist denomination’s magazine entitled “Are You a Christian Humanist?” Having long considered myself one, and thinking most fundamentalist Christians probably aren’t, I began reading the article with interest. The author, a pastor, defined “Christian humanist” as a person who (among other things) watches TV more than reads the Bible. Needless... Read more

Reflections on Hermann Cremer, The Christian Doctrine of the Divine Attributes, Chapter 4: Second Series: Divine Attributes Implicit in the Concept of God, Seen in the Light of Revelation: I. The Omnipotence of God (pp. 55-61) If you have read this section, feel free to comment. If you have not, you may ask a question. Here I continue the discussion of Hermann Cremer’s book about the divine attributes. Here are my thoughts about his treatment of “The Omnipotence of God.... Read more

Who Is a “Real Christian?” Several times recently I’ve mentioned “real Christians” here. A few visitors and commenters have objected to the concept. How is it possible to discriminate between “real Christians” and, well, false Christians? If we start at the other end, so to speak, and talk about “false Christians,” it’s easier to understand why it’s necessary to speak about real Christians. Who can doubt there have been and are false Christians? I confess that this habit of distinguishing... Read more

The Christian Doctrine of the Divine Attributes by Hermann Cremer, Chapter 3: First Series: Divine Attributes Disclosed in Revelation: 3: The Wisdom of God (pp. 47-54) This is my contribution to a continuing discussion of Cremer’s book. If you have read these pages, feel free to comment. If not, feel free to ask a question. In about one week I will offer here my thoughts about Cremer’s treatment of the attribute of God’s omnipotence (pp. 55-69). A reminder: Cremer is... Read more

RIP Tony Campolo My evangelical heroes are dying off. For those of you who do not know, Tony Campolo was an evangelical influencer and leader of “the evangelical left,” a group of (formerly) young evangelicals who left fundamentalism and embraced left-leaning politics. Their original publication was The Post-American which became Sojourners. That group influenced me a great deal when I was in seminary and later. Tony died November 19 this year (2024) at age 89. For many years he was... Read more