Why would a good God permit evil? Ultimately, I don’t think we can ever get to a proof of God’s existence through logic and the problem of evil in the world is the best argument against God. The problem of evil argues that the existence of an all-powerful and all-good God is incompatible with the… Continue reading Alvin Plantinga’s Free Will Defense
He Gets Us: Lost Opportunities
I didn’t intend to address the He Gets Us campaign here. It’s bad enough that every time I log into Reddit, I’m bombarded by He Gets Us promotions. But after their Superbowl commercial, I’ve gotten a few questions from friends about my thoughts on it. I’m a theological marketing guy – more accurately I’m a… Continue reading He Gets Us: Lost Opportunities
Reading Bart Ehrman Will Not Turn You into An Atheist
I remember one time I was reading Bart Ehrman’s book, Did Jesus Exist? and I left it on my coffee table when a friend came over. The friend was instantly ruffled by the book’s title, and no doubt, the name of the author. “Of course Jesus existed, what a waste of time!” I can understand… Continue reading Reading Bart Ehrman Will Not Turn You into An Atheist
My Favorite Metaphors for Scripture
We’ve been handed some strict ideas about the Bible that can sometimes stifle our approach to reading and interpretation. Specifically, many Christians approach scripture as a finished, infallible work that we simply take facts from. I prefer to think of scripture as part of a tradition that we constantly engage with while we listen for… Continue reading My Favorite Metaphors for Scripture
I Read The Bible Differently Than You Do
That title is provocative. But true. You see, we all read the bible differently. That is an inescapable fact, no matter how frustrating you find it to be. My more fundamentalist friends won’t like that. A lot of Christians would like to believe that there is one right interpretation. The Bible has one right answer… Continue reading I Read The Bible Differently Than You Do
Walls and Razor Wire are Never the Answer
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7, NSRV I’m a mystic. That is a… Continue reading Walls and Razor Wire are Never the Answer
Five Insights About the Gospel of Mark
As we continue into a new lectionary year focused on the Gospel of Mark, I wanted to dive into that book a little deeper than I normally do. Naturally, one of the first places I turned for an overview was Pete Enns and the Bible for Normal People podcast. I’m a big fan and listen… Continue reading Five Insights About the Gospel of Mark
Answering a Fool According to Their Folly
One of my least favorite activities to witness is fundamentalists debating atheists on YouTube. Depending on who posted the video, it is always titled something like, “Biblical scholar destroys atheist,” or, “Physicist ruins Christianity.” And the arguments on both sides are usually based on some kind of literal interpretation of the Bible. The fundamentalist will… Continue reading Answering a Fool According to Their Folly
Affinity, not Dogma
What is the purpose of your faith community? Why do you go to church? What is the point? Some people attend church because they are seeking the right rules to follow. This is the genius and the paradox of Protestant Christianity in America. There is a new denomination for every unusual belief you might have.… Continue reading Affinity, not Dogma
Things Jesus Never Said
What does it mean to be a Christian? You get baptized, you take communion and you follow Jesus. I’m OK if you don’t want to do the first two as long as you do the “follow Jesus,” one. But following Jesus is really the hard one. It’s so hard that a lot of Christians would… Continue reading Things Jesus Never Said