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.
hermeneutics
If the Bible includes immoral laws, how can it be inspired?
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: […]
The Problem with the Offering of Isaac
When Abraham expressed the willingness to sacrifice Isaac, he did so on the belief that God would raise Isaac back up and thereby be faithful to his covenant. The belief that God is faithful is laudable. The problem is that Abraham believed God was commanding an action — child sacrifice — that was considered to […]
How Christians engage in special pleading when they try to justify bad biblical behavior
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.
A Wide-Ranging Interview with the Non-Alchemist
Reading What the Bible Says About Dogs to My Dog
Biblical Violence and the Problem of Evil: A Conversation
Is the Christian God an All-Good and Loving God? A Debate
This evening, I participated in a debate with atheist Floyd FP on the “Cognitive Distortion” YouTube channel on the topic Is the Christian God an All-Good and Loving God? It was a vigorous and wide-ranging discussion and of course, it comes highly recommended!
Can God Command Anything At All?
Yesterday, I tweeted some criticisms of Christians who crucify their moral intuitions on the altar of their particular readings of biblical violence. As you can imagine, the effect is like jamming a stick into a hornet’s nest and jerking it around. Within minutes a mixture of dazed and angry hornets come shooting out. Today, I […]
Knock the Little Bastards’ Brains Out: C.S. Lewis and the Cursing Psalms
Is God punishing us with COVID-19? Here’s My Answer
Inspired Imperfection: A Review
Gregory A. Boyd. Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible’s Problems Enhance Its Authority (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2020). The postscript to Gregory Boyd’s new book Inspired Imperfection tells the story of a woman whose beloved vase was broken into several pieces. Devastated, she initially sought a restorer who might bring the ceramic back to its original, pristine condition. However, even the […]
Christians, you are allowed to wrestle with the problem of biblical violence
Imagine for a moment that you are in conversation with a person from another religion and you discover that their sacred text describes their deity as commanding genocide on entire peoples. If you’re like most people – including most Christians — then this discovery would provide a significant obstacle to you considering that religion any […]
If you’re going to say it is a sin for a woman to preach, you better be prepared to say more
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 […]
