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Randal Rauser

Home of progressively evangelical, generously orthodox, rigorously analytic, revolutionary Christian thinking (that's what I'm aiming for anyway)

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soteriology

Islamophobia? Secular Bernie Sanders meets the Conservative Evangelical

June 24, 2017 by Randal

A couple weeks ago Bernie Sanders undertook a provocative line of questioning during the confirmation hearing of a fellow named Russell Vought. You may have heard of this feisty exchange. It certainly got the attention of Christian conservatives who consider it solid evidence of secular incredulity toward and persecution of orthodox Christians. Here is a three […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bernie Sanders, Islam, pluralism, salvation, secularism, soteriology, tolerance

Universalism for Evangelicals? A Review of Heaven’s Doors

April 25, 2017 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: George Sarris, Heaven's Doors, review, soteriology, universalism

If Jesus had been sent to the gallows: On the felicitous outcome of attempted sacrilege

December 13, 2016 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atheism, atonement, cross, scandal, soteriology

Jesus vs. the Volcano: How Christians disagree on atonement and why it matters

October 20, 2016 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atonement, christology, penal substitution, soteriology

The depth of current atonement debates in a tweet

October 18, 2016 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atonement, Brian Zahnd, christology, Jesus Christ, soteriology

6. The 59-Second Apologist: How does the atonement work?

November 17, 2014 by Randal

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

Filed Under: Podcast-59 Second Apologist, The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atonement, podcast, salvation, soteriology, The 59-Second Apologist, theology

41. Robin Parry on Universal Salvation

March 31, 2014 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: Podcast, Podcast-The Tentative Apologist, The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atonement, doctrine, hell, orthodoxy, Robin Parry, salvation, soteriology, universalism

Still more evangelistic tracts so bad that they’re good

November 7, 2013 by Randal

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. […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: damnation, Jack Chick, Pelagianism, salvation, soteriology, tracts

If Malala had died, would she have gone to hell?

October 10, 2013 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: damnation, exclusivism, hell, inclusivism, Malala, salvation, soteriology

Big Questions … No Easy Answers: A Discussion Series

June 7, 2013 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: doubt, problem of evil, salvation, soteriology

When it comes to the question of universal salvation: An interview with Eric Reitan

May 13, 2013 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Eric Reitan, hell, orthodoxy, salvation, soteriology, universalism

Why inclusivism makes sense

April 12, 2013 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: exclusivism, inclusivism, salvation, soteriology

Are Christian serial killers saved?

May 16, 2012 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: BTK, Christianity, Dallas Willard, Dennis Rader, grace, salvation, sanctification, serial killer, soteriology

My Experience with Street Witnessing Part 2: The Painful Execution

April 8, 2012 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Christianity, evangelism, salvation, soteriology, witnessing

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