John Howard Yoder (d. 1997) remains one of the most influential Protestant theologians and ethicists of the latter twentieth century. He was also a serial sexual predator. Over several decades, he groomed women for his own sexual gratification, thereby perpetuating spiritual abuse, sexual abuse, and clergy sexual abuse. Estimates are that he abused at least […]
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Me and Billy Joel
I first became aware of Billy Joel after the release of Glass Houses in 1980. But I became a fan three years later in 1983 when my friend’s dad picked us up from school in his Camaro while blasting the An Innocent Man album on his stereo. I was mesmerized by the doo-wop style: it was […]
Naturalism and Theism Compared and Contrasted
I stopped posting on Twitter (not “X”) in November and resolved I would not be back until the platform is no longer associated with Elon Musk. That said, I do read tweets on occasion and today I read a tweet from Ben Watkins for which I wanted to provide a quick reply. Ben’s tweet is […]
Job in the Ring: A Review of The Iron Claw
What better way to end a year, or begin a new one, than to see a great movie? And have I got just the thing! The Iron Claw, just out in theaters, tells the tragic and deeply moving story of the legendary Von Erich family. While the film centers on the journey of Kevin von […]
Beth Moore, Baby Killer?
As a fifty year old, cynical GenX male, I suspect I am not the primary audience for a Beth Moore book. Before I picked up her new memoir, I knew only that she was a very popular Southern Baptist Bible teacher/speaker and that she had left the Southern Baptist Convention recently under some controversy. All […]
From Teaching to Investigating: Thoughts on My 2023
As long time readers of this blog (and there are a few of you, at least!) will know, things have been quiet of late. Back in the day I used to churn out several blog posts a week while spending countless hours interacting in the comments. All told, over the last thirteen years, I posted […]
The John Stackhouse Case Continued: The Witnesses Speak
Yesterday, Canada’s leading evening news program, The National, broadcast a short six-minute documentary on the John Stackhouse case. What is particularly significant is that the documentary introduces two witnesses to the public: Courtney and Indira. This is significant because the original Summary of Findings of the investigation posted by Crandall University was anonymous. And as […]
The Fall of John Stackhouse? An Analysis of the Investigation
On November 23, CBC posted the news that one of Canada’s leading evangelical scholars, John Stackhouse, had been terminated by Crandall University for sexual harassment of students. Later on that morning, I wrote a quick response to the situation. But I decided yesterday instead to expand significantly my analysis. This is that expanded and revised […]
When it comes to sexual assault and harassment allegations should we ‘Believe Women’?
The term “believe women” was popularized during the #MeToo movement. Sadly, the term has fanned confusion and paranoia with critics assuming the mantra demands that one always believe women no matter what. But as Jude Ellison Sady Doyle points out in the 2017 article “Despite What You May Have Heard, ‘Believe Women’ Has Never Meant […]
Why I (Still) Love Calvin and Hobbes
It’s been 28 years since Bill Watterson stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes and people still love it. Why is that? Rather than speculate, I will give my top four reasons why I still love Calvin and Hobbes. First, I don’t think any cartoon has ever equalled Calvin and Hobbes’ masterful depiction of childhood imagination. As […]
Shattered Image: Bruxy Cavey and the Meeting House Scandal with Rachel Browne
In this video, I discuss the scandal surrounding one of Canada’s leading Christian public figures, Bruxy Cavey, with journalist Rachel Browne. You can read Rachel’s excellent article, “The Meeting House: Inside a Megachurch Scandal.” ?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the Celebrity Conversion with the Weak Apologetic
Back to Constantine (or the Apostle Paul!), Christians have always loved dramatic celebrity conversions to their tribe (though in fairness, most folk do). So it is not surprising that Christian apologists are celebrating Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s conversion to Christianity which she anounced yesterday in an essay simply titled “Why I am now a Christian.” For […]
The Power of Recognition: My Kiss Concert Review
I have been to dozens of concerts in my life. But I don’t know that I’ve seen a more satisfying production by consummate showmen than Kiss last night in Edmonton. You can tell they’ve been at it for 50 years. The old-school pyrotechnics were great, the catalogue of songs unparalleled, and not many septuagenarians can […]
Harassment and Apophasis: Lessons from Donald Trump
Donald Trump loves to use a rhetorical device called apophasis (i.e. raising an issue by saying it will not be mentioned/affirmed). In this clip from the weekend, he repeatedly says he will not refer to Chris Christie as a “fat pig” … while in essence doing precisely that. Apophasis is a type of non-denial […]
