Roger E. Olson's Blog, page 140

The Dialectic of “Nature and Grace” in Christian Theology

The Dialectic of “Nature and Grace” in Christian Theology I recently had opportunity to lead a group of post-seminary ministry residents (in residence at a large, urban church) in a day-long study and discussion of the relationship between “nature” and “grace” in the theologies of Athanasius, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas. My assignment (and theirs) was [Read More...]

Thoughts about Detente with Cuba

I rarely comment here on world events, but this one has me excited and hopeful. The presidents of the United States and Cuba have met in Panama and pretty much sealed the deal (pending congressional approval) for a renewal of diplomatic relations between their two countries. Hopefully this will open the door to greater freedom [Read More...]

Only God Is an “End in Itself” (But That’s Not the Whole Story)

Only God Is an “End in Itself” (But That’s Not the Whole Story) I put “end in itself” in quotation marks to indicate a technical phrase; I am not implying that God is impersonal. “End in himself” would be more correct. But people often talk about something as an “end in itself” meaning “for its [Read More...]

Where Does Theology Really Matter?

Where Does Theology Really Matter? I recently had reason to re-read parts of Karl Barth’s final volume of Church Dogmatics (IV/4 “Fragment” on Baptism). In the middle of his critique of infant baptism he digresses into a complaint about how the churches don’t listen to their own theologians. He clearly didn’t expect his own Reformed [Read More...]

Against the Political Misuses of Words

Against the Political Misuses of Words Both the political and religious left and the political and religious right do it. It’s become the strategy of choice for ideologues who want to manipulate public opinion for a cause. It’s a sure sign of demagoguery and ought to be called out. Unfortunately, it’s become so common we [Read More...]

Easter Ought to Mean Joy

Easter Ought to Mean Joy “The Lord is risen!” “He is risen indeed!” This traditional Christian call and response ought to be shouted with great joy! The resurrection of Jesus is good news for all people. It signals the hope (confident expectation) of life conquering death, not by the earthly powers of Spring but by [Read More...]

Guest Good Friday Post by Austin Fischer

The Shadow Of Uriah Our church staff is reading through the Psalms together. This week, I was assigned Psalm 17, and as usual (as our youth pastor likes to point out), David is telling God what to do. He starts out with his typical chutzpah: “Hear a just cause, O Lord, give heed to my cry.” [Read More...]

Calvinist Attempts to Rescue God’s Character Considered and Refuted

Calvinist Attempts to Rescue God’s Character Considered and Refuted As anyone who has read me or listened to me (on the subject of Calvinism) knows, my main complaint about Calvinism is that it undermines the character of God. Of course, I do not mean that God’s real character can be undermined; I mean the reputation [Read More...]

Remembering an All-But-Forgotten, Extremely Influential Theologian: Christoph Blumhardt

Remembering an All-But-Forgotten, Extremely Influential Theologian: Christoph Blumhardt Much to their credit, a few historical theologians are trying to revive memory of German theologian-evangelist Christoph Blumhardt. My friend and co-author Christian Collins Winn (Bethel College, MN) is one of them. (He and I collaborated on our recently published book Reclaiming Pietism: Retrieving an Evangelical Tradition [Read More...]

My Visit to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (March 26, 2015)

My Visit to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (March 26, 2015) Several weeks ago I received a nice letter from President Paige Patterson of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas—the largest seminary in the world. (It is one of six seminaries officially affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.) The letter expressed appreciation for some [Read More...]