“Love Your Enemies.” Seriously?

Last updated on: November 16, 2015 at 1:06 pm By Kyle Roberts

This Sunday, my church small group just happened to be studying a familiar passage in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the... Read more

After Paris Attacks, Wrestling with the Bible’s Violence

Last updated on: November 14, 2015 at 10:14 am By Kyle Roberts

Pete Enns reflects today on the problem of violence in the Bible in light of ISIS and the Paris attacks. He writes, For me, taking the Bible seriously means looking head on at its persistent themes of mass violence and retribution—whether by God’s hand (e.g., the Flood, Genesis 6), God’s command (e.g., extermination of the Canaanites, Deuteronomy 20), or God’s silent approval (e.g., taking women and children captive as spoils of war, Numbers 31). For Christians, I believe that condemning mass, ideologically driven, and... Read more

Did God Really Say, “Show Them No Mercy”? God, Genocide, and the Bible

Last updated on: November 12, 2015 at 12:38 pm By Kyle Roberts

Recently I raised the tough problem of violence in the Bible. The Bible includes a lot of stories of pretty terrible violence–and a whole lot of that violence is done in God’s name, on God’s behalf, or even directly done by God himself. A brief reminder of a few of the most troubling examples: The flood narrative: The world’s population apparently wiped out save for a few select people and animals. God’s law/commands, many of which included capital punishment... Read more

Seven Images of God’s Disturbing Behavior in the Old Testament

Last updated on: November 10, 2015 at 10:58 am By Kyle Roberts

Have you ever wondered what to do with all those nasty passages in the Bible (most of them in the Old Testament) where God seems to behave rather terribly–by most current standards of appropriate human conduct? For just one, big, example, we’ve got the “conquest narrative,” the story of Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt and their subsequent 40-year wandering, before entering the promised land . There at the Jordan, they get a brief history lesson and some marching orders... Read more

“Show Them No Mercy” God Says?

Last updated on: November 8, 2015 at 9:04 am By Kyle Roberts

Have you ever read the following passage and wondered what to do with it? When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are about to enter and occupy, and he clears away many nations before you—the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations mightier and more numerous than you— 2 and when the Lord your God gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you must... Read more

Losing God: From Christian Apologetics Professor to Skeptical Atheist

Last updated on: November 6, 2015 at 7:44 am By Kyle Roberts

Yesterday I reflected on the most recent Pew Forum results which show yet another increase in the percentage of atheists in America. Today I read an interview, on my friend Rocky Munoz’s blog, with Dr. Steven Davis, Christian apologetics professor who, after becoming an atheist, recently resigned his position at Manhattan Christian College. He had been at MCC for 15 yrs and prior to that was a pastor for 14 years. In other words, we’re not talking about a newbie... Read more

The Future of Christianity and the “Nones”: Still Rising, Still Spiritual, More Secular

Last updated on: November 4, 2015 at 10:43 am By Kyle Roberts

Secularism is definitely on the rise. What will this mean for Christianity? Yesterday, the Pew Research released the second report of findings from its 2014 Religious Landscape Study. A few of the key findings were basically confirmations of what everyone has known for some time. For one thing, the infamous “nones” (those who check “none” when asked their religious affiliation) continue to grow in number. Nones are now 23% of all American adults, up 7% points from their 2007 numbers... Read more

Tom Oord’s New Book is Coming: The Uncontrolling Love of God

Last updated on: November 3, 2015 at 5:37 pm By Kyle Roberts

I’ve been looking forward to Thomas Jay Oord’s book, The Uncontrolling Love of God: An Open and Relational Account of Providence, since I learned it was in the works several months ago. Amazon already lists it as the #1 new release in systematic theology (even though it won’t be released till December 6). I plan to review the book at some point here on my blog. I’ve long been interested in the questions of “the problem of evil and suffering,”... Read more

An Argument for the Bible as “Love Letter From God”

Last updated on: November 2, 2015 at 12:08 pm By Kyle Roberts

Last week, James McGrath, over at Exploring Our Matrix, posted this meme : I enjoy McGrath’s blog and have learned a lot from him. And I’ve been glad to get to know him a bit, digitally anyway, as a colleague on Patheos’ Progressive Channel. But I think he overstates his case on this one. I’ve previously suggested the “Bible as love letter” analogy as one of the options with something positive to contribute to how Christians relate to the Bible.... Read more

Haunted by Caputo (and the “Specter”)

Last updated on: October 30, 2015 at 3:28 pm By Kyle Roberts

Awhile ago I had the privilege of contributing to a unique book project. The book, It Spooks, begins with an essay by philosopher-theologian John Caputo and includes all sorts of responses to and engagements with that essay. Some are artistic responses (poems, photographs, art) while others are conventional essays. Being All Hallows’ Eve and all, I thought I’d include a few paragraphs from my response to Caputo’s spooky essay about the “specter” who haunts us, the weak God who won’t leave... Read more