Paul Bernardo is one of Canada’s most infamous rapists and serial killers. While his litany of crimes is too extensive to list here, the court evidence against the man was absolutely overwhelming and included video tapes of the crimes he filmed with the help of his equally psychopathic wife. Suffice it to say, anybody with a […]
eschatology
Will cowards inherit the kingdom of God?
In the thread to “A Martian’s perspective on the problem of evil” Ray Ingles posed a problem with the greater goods response to evil. Why, for example, would God subject people to evils to cultivate in them the greater good of courage if courage will not be required in eternity? As he put it, “Why […]
Cooling Twilight reviews “What on Earth Do We Know About Heaven?”
The blog Cooling Twilight (great name, by the way) has reviewed What on Earth Do We Know About Heaven? You can read the review here. The closing of the review summarizes matters nicely: “In this slim volume Rauser tackles important and intriguing issues in a robust and engaging way, providing a reasoned alternative to so much of […]
Randal talks heaven on The Bob Dutko Show
I’ve been on The Bob Dutko Show several times now. Radio is a fast-paced medium as you gallop to make your points before the next commercial break. At the same time, it is a noble challenge because the medium forces you to state each point in what is little more than a glorified elevator speech. […]
18. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here? Filmmaker Kevin Miller reconsiders the doctrine of hell
In this episode of The Tentative Apologist Podcast we sit down with screenwriter, producer and film director Kevin Miller. Kevin is perhaps best known as the screenwriter for the 2008 documentary “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” and as director of the 2012 documentary “Hellbound?” (You can see my review for “Hellbound?” here.) “Hellbound?” (which is now available […]
17. Randal asks “Does Heaven Need a Makeover?”
In this episode of The Tentative Apologist Podcast I break with my usual practice of an interview / conversation. Instead, I’m featuring a talk I delivered at the OnWord Conference at Steele Heights Baptist Church in Edmonton, AB on September 28, 2013 titled “Does Heaven Need a Makeover?” In this talk I argue that common objections to heaven […]
Randal interviews himself on his new book “What on Earth do we Know about Heaven?”
Last fall I interviewed myself upon the release of The Swedish Atheist, the Scuba Diver, and Other Apologetic Rabbit Trails. The interview was such a success that I determined I had to have myself back. It took awhile, but I finally managed to secure an interview with myself upon the release of my new book on […]
Endorsements for “What on Earth do we Know About Heaven?”
The clock is ticking down to the point in September when my new book on heaven is released to an unsuspecting public. In the interim I offer the following three endorsements. “I love Randal Rauser because he loves to ask questions, especially hard and controversial questions. But not only does he like to ask them, he […]
Why do conservative Christians think everything is getting worse?
The answer is simple: eschatology. Eschatology is the doctrine of last things, and most Christian conservatives these days continue to be premillennial in their eschatology. Premillennialism is often described as a pessimistic eschatology, one that expects conditions to get progressively worse until Jesus comes back and establishes his millennial kingdom. (In contrast, postmillennialism is often described […]
How long, O Lord? An Advent meditation on suburban injustice
“Americano. Grande. Extra room.” The emphasis was crucial. Failure to include it and “extra room” could easily become mere “room” resulting in three shots of espresso hopelessly diluted in excess hot water with no room for cream. It was a delicate balance, one that I thought I’d secured by the carefully placed emphasis. “Americano. Grande. […]
Will resurrected bodies have face mites?
The doctrine of the general resurrection is central to the Christian theological conception of the afterlife. At the core of the doctrine is the claim that numerically the same body that dies will one day be restored to life. Conceptually it is relatively straightforward to envision this process in the case of Christ who died […]
Does evangelical pessimism need a makeover?
When I was growing up I was taught dispensational premillennialism, an eschatology (theology of last things) that has as one of its hallmarks an unshakeable pessimism about the imminent future. Basically, things will keep getting worse until Jesus returns and establishes his kingdom. Dispensational pessimism continues to form a broad swathe of North American conservative […]
The Confessions of an Ouranophobe, or How I got over my fear of heaven
A couple months ago I blogged on the notion of a fear of heaven. What follows below is a much longer discussion of the same topic. It is an autobiographical excerpt which I originally wrote for a book I am currently writing on the concept of heaven. Once I decided that the passage would not be included in the book, […]
What on earth happened to Colton Burpo? A Discussion of “Heaven is for Real”
Tomorrow morning (November 19) I’ll be speaking from 9 AM – 12 PM at McKernan Baptist Church in Edmonton on the question “What on Earth Happened to Colton Burpo?” If you are asking yourself “Who is Colton Burpo?” I have to wonder where you’ve been. The book Heaven is For Real (Thomas Nelson, 2010) was […]
