Philip Yancey begins chapter four of his most popular book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? with this famous anecdote about C.S. Lewis: “During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of […]
soteriology
Would you indoctrinate your child to save their soul?
This should be interesting. I just posted this Twitter survey. It seems to me that if you believe that the failure to be a Christian ensures eternal separation from God and the concomitant deprivation of the unimaginable goods of the new heavens and new earth, then in principle you would have excellent grounds to indoctrinate […]
According to Christianity, serial killers can be saved. Is that a reason to think that Christianity is false?
The Top Three Worst Reasons to Reject Universalism
Do All Children Go to Heaven? On the age of accountability
This article is based on chapter 30 of my book What’s So Confusing About Grace? Parenthood opens you to new questions you never thought to ask before. For me, it initiated a new stage in my wrestling with salvation and the Gospel: what did it mean for my daughter to be saved? Did I agree that […]
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 […]
Do bad children go to hell?
When I first became a father, I found myself facing a question that most Christian parents must confront at one time or another: when is my child responsible to make her own decision to follow Jesus? Were thirteen-year-olds in danger of going to hell? And what about a three-year-old? What was the point at which […]
If God wants to save us, why isn’t salvation simple?
I know what you’re thinking: salvation is simple! After all, just look at John 3:16: God loved the world so much he sent his Son so that whoever believes in him will be saved. Surely that is simple, right? It might seem so, but the closer you look, the more that initial veneer of simplicity […]
What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard the Gospel?
I was recently interviewed by Cameron Bertuzzi of “Capturing Christianity” on the topic of salvation for those who have never heard the Gospel. You can listen to it here:
Do all adherents to non-Christian religions go to hell?
Let’s take a look at one of my recent, highly rigorous Twitter surveys: A question for Christians: Do all adherents to non-Christian religions go to hell? — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) November 17, 2017 When I see results like this — and by “this” I’m referring specifically to that 53% — I wonder whether folks have […]
In Search of Salvation
My new video gives a twenty minute introduction to the themes of my book What’s So Confusing About Grace? Check it out!
If God wants us to be saved, why is grace so confusing?
It’s a daunting question. If God wants all human beings to be saved — and surely he does — then why aren’t the requirements of that salvation clearer? This is a central theme woven through my book What’s So Confusing About Grace?, a theological memoir spanning a forty-year journey trying to understand the nature of God’s […]
What’s So Confusing About Grace? My Interview with Bob Dutko
I’ve been on The Bob Dutko Show several times now. In this twenty minute interview we talk about the theme of my new book, What’s So Confusing About Grace? https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/extras-tentativeapologist/Grace+on+Dutko+Show.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
The Title of My New Book
If you’ve ever driven the interstate through southern Wyoming, you’ll probably notice the billboards appearing at regular intervals touting the virtues of “Little America“, a motel/gas station/restaurant located midway on the long drive from Cheyenne to Salt Lake City. The purpose of each billboard is clear: gradually build up anticipation for the destination until the […]
