“My ways are not your ways!” I’ve heard Christians quote this verse in numerous contexts to suggest that God’s ways are completely different than and even contrary to human reasoning. Let me give two examples: 1/ The problem of evil– some might say we could never understand why God allows evil (or some specific evils) […]
Speaking in tongues is not the only sign that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus told the disciples that he was going to baptize them in the Holy Spirit he didn’t even mention tongues. Instead, he focused on the fact that this was preparation for their ministry. He said that […]
Naomi went to Moab and there both her husband and her only two sons died (ch 1). In verses 13 and 20 she acknowledges that God has been a part of this: “the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (v. 20, NASB = NIV “the Almighty has made my life very bitter”). Q- How […]
To say there is ‘senseless’ evil presumes you have a basis to say it is senseless. However, saying something is ‘senseless’ just means you can’t make sense of it. That is, it means that you can’t figure out why God would allow it. However, calling some evil ‘senseless’ doesn’t prove there is no reason (just that […]
About a year ago I came across an article by Daniel Castelo recommending the doctrine of divine impassibility to Pentecostals (the question of whether God has passion, often focusing on whether or not God can suffer). I wrote a response that was just published. Thanks to Brill’s (a publisher) relatively recent and generous change to their author […]
I read an interview with Eastern Orthodox bishop Kallistos Ware. If you are familiar with the Orthodox Church, you will know that the liturgy is pivotal for their faith. In the interview, Ware talked about his view of evangelism in relation to the liturgy: “To those who show an interest in Orthodoxy, I say, ‘Come […]
An article of mine just came out in Enrich: The Leadership Magazine of the PAOC called “Passion for God?”. You can also view the whole magazine.
A continuation of Love Wins (part 1) and (part 1.5). *Note- the red text contains hyperlinks to videos or other pages. Now for the second issue and the practical question…. 2/ Universalism- I can understand why some people have concluded that he is a universalist (especially based on the pre-publication video that was released). He […]
On my way to the college this morning, I read (I was not driving, but taking the bus) an article which defended (and critiqued) the atonement theory of penal substitution. I really appreciated the article because: The doctrine of penal substitution (that Jesus takes my penalty upon him with his death) has been under frequent […]
A continuation from my post Love Wins (part 1)…a discussion of Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins. I know I said I would post part 2 today, but I had an “Ah ha!” moment (if you don’t know what that is, ask one of my students), so part 2 will have to wait. (I would have […]