There are certain questions that linger in the shadows of Christian faith. Due to their awkward, difficult, disturbing implications, we are reluctant to ask them. And the Christmas story has been a catalyst for many such questions. For an earlier generation under the sway of modernist skepticism about miracles, the doubts often centered on whether […]
Archives for 2021
Christmas, Virgin Mary, and the Problem of Child Brides
Rwanda and the Ethics of Canaanite Genocide: A Conversation
I was just interviewed on the Meet Jesus YouTube channel alongside Phodidas Ndamyumugabea, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, talking about Rwanda, genocide, and the Canaanites. A unique and very interesting conversation! ?
On Meeting My Past Fundamentalist Self
When I was a kid, I learned to view Christians who challenged my narrow fundamentalist paradigm as ‘liberals’ who were trying to subvert the Gospel. The view was borne by ignorance and an utter lack of charity. These days, when I make a point that challenges fundamentalism. I regularly get catty insults from Christians on […]
Are Evangelicals Pluralists? Evangelical Ministries and the Problem of Dubious Scare Surveys
Back in August 2021, The Christian Post published an article with the dramatic title “60% of adults under 40 say Jesus isn’t only way to salvation; equal to Buddha, Muhammad.” The article includes the ominous subtitle: “Survey shows pluralistic worldview expanding rapidly among American Christians.” This is a classic example of what I call a […]
William Lane Craig Says God May Command Us to “Drive Out Canaanites” in Our Day. I Respond.
Reasonable Faith just posted a short video from William Lane Craig in which the esteemed apologist defends the prospect that God may command Christians today to target people groups in the same way that the ancient Israelites targeted the Canaanites for extermination. In this video, I provide a response. ?
The Fundamentalist Christian Creed
I wrote a fundamentalist Christian creed to make sure you’re “orthodox.”
How Strident Pro-life Christians Harm Human Fetuses
I became an avid supporter of the pro-life movement back in the mid-1980s. At the time, I was an enthusiastic supporter of pro-life groups like Last Days Ministries. And in high school, I proudly wore an Operation Rescue t-shirt to school. Then I went on to university where I completed a BA followed by an […]
Is Jesus Loves Canaanites Guilty of Motivated Reasoning?
Over the last several months, I have often encountered the claim that my book Jesus Loves Canaanites is guilty of motivated reasoning. That’s a deeply misguided claim as I will explain in this article. Let’s start with a definition. Motivated reasoning involves the process of seeking arguments or evidence to achieve a desired outcome rather than allowing […]
How Christians Read Biblical Violence with Confirmation Bias
In this video, I explain how Christian reading of divine violence in the biblical text is often distorted by confirmation bias to defend particular theological assumptions about God. ?
Christmas Without Mosquitoes: Please Contribute to My Annual Fundraiser to Fight Malaria
It’s Giving Tuesday! And you know what that means? It’s time again for my annual fundraiser for the Against Malaria Foundation. The reason I continue to partner with this charitable NGO is simple: need and effectiveness. The Need Let’s talk about the need first. Believe it or not, the mosquito is far and away the […]
What if God is Dreadful?
In his book A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis sets aside the task of theodicy that he shouldered in The Problem of Pain in favor of a searing personal account of pain and loss centered on the death of his beloved wife Joy. At one point in the book, he reflects, “Not that I am (I […]
Does Heaven Lose Morally Significant Freedom? And is that a Problem?
@RealAtheology is a first-rate curator of engaging philosophy of religion content on Twitter. In this article, I’m going to interact with one of those tweets: ..if Heaven is as good as any place can possibly be—and if human beings have severely limited freedom of action in Heaven, then there is at least some reason to […]
Agnosticism and Ignosticism: A Quick Word
Weak agnostics are simply without belief in God. They make no claim and thus have nothing to defend. Strong agnostics claim that nobody can have rational belief in, let alone knowledge of God’s existence or non-existence. That is a robust claim in need of supporting arguments. I meet a lot of ignostics on social media […]
