The following post was written by my excellent friend and killer author, Joshua Ryan Butler. This dude rocks like none other and his latest book, The Pursing God, is absolutely incredible. Here’s an excerpt from it: Where was God when Jesus died? Some have characterized the cross as divine child abuse—the Father beating the snot out of his Son—to critique the notion that God is actively present doing something at the cross. Others claim if God left the building,... Read more
That title makes me think of a killer Pearl Jam song from the mid-nineties. Or was it the late nineties? Can’t remember. That era of my life is a blur for various chemical reasons. Anyway, as you may have noticed (I hope you’ve noticed), my blogs have been few and far between recently. Part of this is because I was out of the country for the month of June, along with other 2-3 day excursions with my friends and family.... Read more
I could not find the words to describe my pain and outrage when I heard about the Orlando massacre. As a straight white Christian who holds to a traditional sexual ethic, any response I give will always be from a distance, and it could even aggravate the wounds of LGBTQ people, who have experienced much hatred and vitriol of people in my community. That’s why I asked my friend and former student Joe Tobias, a gay man, to offer his own response (unedited) here on... Read more
I sometimes hear people say that a traditional sexual ethic, which believes that God prohibits same-sex sexual relations, is intrinsically harmful. The ethic itself leads to homelessness, isolation, and increases the suicide rate among gay teens. Much of the criticism I’ve received for my work on LGBTQ related questions do not use these arguments, but I have seen it come up from time to time. Strangely, I’ve received similar criticism from conservative Christians who think my endorsement of the phrase... Read more
My last blog summarized Robert Song’s provocative book, Covenant and Calling. As I previously said, Song’s argument is nuanced and clear, and it just might be one of the best affirming arguments I’ve read since James Brownson’s Bible, Sex, Gender. In any case, I do believe Song’s thesis runs into at least three problems. First, Song argues that covenant partnerships can be sexual in nature, even though they shouldn’t be considered marriages. He also argues that covenant partnerships aren’t limited... Read more
I said somewhere in the introduction to my book People to Be Loved that the book represents part of my journey into the LGBTQ conversation. The “journey” language has scared some people. God forbid I might might change my mind on some things I’ve written in my book. But I meant what I said. When I write a book, I don’t intend it to be my last word on the topic, and I never stop thinking about the topics I’m... Read more
Now more than ever, it’s a great time to attend Eternity Bible College. Here are 5 reasons why. 1. Debt Free Education The college has been around since 2004 and we’ve never had anyone graduate with student tuition debt. While student debt in the U.S. has risen to $1.3 trillion, we’re holding strong at $00.00 trillion. We don’t believe it should cost a lot cash to study the Bible with depth and passion, so we’re committed to offering the most... Read more
The follow post is written by my good friend and colleague, Josh Cramer, who reviews Dr. Michael Bird’s forthcoming book, What Christians Ought to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine Through the Apostles’ Creed (Zondervan: 2016). This year I attended the National Day of Prayer at the Idaho Capitol, naively thinking it would be the Church gathering to pray for the nation. It wasn’t. Instead, it was a recommitment ceremony between Church and state. Or, a one-sided ceremony celebrating the Church’s... Read more
In a couple weeks, my family and I will head to the United Kingdom for a three week book tour. I’ll be speaking at least 20 different times at 12 different churches or events in 4 different countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. I’ll discuss topics related to sexuality, violence, hell, grace, hermeneutics, and anything else that my friends in the U.K. want me to speak on. My wife and I lived 3 years in the U.K. (2004-2007) and... Read more
The following post is written by my bro, Joey Dodson. I grabbed my book and stepped onto my balcony to get a dose of the summer sun. After ten minutes of the heat, I was starting to bake. So, I wiped the sweat from my brow and decided to retreat to the air conditioning. When I got to the balcony door, however, I discovered that it was locked. It turns out my five year old thought it would be... Read more
Theology in the Raw
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