Roger E. Olson's Blog, page 177

Was Karl Barth a Universalist? A New Look at an Old Question

Was Karl Barth a Universalist? Another Look at an Old Question Roger E. Olson The question of Karl Barth’s universalism has been much debated—even during the Swiss theologian’s lifetime. Several theological critics accused him of teaching the “heresy” of “apokatastasis”—universal reconciliation. Among them were Donald Bloesch (in Jesus Is Victor!), Hans Urs von Balthasar (in [...]

Heads Up Regarding a Forthcoming Post about Karl Barth and Universalism

Almost every time I say to a colleague or friend who is knowledgeable about Karl Barth’s theology that he was a universalist they answer negatively (“Nein!” So, about a year ago, I decided to dig into Church Dogmatics again and see what I could come up with. I studied Barth’s doctrine of election some years [...]

What Is “Authority?”

What Is “Authority?” I grew up in a religious community that highly valued “authority.” That was true whether the authority be secular or religious. “Authority is given by God” was a common maxim. Children should not question parental authority. Church members should not question church leaders’ authority. Pastors should not question denominational leaders’ authority—unless they [...]

Safe and Unsafe Sects (and What To Call Them!)

Safe and Unsafe Sects (and Problems with Terms for Alternative Religious Groups) My interest in “cults and new religions” began when I was still a child with my uncle who belonged to a religious group my parents considered a “cult.” I also had a cousin who joined a movement that calls itself a “world faith” [...]

10 Years Later: Would the US Government Do It Differently Now? (On the Anniversary of the Branch Davidian Disaster)

20 Years Later: Would the US Government Do It Differently Now? (On the Anniversary of the Branch Davidian Disaster) I remember very well watching live network television when US government tanks inserted C-2 gas into the Branch Davidian compound near Elk, Texas in 1993. I remember thinking “They’re crazy! What are they thinking? There are [...]

Remembering C. Everett Koop (and Lewis Smedes)

Remembering C. Everett Koop (and Lewis Smedes) Yesterday, Monday, February 25, former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died at his home in New Hampshire. He was 96. Anyone who paid attention to public controversies knew of him in the 1980s as a rock ribbed conservative evangelical appointed by President Ronald Reagan—perhaps as a bone [...]

Is This (Torture as Entertainment) What We Have Come To?

A New York Times article by Samuel G. Freedman (republished in my local newspaper Feb. 23, 2013 under the headline “Through a theological lens”) discusses the film “Zero Dark Thirty” and its implications for the subject of torture. The movie is about the investigation leading up to the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound and [...]

R. C. Sproul, Arminianism, and Semi-Pelagianism

R. C. Sproul, Arminianism, and Semi-Pelagianism Many years ago, as I was emerging out of my fundamentalist-Pentecostal cocoon into the larger world of evangelicalism (during seminary studies at an evangelical Baptist seminary) I was helped by the writings and teaching of several leading Reformed evangelical theologians. James Montgomery Boice, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in [...]

A Few Suggestions and Guidelines for Commenting Here

1) I do not post links within comments (I either don’t post the comment that contains them or I edit the comment to delete them) unless I happen to have time to look at the web sites first. So if you include a hyperlink within your comment it may or may not appear here. Too [...]

Is a “Consumption Tax” Fair?

Is a “Consumption Tax” Fair? I have argued here and elsewhere (e.g., in newspaper letters to the editor and guest columns) that income tax is the only fair tax because it’s the only tax based solely on ability to pay. (I might include “luxury tax” also.) In recent years a vocal minority have been calling [...]