Roger E. Olson's Blog, page 139

Is There (Can There Be) A “Christian Philosophy?”

Is There (Can There Be) A “Christian Philosophy?” Many Protestants, especially those influenced by Kant’s anti-metaphysical philosophy that put religion in the realm of “practical reason” and those influenced by dialectical (anti-natural theology) theology, resist all talk of a “Christian philosophy.” (This is to say nothing of many “experiential Christians” who think “philosophy” is just [Read More...]

Embarrased by the Supernatural?

Embarrassed by the Supernatural? Some years ago Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon published an article in Christian Century that some believe launched the “postliberal” movement in Christian theology. The article’s title was “Embarrassed by God’s Presence.” (CC January 30, 1985) Hauerwas and Willimon accused “mainline” Protestant churches and theologies of conducting business as if God [Read More...]

Thoughts about Old School Christian Hymns and Songs

I don’t usually use this blog to reminisce or talk about my personal experiences or memories, but for some reason I feel led to do that today. “I feel led to…” comes from my Pentecostal background. I was raised in what we called “the Full Gospel” from birth until seminary. I reluctantly resigned from my [Read More...]

The Problem of Irrational, Unteachable Christians

The Problem of Irrational, Unteachable Christians Years ago I attended a church and heard the pastor end his Sunday morning sermon with “The Christian’s attitude toward the secular world should be ‘Don’t confuse me with the facts; my mind is already made up’.” I grew up in a home and church where the song by [Read More...]

Adam Hamilton and Me

Adam Hamilton is founding pastor of the largest United Methodist congregation in the U.S. Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS) has twenty-one thousand members and is growing. Yesterday (Friday, April 24, 2015) I spent much of the day with Adam at his church (in suburban Kansas City). He graciously agreed to interview me for a [Read More...]

A New Book (Or Revision of an Old Book) about Arminian Theology

A New Book (Or Revision of an Old Book) about Arminian Theology The back cover of Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation (Wipf & Stock, 2015) describes it as “an updated and revised version of Grace Unlimited, a 1975 collection of scholarly articles assembled by the late Clark H. Pinnock of McMaster Divinity [Read More...]

Clearing Up Some Christian Confusions about “Doubt”

Clearing Up Some Christian Confusions about “Doubt” Frederick Buechner famously wrote that “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.” Several Christian writers have extolled the virtues of doubt—even for Christian living. Two of them are the great English Methodist pastor and theologian Leslie Weatherhead in The Christian [Read More...]

“Progressive Evangelicals”: Where Are They Now?

“Progressive Evangelicals”: Where Are They Now? Recently I received two relatively new, very similar books (complimentary copies provided by publishers). Their similarity lies in the subject they both cover: “progressive evangelicals.” They focus on progressive (some would say “liberal”) evangelical social and political beliefs especially among younger evangelicals in the 1960s and 1970s (some before, some [Read More...]

Recent Podcasts

Two or three podcast interviews with me have “gone up” on the internet recently. On is an interview that happened at FaithLife/MobileEd (formerly Logos Software) in Bellingham, Washington when I was there in March. I’ve been notified that it is going up on iTunes and Sound Cl0ud. Here is the link: https://m.soundcloud.com/logos-bible-... . However, I [Read More...]

Why Hyper-Calvinism Is Consistent Calvinism

Why Hyper-Calvinism Is Consistent Calvinism I know, I know. I will be accused of being “uncharitable” simply for deconstructing Calvinism. Apparently what’s good for the goose is not good for the gander. I have at least twenty-five volumes about Calvinism by leading Calvinist theologians on my bookshelf (and these are only examples of contemporary Calvinism!). [Read More...]