George W. Sarris. Heaven’s Doors: Wider than you ever believed! (Trumbull, CT: GWS Publishing, 2017). Though he has long been a great defender of the traditional doctrine of hell, J.I. Packer once conceded: “If you want to see folk damned, there is something wrong with you!” That statement has always stuck with me because it implies every Christian […]
soteriology
If Jesus had been sent to the gallows: On the felicitous outcome of attempted sacrilege
The other day a Twitter account called “Staunch Atheist” posted a cartoon which offered commentary on the Christian belief in crucifixion: Within the context of this particular twitter feed, the posting was presumably intended to offer an irreverent and subversive critique of Christianity, one which might offend the sensibilities of Christians. How ironic, then, that the effect […]
Jesus vs. the Volcano: How Christians disagree on atonement and why it matters
In “The depth of current atonement debates in a tweet” I noted one of the deepest divisions in current Christian debates on the atonement. Some Christians (advocates of penal substitution) believe that Jesus’ atoning death satisfies the wrath of the Father against sin, and thus that Jesus’ death provides the culmination and completion of the […]
The depth of current atonement debates in a tweet
Jesus died for our sins. On that much Christians agree. But ask what it means to say he died for our sins, and deep fissures of disagreement quickly emerge. If you ever want a capsule summary of how deeply entrenched the current debate is, you need look no further than this tweet from Brian Zahnd: According to Zahnd, the temple sacrificial system was […]
6. The 59-Second Apologist: How does the atonement work?
The good news of the Christian gospel is that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19) so that through him those who are separated from God can be made at-one with him. But how is the atonement supposed to work, exactly? https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tentativeapologist/59+Second+Apologist+6+(atonement).mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
41. Robin Parry on Universal Salvation
The Christian story has one simple, beautiful and extraordinarily powerful claim: despite all the evil, suffering, and pain that grips this creation, the good catches up. That promise is found in the very prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray: thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And […]
Still more evangelistic tracts so bad that they’re good
This past Saturday a knock came on my door. I opened the door to two slightly nervous young men. One of them immediately took the lead, introducing himself as the representative of a new Baptist church just starting up in the area. He then held out a tract for me to take. I glanced down. […]
If Malala had died, would she have gone to hell?
It has been one year since Taliban boarded a school bus in the Swat Valley and shot then fifteen year old Malala Yousafzai in the head. Her crime, as the world now knows, was daring to stand up to the Taliban in defense of education for all children and a plea to end the cycles […]
Big Questions … No Easy Answers: A Discussion Series
In May/June 2013 I delivered a series of talks at Urban Bridge Church in Edmonton, AB. Urban Bridge is a special place where they welcome questions and open-ended discussions and so it was the perfect venue for these kinds of talks. The three-part series, which I’ve called “Big Questions … No Easy Answers,” is available […]
When it comes to the question of universal salvation: An interview with Eric Reitan
Two months ago I invited philosopher Eric Reitan to participate in an emailed interview on the occasion of his book God’s Final Victory: A Comparative Philosophical Case for Universalism (co-authored with John Kronen) being offered in soft cover. Eric graciously agreed and the fascinating exchange that resulted is recorded below. If you’d like to hear more from […]
Why inclusivism makes sense
This is a repost of an article I wrote in 2010 for The Christian Post. * * * A couple weeks ago I was arguing for inclusivism, the possibility of being saved by Christ without having heard of Christ. The question has important apologetic purchase, not least because people worry about the fate of those […]
Are Christian serial killers saved?
Some years ago I was at a coffee shop with a friend when we got into a heated discussion over the question of whether a Christian could be a serial killer. (He said yes, I said no. ) The dispute was not whether there might be self-identified Christians who moonlight as serial killers. That there […]
My Experience with Street Witnessing Part 2: The Painful Execution
As we piled out of the van and on to the sidewalk I was driven on by the shame, guilt and fear that I would end up a goat on Judgment Day if I hesitated for a moment to proclaim the Gospel fearlessly to every passerby. After a quick prayer from the youth pastor for safety and […]
Will the real Christian please stand up?
And so the discussion on Christian unity and Christian identity continues. I apologize for my spotty engagement in the discussion. On Friday I drove five hours to another city to teach a Christian worldview course Friday evening and all day Saturday. Too bad y’all weren’t there because one of the points I emphasized is the […]
