Roger E. Olson's Blog, page 186

The Moon Is Down (“Rev. Moon,” That is)

Today I had lunch with five young colleagues–all in their twenties. I mentioned to them that I was going to blog about “Rev. Moon.” Only two of them expressed awareness of who he was. Jump back with me thirty years. “Rev. Moon” was all the talk–in the media, in religious circles, in Christian “anti-cult” organizations, [...]

David Bentley Hart and “the new atheism”: a brief review and recommendation of Atheist Delusions

One of my favorite Christian authors is David Bentley Hart. His The Doors of the Sea was a profound inspiration and help as I wrote Against Calvinism. He is a word master. Just reading him elevates your mind and soul. And, if you pay attention and learn, your vocabulary! (Anyone who has read him knows [...]

Is Americanism the Fourth Biblical World Religion? (Partial Review of Peter Leithart’s Between Babel and the Beast)

Is Americanism the Fourth Biblical World Religion? (Partial Review of Peter Leithart’s Between Babel and the Beast) Some time ago I posted two reviews of Peter Leithart’s Defending Constantine. At the end of the second one I suggested that he publish a sequel explaining his view of empire and especially Christianity and empire. Well, perhaps [...]

John Piper, God’s Sovereignty, and Sin

A friend forwarded this to me: http://www.christianpost.com/news/joh... (Sorry, patheos’s format has changed again and I can’t find the key to make this a live link. Do it yourself.) John Piper has been at it again. But there’s nothing new in the sermon reported on there. He has been saying this and writing it for decades. [...]

God, the Republican Convention, and Tropical Storm Isaac (Satire Warning)

(I have to preface this with “Satire Warning” because my experience is that some people are tone deaf to satire and think I’m being literal when I’m not. Maybe “parody” is a better word for this.) God is obviously blowing his fierce breath and spitting his fierce saliva at the GOP convention in Tampa, Florida. [...]

On Not Throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater (A Message for Abused Ex-Fundamentalists)

On Not Throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 A few years ago I must have said “We shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” once too often because when I said it the whole class burst out laughing. That’s okay; one thing I know about myself is I’m funniest when [...]

Who Is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53?

Who Is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53? I don’t remember when or where it happened, but I remember the shock I felt when I first heard that many, perhaps most, Old Testament scholars, including many evangelical Christians, deny that Isaiah 53 refers to Jesus. It was a shock of bewilderment; why would they say [...]

Does God always get his way?

Does God Always Get His Way? I suspect that question would surprise most Christians and atheists alike. Most atheists I read seem to operate on the assumption that Western monotheism includes God’s absolute sovereignty such that whatever happens is God’s will. Most of them fall back on some version of the problem of evil to [...]

Jerry Walls’ youtube video series on Calvinism

Evangelical philosopher Jerry Walls is posting a series of talks on Calvinism on youtube. You can see them simply by typing “Jerry Walls” into the search box at www.youtube.com. The first two of the three part series are there under the title “What’s Wrong with Calvinism.” Of course, I agree with him entirely. As a [...]

What I said about Clark Pinnock at a symposium celebrating his life and career

Clark Pinnock and the Postconservative Turn in Evangelical Theology Roger E. Olson             Evangelical theology has gone through several paradigm shifts and has fragmented into different paradigms.  Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what they all share in common beyond calling themselves “evangelical.”  However, I will work with the Noll-Bebbington proposal that evangelicalism is marked by [...]