The other day, I posted the following tweet: Atheists who dismiss the Bible as “iron age fables” should invest a month studying a single book of the Bible by reading a range of biblical commentaries, monographs, and articles on that book. They will come to appreciate that much more is going on than they realized, […]
revelation
Problems with the Bible that Aren’t Problems at All
Do 33,000 Christian denominations present a reason to think Christianity is not true?
Formulating an Argument Against Christianity Based on Confusion About Salvation?
About a year ago, I posted an article at Strange Notions titled “Answering the ‘Confusing Revelation’ Objection to Christianity.” In the article, I formulate an argument against Christianity based on the putatively confusing nature of Christian revelation. I then offer a rebuttal to the argument. (At a broader level, my entire book What’s So Confusing About […]
Does inerrancy apply to the human authors of the Bible?
This morning I posted a tweet on inerrancy which prompted a reply from the philosopher Paul Franks. I thought it was an interesting Twitter exchange and worth repeating here. After compiling our tweets, I’m a bit surprised at how long it is too. I have not bothered to flag or correct the typos that appear in […]
Can we make sense of the concept of progressive revelation? A Christian/Atheist Dialogue
After a spirited debate with David Johnson and Andrew Knight on Unbelievable, David kindly invited me onto his podcast “Skeptics and Seekers” to discuss and debate the concept of progressive revelation. The interview just went live today and it includes opening written statements from David and myself. You can read our opening articles and listen […]
Jesus, the God of Genocide, and William Barclay
William Barclay (d. 1978) is a lot like C.S. Lewis in one key respect: he was a British scholar widely read and trusted by North American evangelicals who nonetheless frequently expressed some relatively radical opinions that sailed under the radar of those same evangelicals. I was reminded of this again the other day when in […]
Is the Exodus as important to Christian belief as Jesus’ resurrection?
When I was growing up, I learned to read biblical narratives as historically reliable accounts of past events. Whether the issue was the death and resurrection of Jesus, the curious maritime journey of Jonah, the Exodus from Egypt, Samson’s killing a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass, or Adam and Eve talking to […]
The Confusing Revelation Objection to Christianity
Read my new article “Answering the ‘Confusing Revelation Objection’ to Christianity” at Strange Notions.
Strange Revelations I’ve Received in the Mail (Part 2)
Of all the end-of-the-world prophecies I’ve received over the years, this is surely the strangest and, in a bizarre way, the most endearing. And in contrast with the long-winded revelations of Warren Jeffs, it is also mercifully brief. I now present to you (drum roll please) … Hercolubus or Red Planet! Originally published in 2004, Hercolubus […]
Strange Revelations I’ve Received in the Mail (Part 1)
As a seminary professor, I get a lot of emails (probably 3-4 per week) from strangers who are peddling their new self-published book or who are simply keen to share their revelations about the end of the world or the evil of Islam or their new theory on X or Y. Over the years I’ve […]
The Bible as God’s Anthology
My views on the Bible really began to change when I went to university to pursue a double major in English and religious studies. At that time I began to learn about hermeneutics including the importance of interpreting distinct literary genres, heeding historical context, and attending to the many distinct approaches to textual interpretation. Along […]
How do you defend the Bible to those who dismiss it as the product of savage minds?
The other day I received an emailed question from a reader which focused on the problem of genocide in the Bible. The reader asked: “If someone brought up these biblical narratives [of genocide], as Dawkins and the like have, as a means of discrediting the Christian faith and the biblical text how would you respond?” Note […]
Emotions as a way to moral reflection and theological truth
A few days ago I received an email from a reader that posed a question and invited my response. With permission I’m reproducing a portion of the email. I’ll then offer a response below: If I had to say what I have found most helpful about your work, it would be your insistence on the […]
