Randal Rauser

Home of progressively evangelical, generously orthodox, rigorously analytic, revolutionary Christian thinking (that's what I'm aiming for anyway)

Blog

Blame it on the Singers: The Tragic and Triumphant Story of Milli Vanilli

by

The other day I watched Milli Vanilli, a critically acclaimed new documentary about the infamous duo. And I highly recommend it. To those who don’t remember, the stratospheric rise of this Euro pop duo Rob and Fab back in 1990 was matched only by their straospheric crash when their own producer called a press conference […]

My Statement on the Abuse Allegations Against Mike Bickle

by

Pastor Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, has been accused of clergy sexual abuse over several decades by multiple complainants. According to the statement released yesterday (see below), leaders have reviewed the allegations and found them to be credible. While the statement does not explain how leaders undertook a […]

Owning the Unknown: A Review

by

Robert Charles Wilson, Owning the Unknown: A Science Fiction Writer Explores Atheism, Agnosticism, and the Idea of God. Pitchstone, 2023. Accomplished science fiction writer Robert Charles Wilson’s new book Owning the Unknown is equal parts memoir and philosophical meditation as Wilson recounts his own brushes with the mystery of the universe through vignettes from his life interwoven […]

Atheists Who Love God

by

On September 22, 2023, I presented a lecture at Eastern University titled “Atheists Who Love God.” One of the audience members, David Gray, recorded the lecture from his seat and kindly sent me the file. As you can imagine, the sound quality isn’t ideal (not that I’m complaining!), but if you’re interested in what I […]

Satanism and Christianity: How Wide the Divide? (Not as Wide as You Might Think!)

by

My interview with Stephen Bradford Long, a minister for The Satanic Temple. My apologies, the beginning of the video cut out and I had some problems with the audio/video but c’est la vie. You can visit Stephen Long online here: https://stephenbradfordlong.com/ And here are the 7 Tenets of The Satanic Temple: https://thesatanictemple.com/blogs/the-satanic-temple-tenets/there-are-seven-fundamental-tenets ?

Christians and Satanists in Dialogue

by

I recently joined a dialogue hosted by MultiFaith Matters with Stephen Bradford Long, a minister in The Satanic Temple. You’ll be surprised with how much we agree! Here is the description from the YouTube page: “On July 25 The Satanic Temple (TST) celebrated one of their holidays, Unveiling Day. Their website describes this as a […]

Defanging Aslan? The Problem of Carnivores in the Kingdom

by

I was raised with a view of the afterlife which consisted of equal parts platonic dualism and fanciful folk theology replete with halos, clouds, harps, and interminable hymn singing. So it was a matter of considerable relief when I discovered that an orthodox Christian understanding of the afterlife was a far more holistic and this-worldly […]

Matthew 18 as a Recipe for Abuse (The Unhealthy Church Part 2)

by

In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus teaches his followers how to deal with conflict within the church. In a cruel irony, this valuable teaching is often twisted by well-meaning Christians in a manner that perpetuates abuse. In this article, we will take a look at the teaching, consider how it is abused, and outline guidelines for its […]

The Unhealthy Church Part 1: Taking Up Your Cross Does Not Mean Subjecting Yourself to Abuse

by

In this series, I am identifying various ways that particular Christian beliefs can be distorted within Christian communities, often in subtle yet devastating ways that increase the likelihood of abuse and exploitation. We begin in this first article with what is arguably the central doctrine that defines the Christian life: the call to take up […]

Secret Link