Who Is God? On Youtube one can see a series of portions of an interview of theologian Jürgen Moltmann by his former student, theologian Miroslav Volf. In one segment of the interview Volf asks Moltmann “Who is God?” Moltmann’s immediate reply is “Jesus.” He goes on to say that if it were not for Jesus he would not believe in God. There is probably no single theologian whom I have studied more than Moltmann. I have read almost every book... Read more

Accredited by Whom? And How? Some Thoughts about “Accreditation” in Relation to Christian Higher Education What gives me the credibility to write about academic accreditation? First, for those not “in the know,” let me explain what “accreditation” means in contemporary higher education. In the United States (and I assume elsewhere) there exist many “accrediting” societies and associations that serve to give institutions of higher education a kind of “Good Housekeeping seal of approval.” An “accredited college” or “accredited university” is... Read more

A Possible Partial Explanation of the Contemporary Evangelical (Fundamentalist) Political Posture I know that I am going way out on a limb here, attempting to explain, however partially, American fundamentalist evangelicals’ political support of President Trump and the Republican Party in general. The dots I connect here may not make much sense to anyone else, but I think I see connections between fundamentalist evangelicalism in the 1950s and 1960s and the seemingly irrational and uncritical political support of many fundamentalist... Read more

Can Prayer Change God? (Yes and No) If I were to write another book about Christian clichés (folk religion) I would include a chapter on this very popular one: “Prayer doesn’t change things; it changes me.” Or sometimes it goes like this: “Prayer doesn’t change God; prayer changes me.” Over the years, but very often recently, I have seen or heard this cliché—in sermons, on Facebook, in casual conversations. It has become a kind of stock cliché that rarely receives... Read more

Is God Necessarily the All-Determining Reality? Occasionally I “meet” (including non-face-to-face meetings here and elsewhere) people who believe that the God Christians worship is what theologian Greg Boyd calls “the God of the blueprint”—the Supreme Being who is not only creator and sustainer and redeemer but also the one who theologian John Piper says “designs, ordains, and governs” everything that happens without exception. First, there are Christian (and other) theologians and philosophers who believe that God, in order to be... Read more

”What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate” If I’ve learned anything from blogging it is that communication is complicated. Some of you may know the source of that famous quote “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” I don’t remember many lines from old movies, but that one has stuck with me for many years. (Google it.) If I am proud of anything about myself it is the grace God has given me to communicate well.... Read more

A Dilemma Unacknowledged by Liberal Western Academics (Colonialism Old and New) For some years now many liberal academics in Europe and America have been loudly decrying “neo-colonialism,” the continuing tendency of many European and North American countries to dominate Global South/Two-thirds World cultures and countries. “Hands off!” well summarizes the attitude. “Let them be totally self-determining.” I couldn’t agree more—but with an honest qualification. I think many of these liberal-leaning anti-neo-colonialists have a problem they don’t acknowledge. They don’t really... Read more

What Is the Difference Between an Illegal Immigrant and a Refugee? What is the difference between an illegal immigrant and a refugee? In some cases, the only difference would seem to be perspective. When we Americans look around the world at people escaping extremely dangerous living conditions in one country, moving to another one without formal permission by the host country, we call them “refugees.” When we Americans look at people escaping extremely dangerous living conditions in their countries, moving... Read more

Remembering the Difference between Patriotism and Nationalism I’ve become increasingly concerned that many American Christians (and perhaps especially evangelicals) confuse patriotism with nationalism to the extent that idolatry lurks close by. Patriotism is love for one’s country without blinders about its flaws and defects.  Patriotism seeks to actualize the highest and best ideals of one’s country which can sometimes look like disloyalty to nationalists.  Nationalists tend to confuse “country” with “government” and reject as disloyal all criticism of either.  However,... Read more