The only dog I’ve ever owned is a Lab, and the only dog I’ll ever own is a Lab. They are, hands down, God’s favorite breed. They must be, or they wouldn’t be so incredibly awesome. Well, the heathens at Westminster don’t seem to think so. And now the Labs themselves are so worked up about it that they’ve begun calling in sports radio shows: “Hey thanks for having me. Longtime listener, first time caller. Look, I’m just going to... Read more
This week’s question came from long-time commenter Charles, who posed it during last week’s discussion. It’s a great one, just when many of us are entering the season of Lent: Tony, what are we being saved from? There were many great responses, as always, on the original question. Now it’s my turn. (more…) Read more
Jay Bakker has become one of my dearest friends. He’s a wonderful human being, and his theology is also excellent. That’s why you should pick up his latest book, Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I’ve Crossed: Walking with the Unknown God. This is what Publisher’s Weekly says about it: Bakker calls his latest book “a chronicle of my doubt.” The son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, televangelists tainted by scandal in the 1980s, Bakker outlines his struggles with his... Read more
I’m glad to call Frank Schaeffer a friend (and I’m glad that he’s toned down his blog headlines from the FOX News variety that he used to publish). I’m glad to have him on the Progressive Christian channel here at Patheos. But he recently wrote a post about what’s wrong with progressive Christianity, and he’s wrong. Actually, I agree with Frank’s premise: We can talk about inclusiveness, diversity and making ourselves vulnerable until the cows come home but that doesn’t... Read more
I conceived of the #progGOD challenges at Patheos because 1) I think that progressives have a better version of the gospel than conservatives, and 2) I think progressives often struggle to speak forthrightly about God. We get caught up in prolegomena and methodology and qualifying every statement about God or Jesus or the Bible ten ways before we say anything. And by the time we say something, no one’s listening anymore. Thus far, there have been two #progGOD Challenges: Who... Read more
In honor of Ash Wednesday, I have discounted the cost of my book, A Better Atonement: Beyond the Depraved Doctrine of Original Sin to be free for today only. It’s a helpful primer on various theories of the atonement over the years, and it might make some good Lenten reading for you. And, in other Free news, there’s now a free copy of my app, Ordain Thyself. Download it today! Read more
This week’s question come from long-time commenter Charles, who posed it during last week’s discussion. It’s a great one, just when many of us are entering the season of Lent: Tony, what are we being saved from? Please give Charles your best shot at an answer below, and I’ll do my best on Friday. See all the questions and answers in the series HERE. Read more
Roger Olson recently posted a piece on why he’s not a “liberal Christian.” He said that he came to this conclusion after reading a bunch of liberal/progressive Christian blogs. Roger’s a great blogger, but one of his failings is that he never provides hyperlinks. This post is no exception. He doesn’t name the blogs or tell us who is a liberal blogger, in his opinion, and who is just getting over their fundamentalism (like he is). Probably some readers think... Read more
Pope Celestine V, aka Peter Morrone, quit in 1294. He was the only pope, prior to Benedict XVI, to outright quit. (Gregory XII resigned in 1415 to end a schism, amid a debate about popes and anti-popes. Well, Celestine V was immortalized in an excellent book by Jon Sweeney a couple years ago, The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation: At the close of the tumultuous Middle Ages, there lived a man who seemed... Read more
Hoka Hey! That’s how Richard Twiss and I greeted one another. It’s a common Lakota greeting, and I always said it with a wink, because I am thoroughly wasi’chu. He knew that, but he afforded me some grace nonetheless. Richard and I first met at the Cornerstone Festival in 2009. We hit off immediately. I like to think some of our rapport was because I understood his mischievous Native sense of humor better than most. You see, I lived in the town... Read more
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