Roger E. Olson's Blog, page 161

Where in the Devil is Satan (in Modern Theology)?

Where in the Devil is Satan (in Modern Theology)? Recently I spoke on the phone with a thoughtful, reflective evangelical Christian who read my new book The Journey of Modern Theology: From Reconstruction to Deconstruction (InterVarsity Press, 2013). I had sent him a copy but hardly expected him to read it—especially so quickly. The man [Read More...]

Is the Young, Restless, Reformed Movement a “Cult?” One Five Point Calvinist Says So

http://peterlumpkins.typepad.com/pete... Absolutely a must read for anyone interested in the Young, Restless, Reformed Movement and its leaders.

Announcing a New Blog and Its First Post

Austin Fischer, author of the excellent new book Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed (Wipf & Stock, 2014) has opened his new blog at www.purpletheology.com. Here is his first blog post:   A Purple Proposal   By Austin Fischer Primary Colors   Life explodes with color—the blazing orange of sunrise, the dusty brown of a potato, [Read More...]

Is the Growing Gap between Rich and Poor Prima Facie Evidence of an Unjust System?

Is the Growing Gap between Rich and Poor Prima Facie Evidence of Injustice? Yes. In the world today the richest one percent hold more wealth than the poorest forty-eight percent. And gap is widening. In the United States today the richest ten percent hold more wealth than the poorest forty-three percent and the gap is [Read More...]

What Does the Bible “Mean?” Is the Holy Spirit Necessary for Biblical Interpretation?

What Does the Bible Mean? Is the Holy Spirit Necessary for Biblical Interpretation? I know two kinds of Christians—those who think what the Bible “really means” is necessarily illuminated by the Holy Spirit such that ordinary, scholarly, rational exegesis alone does not yield its “true meaning” and those who think the “true meaning” of the [Read More...]

Brian Abasciano’s Response to Responses to His Guest Blog Post Here re: Arminianism

Some Notes on My Article Summarizing Arminian Theology/the Biblical Doctrines of Grace Using the Acronym FACTS by Brian Abasciano I just wanted to share some brief notes about my article, “The FACTS of Salvation: A Summary of Arminian Theology/the Biblical Doctrines of Grace,” recently published at the website of the Society of Evangelical Arminians and [Read More...]

How to Solve a Theological Dilemma when Scripture Doesn’t Clearly Solve It: An Exercise in Theological Method

How to Solve a Theological Dilemma when Scripture Doesn’t Clearly Solve It   Roger E. Olson   When I teach or speak on theology I often say “The Bible is not as clear about many things as we wish it were.” 1. One of the major differences between “fundamentalists” and others (e.g., “moderates”) is the [Read More...]

Why I Am Not a Deist (No Offense to Deists)

Why I Am Not a Deist (No Offense to Deists) In a recent blog post I talked about idols and how some are better than others—for promoting personal and civic virtue. (I used “virtue” there in a very broad sense of, for example, respect for human rights.) Some idols reflect “true myth” (C. S. Lewis’ [Read More...]

Are All Idols Equal?

Are All Idols Equal? Christians believe there is only one true God—the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). All other “gods” are false; they do not exist. John Calvin said that apart from faith in Christ the human mind is nothing but a factory of idols. Many Protestants, especially, agree with him about that. Karl [Read More...]

Young. Restless. No Longer Reformed (a really good new book)

I can’t resist announcing the publication of a new book: “Young. Restless. No Longer Reformed” by my friend Austin Fischer–teaching pastor at The Vista Community Church in Temple, Texas. It is extremely well written, accessible to people without a college or seminary degree, thoroughly biblical and fascinating. It’s Austin’s autobiographical-theological account of his journey into, [Read More...]