Does God Exist: An Honest Reflection

Last updated on: August 3, 2022 at 12:18 pm By Eric Scot English

Theologians, philosophers, and scientists have been making claims about God as long as humans have existed. In this article, I don’t want to rehash classical arguments for the existence of God or even have a debate. What is presented here is more like a conversation with my interlocutor mulling over the idea of God’s existence. Perhaps this conversation asks questions you have never considered before. Maybe this conversation asks questions that you have thought of before and you feel... Read more

Deconstructing Evangelical Orthodoxy

Last updated on: August 3, 2022 at 12:18 pm By Eric Scot English

Is there any room for a view of theology that is both progressive as well as orthodox? Do the two ways of thinking contradict one another? On the one hand, progressive theology suggests something current and up-to-date. Whereas, orthodox reflects a belief that has been established for a long time. Although there are plenty of progressives who desire to make something new out of Christianity, I believe the majority of people are simply interested in discovering the truth about early... Read more

I Once Heard God’s Voice

Last updated on: December 17, 2021 at 4:13 pm By Eric Scot English

I was 16 years old and a new convert to the Christian faith. I had started attending a conservative Baptist church. Those who know anything about the conservative Baptist tradition know just how little emotion is shown in their churches. They don’t believe in the “heavenly gifts”; things like speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc. When this event occurred I had only been a Christian for a few months, which meant I had not yet been indoctrinated with the clichés of... Read more

Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy!

Last updated on: August 3, 2022 at 12:18 pm By Eric Scot English

We are taught from a very young age that we have to grow up a certain way. That we do well in school so that we can get a college education – not because it’s good for us to do well and be educated, but because it is something that will lead us to a good college. We are also taught that when we graduate from college that we should compete in the marketplace to attain the best paying job.... Read more

Why Evangelicals Hate Deconstruction

Last updated on: August 3, 2022 at 12:19 pm By Eric Scot English

Public critiques from evangelicals regarding deconstruction are on the rise over the last few years. Do you ever wonder why? I mean, what could be the harm in thinking critically about matters of faith? Wouldn’t any denomination or church movement encourage such thinking as a means for people to grow in their faith? In this article, I will provide two reasons why evangelicals hate deconstruction and why they continue to call it “dangerous”. What is deconstruction/reconstruction? First, it’s important to... Read more

The Genesis of Violence: A Review

Last updated on: November 12, 2021 at 1:24 pm By Eric Scot English

Recently, Matthew J. Distefano and Zak D. Parsons constructed what could be best described as a theological book of art. Each image is a hand-drawn expression of the biblical narrative. The prose that accompanies the art helps to properly orient the viewer to each piece. I have reviewed many books over the years. There is a general template that one can use when reviewing a book. That general template oftentimes applies across the board and is a much more objective... Read more

Either, Is Ignorance Bliss, OR Curing Cognitive Dissonance

Last updated on: August 3, 2022 at 12:19 pm By Eric Scot English

Why do people say ignorance is bliss? The simple answer is because sometimes it’s better for a person not to know the truth than to know it. I don’t have an issue with people who are truly ignorant of something. My problem is with people who are intentionally ignorant to get out of knowing something that could cause them to grow or change some previously held belief. This is not meant to be an insult, but a matter of fact:... Read more

A Conversation with Frank Schaeffer

Last updated on: November 2, 2021 at 11:31 am By Eric Scot English

Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to speak with Frank Schaeffer. Frank is the son of theologian/philosopher Francis Schaeffer and a New York Times best-selling author. He recently published a book called “Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy”. If you have never had the chance to hear Frank speak this is a podcast you must listen to. For those unfamiliar with the Schaeffer family. Francis Schaeffer was a theologian/philosopher who was highly influential through... Read more

What is Going on at Cornerstone University?

Last updated on: August 3, 2022 at 12:22 pm By Eric Scot English

Cornerstone University is a small, liberal arts university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. If you live outside of Michigan, you have probably never heard of it. It’s a university of about 2,000 students and sits comfortably in the West Michigan Bible-belt bubble. For full disclosure, I am an alumnus of this university. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Bible from Cornerstone in 2002. The university holds tightly to its Baptist roots – notwithstanding its generic university moniker. Despite this heritage,... Read more

Progressive Fundamentalism

Last updated on: August 3, 2022 at 12:11 pm By Eric Scot English

Trigger Warning: this will piss some people off! Disclaimers: By “evangelicals”, I am referring to anyone who believes they are evangelical. By “progressive”, I am referring to anyone who believes they are progressive. By “fundamentalist”, I am referring to anyone to whom this post applies. Make sense… Good! With all of those qualifications out of the way, let us begin. Recently, I had some conversations that reminded me fundamentalism comes in all shapes and sizes. I spend a great... Read more