Roger E. Olson's Blog, page 11

A Mysterious Topic: Mystery, Paradox, Contradiction

One way in which some well-meaning but misguided persons have attempted to resolve the seemingly intractable differences between divine determinism, including evil as part of God’s plan rendered certain by God, and creaturely free will as power of contrary choice, including evil as not part of God’s plan and not rendered certain by God but […]

Neoliberalism’s Demons Chapter 2: The Political and…

Here I continue discussion of theologian Adam Kotsko’s book Neoliberalism’s Demons: On the Political Theology of Late Capital (Stanford University Press, 2018). If you have read the chapter, feel free to comment. If not, only ask a question. This chapter contains a lot of references to other books and articles about neoliberalism but with focus […]

“Power Without Empathy Is A Sin”

“Only the weak will fail.” (Donald Trump) “Power Without Empathy Is A Sin” (Noah Harley, Anthem) People are discussing empathy. According to news reports, the world’s richest man and a top advisor to US President Trump, Elon Musk, said on the Joe Rogan Show that some people have too much empathy. A recent meme in […]

Why Do Few Christians Believe in the Trinity?

According to a poll conducted by Arizona Christian University and reviewed by  George Barna, only 16% of American Christians believe in the Trinity. Only 11% of Americans, Christian and non-Christian, believe in the Trinity. If true, and I think that depends at least somewhat on how the question was asked, that’s sad news. But it […]

Neoliberalism’s Demons

Here I begin discussion of theologian Adam Kotsko’s 2018 book Neoliberalism’s Demons: On the Political Theology of Late Capital (Stanford University Press). Earlier I posted some remarks about the Introduction; I’ll skip that here and go to Chapter 1: The Political Theology of Late Capital. If you have read the chapter, feel free to comment […]

Is Kenotic Christology a Heresy?

Another flare up in the controversy over kenotic Christology. Numerous YouTube diatribes against it, linking it with charismatic churches especially (e.g., Bethel Church in Redding, California). I’m not sure exactly what those churches and their pastors have said; they may have misrepresented kenotic Christology. Here I want to set the record straight—about what kenotic Christology […]

Do American Christians Face Persecution?

President Trump has appointed a task force to investigate and root out bias against Christianity in the U.S. Is there any good reason for that? First of all, IF American Christians face persecution at any level they should celebrate it—so long as it is FOR being genuinely Christian (Christlike). The Apostle James told Jesus’s followers […]

Have Any Children Died Due to Shut Down of USAID?

Have Any Children Died Due to Shut Down of USAID? According to news reports, Elon Musk, special advisor to US President Trump, has said that no one has died since the cut off of US aid (shut down of USAID). Pulitzer Price winning journalist Nicholas Kristof says otherwise and he has been there and seen […]

Neoliberalism’s Demons

Neoliberalism’s Demons Starting on or about Monday, March 31, I will begin a series of discussions of the book Neoliberalism’s Demons: On the Political Theology of Late Capital by theologian Adam Kotsko (Stanford University Press, 2018). To whet your appetite (and hopefully get you to buy the book), here is a brief quotation from the […]

Is There A “Christian Economic System?”

Is There A “Christian Economic System?” While re-reading Tony Campolo’s excellent book We Have Met the Enemy, and They Are Partly Right (originally titled Partly Right: Christianity Responds to Its Critics) I came across a portion “A Christian Response to Marx’s Economic Theories.” There Tony spelled out some principles of Christian economics. The most basic […]