Every day, people leave Christianity because they have been taught that the religion… requires one to reject the reigning theory of origins in biology or that it requires one to accept that women should submit to men or that ‘wicked’ people should and will writhe in torment in a lake of fire or that you […]
mere Christianity
The Four Saddest Words I Hear as a Christian Apologist
The US Supreme Court Decision on LGBT Civil Rights Meets Mere Christianity
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a 6-3decision that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 extends to sexual minorities including gay and transgender people. Predictably, this produced cheers from some and hand-wringing from others. As for me, it provided an occasion to post the following tweet: Just a reminder to Christians on […]
Alisa Childers, “Historic Christianity,” and the Atonement
In this video, I consider how Alisa Childers adopts an idiosyncratic definition of “historic Christianity” that reduces the essentials to Paul’s creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7. Next, I point out how Childers attacks progressive Christians by claiming without evidence that “most” progressive Christians reject the core doctrine of substitutionary atonement.
Why evangelicalism often fails to be effective
What is more important? Being an evangelical, conservative, and/or fundamentalist Christian? Or just being a Christian? I believe it is more important to just be a Christian. Why does this matter? Because evangelical, conservative, and/or fundamentalist Christians often spend more time defending their boundary markers than the boundary markers of Christianity simpliciter (aka mere Christianity). For example, there […]
Do not create unnecessary stumbling blocks to Christian faith
In my opinion, one of the absolute biggest mistakes that Christians make occurs when, in the midst of sharing their faith, they include an unnecessary stumbling block as part of the essential package. To be sure, mere Christianity has its share of genuine and non-negotiable stumbling blocks. Among them, I would suggest, are doctrines of sin, […]
What is Mere Christianity? Part 6: James Anderson Answers
Our final installment in my series on mere Christianity comes from James N. Anderson. Dr. Anderson is Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, and an ordained minister in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. He is the author of What’s Your Worldview?: An Interactive Approach to Life’s Big Questions, Why Should I […]
What is Mere Christianity? Part 5: John Mark N Reynolds Answers
Introduction For the fifth installment of our survey on mere Christianity, we turn to the reflections of Dr. John Mark Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds is the President of The Saint Constantine School, a Senior Fellow of Humanities at The King’s College in New York City, and a Fellow at The Discovery Institute’s Center For Science and Culture. […]
What is Mere Christianity? Part 4: Eric Reitan Answers
Introduction Our next installment in my series on mere Christianity comes from Eric Reitan. Dr. Reitan is Professor of Philosophy at Oklahoma State University and author of The Triumph of Love: Same-Sex Marriage and the Christian Love Ethic and Is God A Delusion?: A Reply to Religion’s Cultured Despisers. He is also coauthor of God’s Final Victory: A Comparative Philosophical Case […]
What is Mere Christianity? Part 3: Myron B. Penner Answers
Introduction Welcome to the third installment of my series, “What is Christianity?” This time, we feature the thoughts of Canadian philosopher Myron B. Penner. Dr. Penner is an Anglican priest who ministers at Trinity International Church in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Previously, he was a professor at Prairie College in Three Hills, Alberta. […]
What is Mere Christianity? Part 2: John Stackhouse answers
Introduction Welcome to Part 2 on my “What is Mere Christianity?” series. This entry comes courtesy of leading Canadian theologian and public intellectual, John Stackhouse. Dr. Stackhouse is the Samuel J. Mikolaski Professor of Religious Studies and Dean of Faculty Development at Crandall University in Moncton, New Brunswick. Previously, he was the Sangwoo Youtong Chee […]
What is Mere Christianity? Part 1: Dale Tuggy
Get ten Christians in a room and ask them what book (other than the Bible) was most impactful for their Christian formation. I guarantee that at least one person (and probably more than one) will mention C.S. Lewis’ classic Mere Christianity. (Case in point: when I asked “What’s the most formative book you ever read?” on Twitter (and […]
How to fixate on a tennis ball
Silver Bullet asked: “Randal, Let me pose a scenario to you: The Christian god apparently once commanded that someone be stoned to death for picking up sticks on a Saturday. Was this objectively moral? If so, how?” AcesLucky has since fixated upon this question like a border collie fixated upon a sheep (or, in suburbia, […]
