Pagan Jesus?: The Easter Mystery vs. The Mystery Cult

Last updated on: April 6, 2026 at 2:11 pm By Anthony Costello

Was Jesus a pagan god? During Easter week it has become commonplace for skeptics to trot out old arguments from the history of religions school (die Religionsgeschichtlicheschule) about Easter being analogous to, or derived from, older pagan myths and cultic practices. Mistaking the Easter mystery with the myths of Greek and Roman mystery cults is a favorite of online atheists and counter-apologists. However, it is also a greatly misunderstood approach. Mainly, because those who try to press it into service... Read more

Vischer, Jethani, and “Creeds Only” Christianity

Last updated on: April 6, 2026 at 2:02 pm By Anthony Costello

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There is a new trend in the Evangelical vlogosphere among progressive Christians, in particular over at Phil Vischer’s “Holy Post Podcast.” Well, perhaps it is more a tactic than trend. It’s a fairly simple tactic yet, when employed against the uninformed and ill-equipped, it can be an effective one. The tactic is to affirm the ecumenical creeds of the Christian faith– usually understood as the Apostle’s Creed (325 AD), the Nicene-Constantinople Creed (381 AD), and the extended Chalcedonian Creed, or... Read more

What the Hell: Annihilationism vs. Eternal Conscious Torment

Last updated on: February 2, 2026 at 6:05 pm By Anthony Costello

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Recently, actor and evangelist Kirk Cameron shocked many conservative Christians when he announced his change of views on the doctrine of Hell. Many Evangelical Christians grew up with a view of Hell that is understood as conscious eternal torment, or punishment. As such, many assume that ECT just is the “traditional” view. However, there is another doctrine of Hell that has gained traction recently, yet which, according to its defenders, also has an ancient pedigree and makes even better sense... Read more

Moral Combat: Critical Theory versus Christianity

Last updated on: January 26, 2026 at 10:25 pm By Anthony Costello

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Okay, let’s clarify a few things about Critical Theory, a topic I have written on for some time now (see here, here, here,and especially here). Since some have tried to respond to my articles by articulating what they believe to be a kind of Critical Theory-Christianity synthesis, I will try to briefly lay out my underlying problem with ANY critical theory, be it Critical Race Theory, Critical Gender Theory, Critical Legal Studies, or just good-old historical Marxism. The point that needs... Read more

Peter Thiel and Antichrist: Lectures on the End of the World

Last updated on: January 16, 2026 at 9:08 am By Anthony Costello

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In this interview with author, theologian and pastor, C.R. Wiley, I had the pleasure of discussing the theological views of one of the world’s most powerful men, Peter Thiel. For those unfamiliar with Thiel, Thiel is the founder of PayPal, co-founder of Palantir, and one of the early investors in Facebook. He is one of the world’s richest men, but, at the same time, a genuinely iconoclastic figure among the global economic elite. Unlike so many in his circles, Thiel... Read more

Fifty Books Later: My Top Five Reads of 2025

Last updated on: January 3, 2026 at 9:12 am By Anthony Costello

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My Top 5 Books of 2025 Well, I only managed to read 50 books this year. That’s not bad, especially considering that one of them, Diarmaid MacCulloch’s Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, clocked in at whopping 1,016 pages (so, that’s like four books right there). Several others eclipsed the 500-page mark. And I am not counting in that number journal articles, magazine articles or blogs. Thus, for this end-of-the-year post, I will create a kind of literary inclusio, having... Read more

The Intolerance of Christmas

Last updated on: December 22, 2025 at 6:25 pm By Anthony Costello

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Is Christmas really a holiday of peace? In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says something that suggests otherwise, when He reveals to His apostles a rather shocking “mission statement.” Christ seems to suggest to His followers that He is not the “man of peace” that they perhaps had taken Him to be. Instead Jesus seems to be bringing violence into the world: 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but... Read more

Of Prophets and Pedants: A “New” Split Among Evangelicals?

Last updated on: October 14, 2025 at 3:18 pm By Anthony Costello

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In a recent post, Michael Clary, a pastor in Kentucky, made an incisive statement about the nature of Christian academics in light of the ministry and recent killing of Charlie Kirk. Clary’s claim highlights a seemingly new divide within Evangelical Christianity. However, as I will argue, it is actually an age-old battle within the Church, one that plays out between the pedanticism of an intellectual class and the propheticism of public reformers. First, Clary’s statement warrants a full reproduction here:... Read more

The Final Turning Point: On The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk

Last updated on: September 15, 2025 at 1:59 pm By Anthony Costello

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Update (9/15/2025 1:55 pm PST): This will be the final update to this post. According to recent reports, including a statement by Utah governor, Spencer Cox, it does look like the shooter, Tyler Robinson, had become radicalized online. In addition, Robinson was living with a boyfriend who identified as Transgender. This evidence supports my overall concern below about Leftist ideology, as well as disturbingly confirming what seems to be a trend of transgender-motivated violence. Update (9/12/2025 1:09 pm PST): Since... Read more

The Two Faces of Evil: On Magical and Mechanical Power

Last updated on: September 9, 2025 at 2:18 pm By Anthony Costello

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One of the most memorable scenes in the Star Wars mythology occurs between Admiral Motti (Richard LeParmentier) and Darth Vader (David Prowse) in a Death Star conference room in Episode IV: A New Hope. The scene introduces us to both the power of the Death Star and of the Dark Side of the Force. This unfolds in the argument between Motti and Vader, where Motti accuses Vader of incompetence, suggesting that Vader’s “sorcerers ways” are outdated and that his devotion... Read more

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