Category Archives: Theologia

I’ll be putting an essay in this space in a few days, but until then, check out Scot Mcknight’s blog, and especially the series of posts on “Jesus and Homosexuality.” Here are two quotes” So, I begin right here: How would Jesus have “treated” homosexuals? The answer to that question is incredibly simple: he wouldContinue reading “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?”

Are evangelicals blind to the obvious faults of the Apostle Paul….and, consequently, to many of their own? I’m reading Charles Freeman’s book “The Closing of the Western Mind.” It’s not exactly an unbiased presentation of Christianity, though Freeman’s thesis that established Christianity squelched the rational tradition of the Greeks is interesting and worth discussing. HisContinue reading “A Perfect Paul?”

UPDATE: Jason Boyett’s “Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse” is a great book for anyone interested in the basics of evangelical apocalyptic eschatology. Advocates of the rapture make much of the texts in Luke and Matthew that speak of “one taken, one left.” Luke 17:34-35 34 I tell you, in that night there will be twoContinue reading “Three Questions About a “Secret” Rapture”

Are current fears of Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity among Southern Baptists reasonable or ridiculous? I first bumped into the charismatic renewal movement in the early 1970’s. Episcopalian friends were going to a charismatic prayer meeting at a Catholic church. Curious, I began attending, observing, and eventually participating, right down to–briefly and insincerely–speaking in tongues. Riding home afterContinue reading “Southern Baptists and Charismatics: What A Long, Strange Trip It’s Been”

In April of last year, a well known Reformed Baptist-apologist-debater-cruise promoter announced to the world that I was “emergent.” The word was often repeated about me and the Boar’s Head Tavern fellows in general. Rumors must spread fast, because a few weeks ago an emailer in New Zealand quite familiar with the emergent church movementContinue reading “Walls That Won’t Fall: Basics For the Local Church”

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29, ESV) “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there beContinue reading “Thoughts on Ephesians 4:29, 5:4”

How do we honor Paul’s pastoral advice, but not let the most easily offended among us become tyrants in the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 8. Romans 14. These chapters have been my nightly reading many times after a controversy with my opponents on the reformed watchblogs. How do we treat those with whom weContinue reading “The Tyranny of the Offended”

Why our conflicts over the Bible and Theology may sometimes have nothing whatsoever to do with being right. Every so often, I will have a bit of an Epiphany. I wish I had written them all down, because sometimes the clarity of the moment balances weeks, months, years of confusion and I feel like I’veContinue reading “The Humility Zone”

Father Andrew Greeley may be writing with a wink when he wonders if evangelicals have considered the possible irony of their current interest in movies, but the point is still well made. Secondly, it seems to me that the evangelicals slip dangerously close to Catholic idolatry when they embrace a wondrous allegory as a summaryContinue reading “The Conversion Of The Evangelical Imagination”

Chuck Colson writes a riveting piece in Christianity Today on his own dark night of the soul. The key quote (my bold): Exhausted from hospitals, two years of writing The Good Life, and an ugly situation with a disgruntled former employee, I found myself wrestling with the Prince of Darkness, who attacks us when weContinue reading “Looking Away From The Darkened Sun”