Does the current state of science tell us anything about the possibility–or impossibility–of the resurrection? Physicists and cosmologists have all sorts of predictions about the future of the universe. It will all end with a Big Freeze, or a Big Crunch, or maybe they’ll simply be an “eternal universe” that goes on forever. Long before any of those hypotheses come to fruition, our own earth will likely reach its demise by collision with an asteroid–that is, if we humans don’t... Read more
Recently a Southern Baptist church in Dallas made headlines with their "freedom Sunday" service, a grandiose display of Christian nationalism. Read more
I occasionally hear the term, “missional hermeneutics.” It’s a mouthful, and it requires a little unpacking. Darrell Guder gives a good explanation of the term in a chapter in his book Called To Witness: Doing Missional Theology: The New Testament documents are addressed to communities of believers. They are living in the light of the resurrection and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. The diverse testimonies written to and for them serve their continuing formation for their distinctive vocation, which... Read more
In a recent summer reading list, I mentioned John Swinton’s Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefulness, and Gentle Discipleship. It’s the subject of an online book discussion over at Syndicate Network. I wrote the intro to the symposium, a discussion which includes a terrific lineup of thinkers and theologians, each of which offers personal connection to the discussion at hand. Here’s the first bit of my intro: __ Love has a speed—and it isn’t fast. That’s what John Swinton argues... Read more
Philando Castile, an African-American man from St. Paul, MN, died in a hospital on July 6, 2016, from a gun wound inflicted during a traffic stop by Jeronimo Yanez, a St. Anthony (MN) police officer. This past Friday, on June 23, 2017, a jury acquitted Yanez of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. Video of the immediate aftermath of the shooting was live-streamed on social media by Philando’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds. The video, which showed... Read more
Who did Paul think wrecked creation? In Romans 8:20 Paul uses a curious phrase: “ for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” The verse–and surrounding passage–contains some perplexing ambiguities and interpretive questions. The most interesting one is this: By... Read more
Summer is already well under way, but it’s not too late to post my recommended book list. You’ve still got plenty of time to take up and read. Some of these books are very recent (a few hot off the presses), while others not so much. Some may not qualify for reading on the beach, but each of them are worth your time and attention. And I think they’re all timely books, for one reason or another. The first two... Read more
When Donald Trump needs a hug, he can count on conservative, white evangelicals. Yesterday he spoke to the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual gathering. No doubt his appearance there was scheduled long before Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee was arranged. Nonetheless, he took the chance to appeal to these evangelicals’ permanent (though irrational) sense of being an embattled and persecuted minority. Trump appeals to their anxiety about losing religious freedom in what they perceive to be an increasingly... Read more
When I taught theology at an evangelical seminary, I ended every lecture on heaven/hell by posing the option of “hopeful universalism.” To be a hopeful universalist is to assert something like the following: I don’t know whether in the end God is going to save everyone, but I sure as hell (!) hope so, and I will pray to that end, and I believe that on the basis of God’s grace and mercy and love that it make a lot... Read more
Anticipated Publication Date (Fortress Press, Theology for the People series) is November 1 Read more
Unsystematic Theology
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