Michael Bird. Seven Things I Wish Every Christian Knew About the Bible. Zondervan, 2021. Seven Things is an introduction to the Bible written by Anglican priest and New Testament scholar Michael Bird. The book is written in seven chapters addressing origins (chapter 1), inspiration and inerrancy (chapter 2), authority (chapter 3), the cultural distance between the biblical […]
hermeneutics
What if God is Dreadful?
In his book A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis sets aside the task of theodicy that he shouldered in The Problem of Pain in favor of a searing personal account of pain and loss centered on the death of his beloved wife Joy. At one point in the book, he reflects, “Not that I am (I […]
Would Jesus have endorsed gay marriage?
Jesus never talks about same-sex relationships, but he does talk about marriage (e.g. Matthew 19:1-10, Mark 10:1-12). And when he describes marriage, he always does so within the context of an indissoluble male/female covenantal bond. His understanding of the indissolubility aspect is an important topic in the conversation, But here I want to focus on […]
Fundamentalist Bible Reading and Literally False Descriptions of God
In this video, I explain how a passage like Exodus 32 forces fundamentalist Christians to abandon their “literalist” approach to Bible reading or face stark theological consequences. ?
How Professional Wrestling can Help Us Understand the Bible
In this video, I argue that in the same way that we can appreciate professional wrestling as performance even if it is not a conventional sport, so we can appreciate non-historical aspects of the biblical narrative even if they are not literally true. ?
Biblical Violence and Epistemology: A Conversation with Counter Apologist
In this video, I have a conversation with atheist blogger Counter Apologist over biblical violence and epistemology in conversation with my book “Jesus Loves Canaanites.” ?
The Bible, Divinely Commanded Violence, and Inspiration: My Opening Statement
In May 2021, I debated John Loftus on Modern Day Debate. The debate resolution was “The Bible, with its divinely commanded violence, wasn’t inspired by a perfect God.” Here is my opening statement in full. Thanks to Modern Day Debate for the invitation to debate and to John Loftus for agreeing to participate. I’d like to […]
Killing the Children of Jericho: How Paul Copan Avoids the Question
In this video, we listen to an excerpt of a debate in which Paul Copan is asked directly about the killing of children as referenced in the slaughter of all the residents of Jericho, men and women, young and old (Joshua 6:21). Rather than address directly the ethics of slaughtering children and infants, Copan deflects […]
From Ancient Israel to Boko Haram: On the problem with defending human rights atrocities
Today, I posted a tweet on how Christians who defend genocide in the Bible often find themelves backing into cultural relativism. That prompted a reply from a fellow named Andrew who read and appreciated the book but who didn’t agree with it. What followed was a civil exchange which I have included below. From my […]
Why the Logic of the Canaanite Genocide is Fundamentally Flawed
In this short video, I rebut the claim that the Israelites needed to kill the Canaanites in order to maintain their own moral purity. On the contrary, I point out that participation in war crimes like genocide and ethnic cleansing is fundamentally corrupting for the moral status of a people. Thus, the Israelites would have […]
The Ten Worst Defenses of the Canaanite Genocide
Christian apologists have offered many bad arguments to explain how God commanded the genocidal slaughter of ancient peoples. In this video, I survey the ten worst. ?
How Not to Read the Bible: Lessons from Footloose
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.
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 […]
