• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Randal Rauser

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

  • About Randal
  • Books
  • Articles
    • Articles (single)
    • Articles (in series)
  • Audio/Video
    • Audio Interviews, Lectures, and Debates
    • Video Interviews and Lectures
    • Powerpoint Slides
  • Blog
    • Current Posts
    • Blog Archives
  • Podcasts
    • The Tentative Apologist
    • 59 Second Apologist
  • Reviews

Bible

How Not to Read the Bible: Lessons from Footloose

December 14, 2020 by Randal

In this video, I consider the lamentable Bible reading of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) as he uses biblical passages out of context as a pretext to get the town to lift their ban on school dances. All from the classic 1984 teen movie Footloose.

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, Footloose, hermeneutics, prooftexting

If the Bible includes immoral laws, how can it be inspired?

November 6, 2020 by Randal

My new book Conversations with My Inner Atheist features an extended conversation ranging over 25 chapters with my inner voice of questioning and doubt, My Inner Atheist (Mia). I have included chapter 6 below: “If the Bible includes immoral laws, how can it be inspired?” If you enjoy the chapter, consider buying the book. Mia: […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, bibliology, hermeneutics, inspiration

How Christians engage in special pleading when they try to justify bad biblical behavior

September 28, 2020 by Randal

Many conservative Christians believe that men should follow the Billy Graham Rule to never be alone with a woman who is not your life. Unless you’re a king like David: then you can climb into bed with a young virgin girl. In this video, I criticize that kind of painful special pleading.

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, biblical ethics, ethics, hermeneutics, moral inerrancy principle

Hey, Liberal Christian Scholars have Biases Too

September 15, 2020 by Randal

It is very common to hear that conservative Christian scholars have a bias. For example, they are biased when they insist that Paul wrote the disputed epistles. They are biased when they claim that the Gospels contain eyewitness testimony. They are biased when they date Mark before 70 CE. And so on. My problem is […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: bias, Bible, Karen King

Reading What the Bible Says About Dogs to My Dog

August 31, 2020 by Randal

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, dogs, hermeneutics

Church Doctrine & the Bible: A Review

July 23, 2020 by Randal

David Instone-Brewer. Church Doctrine & the Bible. Scripture in Context. Lexham Press, 2020. The latest entry in the Lexham Press “Scripture in Context” series focuses on the relationship between Christian doctrines and the Bible. Throughout the book, David Instone-Brewer, a research fellow at Tyndale House and specialist in Judaism in the first century, takes his knowledge […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, biblical theology, David Instone-Brewer, review, theology

Sean McDowell’s 5 Reasons the Bible is True: A Response

April 30, 2020 by Randal

Let’s start with the video. Don’t worry, it’s only 52 seconds. 5 Reasons the Bible is reliable in one minute! VIDEO. pic.twitter.com/mX7VelC8VC — Sean McDowell (@Sean_McDowell) April 25, 2020 I think this kind of stuff does more harm than good. First off, most of Sean’s points pertain not to the Bible simpliciter but rather to […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, Bible, Sean McDowell

Biblicism Run Amok

February 19, 2020 by Randal

Ever wonder what biblicism run amok looks like? For a great example, consider this quote from R. Albert Mohler in his essay in the book Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy (hat tip to my student Rodney for the reference): “I do not allow any line of evidence from outside the Bible to nullify to the […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Albert Mohler, Bible, biblicism

Atheists on the Bible

February 15, 2020 by Randal

Here’s one big problem that atheists have with the Bible: they assume the Bible functions as a set of instructions for how to go to heaven. And then they predictably criticize the Bible because, well, it isn’t that. But don’t blame the atheists: they get that idea from many Christians. Here’s another problem: atheists expect […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atheism, atheists, Bible, bibliology, theology

Problems with the Bible that Aren’t Problems at All

February 14, 2020 by Randal

The other day, I posted the following tweet: Atheists who dismiss the Bible as “iron age fables” should invest a month studying a single book of the Bible by reading a range of biblical commentaries, monographs, and articles on that book. They will come to appreciate that much more is going on than they realized, […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, Bible, inspiration, revelation

A Logically Valid But Unsound Argument for Biblical Inerrancy

February 3, 2020 by Randal

Here is my attempt to articulate a logical argument in support of inerrancy. By “inerrancy”, I refer here to the view that the affirmations of all human authors are true. I should stress that this is not a view I hold and I have little sympathy with this argument. But be that as it may, […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, inerrancy, inspiration

If you’re going to say it is a sin for a woman to preach, you better be prepared to say more

January 27, 2020 by Randal

This morning, I posted the following on Twitter: Here’s the problem with complementarianism in a nutshell. The historic justification has been that they are less intellectual & more emotionally unstable than men, but that’s clearly sexist. Women are no less well equipped than men to be profound teachers and leaders. So one might then retreat […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, complementarianism, egalitarianism, exegesis, gender equality, hermeneutics, sexism

What the Bible Says About Dogs (and why it matters)

November 21, 2019 by Randal

Many Christians think the Bible is a handbook for all of life. In this video, I test that idea by considering what the Bible says about dogs. (Spoiler: it ain’t good.) So, must we choose between the Bible and our dogs?

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, dogs, hermeneutics, interpretation, theology

Fundamentalist Biblical Interpretation: A Critique

October 30, 2019 by Randal

Millions of conservative Protestant Christians (fundamentalists and evangelicals) believe that the Bible should be interpreted “literally where possible”. But is this a defensible interpretive principle? Does it even make sense? In this short lecture, I offer four objections to the Literal Where Possible Principle.

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bible, evangelicalism, fundamentalism, hermeneutics

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 14
  • Go to Next Page »

Footer

Against Malaria Foundation

Against Malaria Foundation

Support Kiva

Support Kiva

Search this website

Archives

Copyright © 2021 • Randal Rauser • A Steady Site