Thirty years ago popular Christian apologetics (henceforth PCA) was thin on the ground: Josh McDowell, John Warwick Montgomery, Norman Geisler, and a smattering of others largely carried the field. But these days the field of PCA is crowded with luminaries ranging from distinguished academics (e.g. William Lane Craig; Gary Habermas; Timothy McGrew) to lay church […]
Archives for April 2017
Who is Eric Schneider and why is he defaming Bruxy Cavey?
Yesterday I became aware of a nasty article by a fellow named “Eric Schneider” who has a blog devoted to destroying the reputation and ministry of Bruxy Cavey. The article was poorly argued and evinced little by way of analytic skills, biblical or theological knowledge, or a modicum of charity. So who is Eric Schneider? […]
Charity and Confession: The case of Bruxy Cavey and Tyndale Seminary
Today I came across a blog article titled “Why is Bruxy Cavey Teaching at Tyndale?” (Bruxy is a leading figure in progressive Christianity, an author (here’s his latest book) and pastor of one of the largest churches in Canada. Tyndale Seminary is a large evangelical seminary in Toronto.) The blogger who wrote the article, a fellow […]
Universalism, Evangelicalism, and The Shack
Two days ago I came across this article at CBN: “Art Designer of ‘The Shack’ Book Cover Says He Regrets His Involvement.” In a Facebook post of three weeks ago, Dave Aldrich states that he lacked discernment when he agreed to illustrate the book cover for The Shack a decade ago. He now recognizes that the theology […]
An Atheist and a Christian Walk into a (Coffee) Bar: The Brew Podcast
When Justin Schieber was in Edmonton for our brief Alberta book tour, we recorded a podcast interview with The Brew Podcast. You can listen to the podcast and join the conversation by clicking on the cool image.
Universalism for Evangelicals? A Review of Heaven’s Doors
George W. Sarris. Heaven’s Doors: Wider than you ever believed! (Trumbull, CT: GWS Publishing, 2017). Though he has long been a great defender of the traditional doctrine of hell, J.I. Packer once conceded: “If you want to see folk damned, there is something wrong with you!” That statement has always stuck with me because it implies every Christian […]
Teaching the Controversy on Earth Day?
Yesterday CNN kicked dirt in the face of Mother Earth by featuring William Happer on a panel discussion. Happer is a climate change skeptic who — no surprise — “advises” Donald Trump on the environment. In this section he begins by pointing out that CO2 is a gas that occurs naturally in the environment (human […]
Strange Revelations I’ve Received in the Mail (Part 2)
Of all the end-of-the-world prophecies I’ve received over the years, this is surely the strangest and, in a bizarre way, the most endearing. And in contrast with the long-winded revelations of Warren Jeffs, it is also mercifully brief. I now present to you (drum roll please) … Hercolubus or Red Planet! Originally published in 2004, Hercolubus […]
Strange Revelations I’ve Received in the Mail (Part 1)
As a seminary professor, I get a lot of emails (probably 3-4 per week) from strangers who are peddling their new self-published book or who are simply keen to share their revelations about the end of the world or the evil of Islam or their new theory on X or Y. Over the years I’ve […]
And Now for Something Completely Different: The Outline of My New Book
Today I finished the final draft of my 11th book. At this point I switch from heavy editing mode into light copy editing mode. The typesetting stage should follow soon thereafter. This book is unlike anything I’ve done before. At 86,000 words, it is one of the longest books I’ve written. It is also most surely […]
What are Human Rights Based On? A Response to Andy Bannister
A couple weeks ago “Unbelievable” featured a debate/dialogue on human rights between Christian apologist Andy Bannister and humanist/atheist Peter Tatchell. The show begins with a short video from Andy and so in providing my critical response that is where I’ll begin as well: Andy is an articulate and engaging speaker. But I disagree with his […]
The Bible as God’s Anthology
My views on the Bible really began to change when I went to university to pursue a double major in English and religious studies. At that time I began to learn about hermeneutics including the importance of interpreting distinct literary genres, heeding historical context, and attending to the many distinct approaches to textual interpretation. Along […]
How I’ll Know When I’m Ready For Heaven (Hint: it has to do with dog turds)
Over the last month the snows have gradually receded from Edmonton as spring has tepidly taken hold on the northern prairies. It’s an exciting time of year, except for one thing: dog turds. Yes, dog turds. I try to get out for runs on a regular basis and as the snows melt away on the […]
This is Not Normal: The Importance of Satire in the Age of Donald Trump
One month ago Donald Trump tweeted a series of bizarre accusations that Barack Obama wire tapped Trump Tower during the election. The charge was complete nonsense. And yet, in the weeks that followed Trump’s surrogates have engaged in a jaw-dropping exercise in confabulation, attempting to find something — anything — which can provide some sort of corroboration […]
