A reader emailed me a question about how Jesus viewed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: “when it comes to sodom and Gomorrah it seems that Jesus affirms this event as literal in Matthew 11:23 and Luke 17:29. But if this is the case it seems as if Jesus is affirming genocide of a large […]
Jesus
Jesus was a Great Philosopher
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. […]
Who Would Jesus Insult?
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 Christians Should Accept that Jesus Had False Beliefs
In this video, I explain how, in virtue of his human psychology, Jesus gained wisdom and knowledge over time and this would include Jesus having held beliefs at one time which he later came to recognize as false. ?
Why Jesus Mythicism is a Conspiracy Theory
Liar, Lunatic, or Lord. Or Legend, or …
This morning, my pastor mentioned C.S. Lewis’ famous “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord” trilemma. (He also briefly traced it back to the sixteenth century: there truly is nothing new under the sun.) Next, he briefly noted that there is a fourth possibility — “Legend” — though he also noted that there is ample evidence to rebut […]
On the Hard Sayings of Jesus
Some people worry about the so-called hard sayings of Jesus. But at least keep this in mind: no world-class teacher always says that which is expected, predictable, wholly understandable. There are ocean depths to their words and actions. If they truly are great, we should expect that they will say things which are startling, paradoxical, […]
Would Jesus want you to stay married to a psychopath?
This morning, I tweeted the following survey: Clinical psychopaths are manipulative anti-social narcissists who are incapable of experiencing love or empathy. The condition is untreatable. If you came to believe your friend was married to a non-violent psychopath, would you support your friend divorcing that individual? — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) July 27, 2018 As of […]
If Jesus has not been raised, is our faith in vain?
Back in November, 2017, I posted a survey on Twitter asking if Christianity requires the historical resurrection of Jesus. A couple days ago, I posted a similar survey with a few notable differences. First, while the original survey was directed to everyone, this survey was targeted at Christians; second, while the original survey only had […]
What did Jesus believe about Noah and Lot’s wife? A response to Justin Schieber
Yesterday Justin Schieber tweeted some questions regarding Jesus, Noah, and Lot and his wife and he tagged me requesting a reply: Christian bloggers,If you have a moment, I'd love a post addressing these two questions:Thanks! pic.twitter.com/HhVqHRf51O — Real Atheology Podcast (@RealAtheology) May 22, 2017 Being the obliging chap that I am, I briefly tweeted a […]
Jesus meets Mike Pence
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not […]
TWU Today Archives Part 6: Would Jesus smoke a doobie?
I wrote this article for the TWU Today Newspaper back in the spring of 1996. The topic was a timely one for me as I had just interviewed Mark Emery as my subject for a class I was taking in culture change. In the class we were assigned the task of interviewing somebody who was aiming […]
Want to lose friends and alienate people? Tell ’em about Jesus.
According to a new report, witnessing your Christian faith to people may do more harm than good. According to the study, when people were the object of Christian witnessing, 59% developed a more negative perception of Jesus and/or Christianity while only 19% developed a more positive perception. In other words, witnessing is three times as likely to produce negative […]
Songs Jesus Would Sing: The birth of a new series
In this post I am launching a new series titled “Songs Jesus Would Sing.” This series is borne of my general sense of alienation from contemporary Christian music coupled with my deep affinity for music played “out there in the world” and a recognition that much of that “worldly” music conveys themes which are profoundly […]
