Another quick note in response to the Rev. John MacArthur’s strange belief that Reformed theology compels one to be an apologist for autocrats. After all, who said democracy’s the best form of government? No matter what the form of government is, the Bible doesn’t advocate anything but a theocracy. The Bible proclaims God to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords — but one has to come to that description with a whole set of perverse preconceptions in order... Read more
Really big news. Very exciting news, I think, but also happily not-at-all-disruptive news if we do this right. Slacktivist is moving, heading over to join the growing community at Patheos.com. The new URL will be: www.patheos.com/community/slacktivist/. Before discussing the really cool, new things this will mean, let me first address what the move won't mean. The good news is it won't mean any changes in the substance, content or frequency of this blog. And thus, of course, the bad news... Read more
Or we could look at it this way. What we're really talking about here in our dispute with Team Hell isn't just "What about Gandhi?" — it's also "What about Ninevah?" Scores of evangelical pastors and authors have condemned Rob Bell for asking "Will billions and billions of people burn forever in Hell?" and for expressing discomfort at the idea. But Bell's question echoes this earlier question: And should I not be concerned about Ninevah, that great city, in which... Read more
What I particularly like about that Rob Bell video that caused all the ruckus this weekend is the way Bell grounds his discussion in the character of God. "What is God like?" Bell asks. Not, mind you, "What does God like?" or, worse, "Who does God like?" but "What is God like?" What do we know of the character of God and how do we know it? The Christian answer to both of those questions is, as that word Christian... Read more
The evangelical blog world seems all atwitter over a forthcoming book by Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich. The book's title, "Love Wins," is apparently regarded by many American evangelicals as an astonishingly heretical and controversial claim. Love wins? How dare anyone suggest such a thing? Even more controversial is the book's subtitle: "Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Has Ever Lived." Bear in mind that the book hasn't hit shelves... Read more
Another quick note in response to the Rev. John MacArthur's strange belief that Reformed theology compels one to be an apologist for autocrats. After all, who said democracy’s the best form of government? No matter what the form of government is, the Bible doesn’t advocate anything but a theocracy. The Bible proclaims God to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords — but one has to come to that description with a whole set of perverse preconceptions in order... Read more
Here’s the exact quote from Southern Baptist Hierarchy spokesman Richard Land on Thursday on NPR’s All Things Considered, discussing the Obama administration’s announcement that it will no longer fight to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. Every time the people have had an opportunity to vote on it, they have voted to defend marriage as between a man and a woman. And so they [same-sex marriage proponents] have had victories among the elites in the court system, but they have... Read more
Here's the exact quote from Southern Baptist Hierarchy spokesman Richard Land on Thursday on NPR's All Things Considered, discussing the Obama administration's announcement that it will no longer fight to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. Every time the people have had an opportunity to vote on it, they have voted to defend marriage as between a man and a woman. And so they [same-sex marriage proponents] have had victories among the elites in the court system, but they have... Read more
It’s extremely unlikely that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder reads this blog, but yesterday he came to exactly the sort of realization we were discussing in the previous post. Finding himself in a position of having to defend an absurd stance, he chose instead to stop, turn around and start over anew. And so yesterday the attorney general and President Barack Obama let it be known that since the Defense of Marriage Act was indefensible, they would no longer try... Read more
It's extremely unlikely that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder reads this blog, but yesterday he came to exactly the sort of realization we were discussing in the previous post. Finding himself in a position of having to defend an absurd stance, he chose instead to stop, turn around and start over anew. And so yesterday the attorney general and President Barack Obama let it be known that since the Defense of Marriage Act was indefensible, they would no longer try... Read more
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