Roger E. Olson's Blog, page 146

What “American Exceptionalism” Means to Me

All my life I’ve been an American patriot; I do celebrate my country as truly exceptional. I love America and get choked up every time I hear the national anthem or salute the flag. However, unlike some of my fellow Americans, I am not a nationalist. There is a difference between loving one’s country and [Read More...]

Can a Single Act Be Both Determined and Free?

Some Calvinists (and perhaps others) argue that, in a world ruled by God, the God of the Bible, a single creaturely act can be both determined (pre-programmed by God) and free. And they claim that there are examples of this in Scripture (e.g., Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery). Here I will point out several [Read More...]

Memories of Stanley J. Grenz with Special Attention to Criticisms of His Theology (and Some Hitherto Unrevealed Facts)

Some Memories of Stanley J. Grenz and His Theological Journey   My friend and co-author Stan Grenz died almost ten years ago. He was only fifty-five years old and in the prime of his career as a teacher and profession as a Christian theologian. He had published over twenty-five books and scores of articles. He [Read More...]

Two Forthcoming Books about Pietism

Two Forthcoming Books about Pietism     Reclaiming Pietism: Retrieving an Evangelical Tradition by Roger E. Olson and Christian T. Collins Winn will be published in January by Eerdmans. The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education: Forming Whole and Holy Persons edited by Christopher Gehrz will be published in January by InterVarsity Press. See Amazon.com [Read More...]

Two Books: A Recommendation and an Invitation to Read and Dialogue

Some time ago here I mentioned my favorite Christian philosopher: Keith Ward. It isn’t that I agree with everything he says. He’s my favorite because he is basically orthodox and writes so clearly–for those of us not trained in (for example) modal logic. (I’m not suggesting he doesn’t know or use modal logic; I only [Read More...]

Thoughts about the Role of Experience in Theology: Part Two (With Special Reference to Friedrich Schleiermacher and Stanley J. Grenz)

Thoughts about the Role of Experience in Theology: Part Two (With Special Reference to Friedrich Schleiermacher and Stanley J. Grenz)   Paraphrasing Kant, theology without experience is empty; experience without theology is blind. Empty of what? What would theology without experience (if that were even possible) be empty of? Transforming power and relevance. That spiritual [Read More...]

Thoughts about the Role of Experience in Theology: Part One

Thoughts about the Role of Experience in Theology: Part One   I have long thought that experience does and should play a role in Christian theology, but I have also long known that’s controversial, especially among conservative Christian theologians, and that it’s difficult to define. That is, it’s difficult to pin down exactly what role [Read More...]

Remembering and Honoring Evangelical Theologian Stanley J. Grenz (and Responding to Conservative Evangelical Criticisms of His Theology)

Remembering and Honoring Evangelical Theologian Stanley J. Grenz (and Responding to Conservative Evangelical Criticisms of His Theology)   I have returned from the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature where about ten thousand religion scholars convened in sunny San Diego, California. I was invited to read a paper in one [Read More...]

When I Say “Calvinism”…

Whenever I write about Calvinism, someone who considers himself a Calvinist accuses me of setting up and striking down a “strawman.” And others claim what I say about Calvinism does not apply to them. What to do? When I write about Calvinism, unless I say otherwise, I mean consistent, historical, classical Calvinism AS SET FORTH [Read More...]

The Ultimate Horror Story: Reflections on Stephen King’s New Novel Revival (Spoiler Alert)

The Ultimate Horror Story: Reflections on Stephen King’s New Novel Revival (Spoiler Alert)   I rarely read a Stephen King novel or any similar novel of the “horror” genre. They’re just not my “thing.” I’ve read a few of that genre that I thought were good, such as Ray Bradbury’s classic Something Wicked This Way [Read More...]