Christian fundamentalists have distinguished themselves as ferocious defenders of doctrines like biblical inerrancy, a literal 6-day creation, the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, and a pre-tribulation secret rapture. Historically, that commitment to doctrine has been complemented by an equally doctrinaire commitment to a range of ethical “don’ts”. For example, don’t drink alcohol, don’t watch restricted […]
legalism
Is it always wrong for a Christian to buy a brand new $300,000 Ferrari?
This is a 2018 Ferrari 488. It costs $300,000. That’s a lot of money. Believe it or not, it’s even more than I make as a seminary professor in an entire year! So now the question: is it always wrong for a Christian to buy this car just because she wants one? I asked this […]
The scandalous ‘Sound of Music’ and other favorite examples of Christian legalism
Conservative Christians have many, many strengths. In particular, they’ve waved the flag of gospel proclamation with boldness and conviction. But like any other group, they also have their weaknesses, and if there is one weakness they struggle with more than any other, I suspect it may be legalism. That insatiable tendency toward boundary-marker-drawing with the […]
One more thing I’m really good at
A couple years ago I took the dogs for a walk. A block away from our home I walked by the house with the rusty old Chevy Malibu in the driveway. As I passed by I grumbled to myself: “Thanks for lowering the property values, pal.” A couple blocks later I looped back and walked by a […]
Would Jesus drink a Budweiser?
You know what the difference is between Catholic and Baptist communion? When the Catholic priest prays for the wine it becomes the blood of Christ. When the Baptist pastor prays it becomes grape juice! Okay, maybe it isn’t the funniest joke in the world. Theological jokes do tend to be a bit on the stale […]
