Randal Rauser

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

The Tentative Apologist

Jesus was a Great Philosopher

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Jesus was a great philosopher. — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) September 14, 2021 The majority got this right: Jesus was indeed a great philosopher. Some respondents claimed he was less than this: in their negative judgment, they are apparently unfamiliar with his eminently philosophical concerns, sophisticated argumentation with his interlocutors, unparalleled teaching style, and monumental impact. […]

God Allowing is Not the Same as God Commanding

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Yesterday, I posted the following tweet. Genocide apologists insist the Canaanites needed to be slaughtered in toto because they sacrificed their children. But herem slaughter to Yahweh is itself a form of *human sacrifice*, one that included children. It's like killing a man's dog to punish him for killing his cat. — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) […]

The Gospel is a Big Enough Stumbling Block Without Christians Adding Their Own

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Paul famously said that the message of Christ is “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23). This provocative statement is part of an elaborate rhetorical argument that provocatively frames the way that the heart of Christianity, the incarnation, atonement, and resurrection, challenged the received wisdom of the day. This stumbling […]

On Sexual Predators and ‘Young Adulterous Whores’

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Two years ago, I posted an article pointing out that Christian “comedian” John Crist did not simply have a “moral failing” with multiple women: he committed sexual assault and evinces the grooming behaviors of a sexual predator. Right on cue, Christians posted comments attacking his victims as morally compromised vamps of dubious character. I subsequently […]

Who Would Jesus Insult?

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In Matthew 5:22 Jesus says: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Call your […]

Why I Am Off Twitter

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Last week, I decided to delete my Twitter account after about a decade. Here are the reasons. First, time. social media is notorious for becoming a massive time-sucker. That’s what it’s designed to do. A platform like Twitter has the tendency to fill in the crannies of your life. Have a spare moment? Check your […]

We Struck Them With Axes: On ISIS and the Bible

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In a recent CNN segment, reporter Clarissa Ward interviewed a leader of ISIS-K, a Muslim group that opposes the Taliban because … they aren’t serious enough about following Sharia law. As the interviewee observes of the Taliban, “they can’t present one example where they have observed fixed Islamic law punishments, where they have cut off a […]

Rethinking the History of the Canaanite Genocide: What Do You Have To Lose?

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The other day, I received an email from a reader of Jesus Loves Canaanites who stated that while he was sympathetic with the argument of the book, he remained inclined to accept the history of the Joshua narrative (and by implication, the ethics of divinely commanded genocide) because of uncertainty over alternative interpretations of the passages. […]