Randal Rauser's Blog, page 3
November 26, 2023
The Fall of John Stackhouse? An Analysis of the Investigation
On November 23, CBC posted the news that one of Canada’s leading evangelical scholars, John Stackhouse, had been terminated by Crandall University for sexual harassment of students. Later on that morning, I wrote a quick response to the situation. But I decided yesterday instead to expand significantly my analysis. This is that expanded and revised […]
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November 25, 2023
When it comes to sexual assault and harassment allegations should we ‘Believe Women’?
The term “believe women” was popularized during the #MeToo movement. Sadly, the term has fanned confusion and paranoia with critics assuming the mantra demands that one always believe women no matter what. But as Jude Ellison Sady Doyle points out in the 2017 article “Despite What You May Have Heard, ‘Believe Women’ Has Never Meant […]
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November 23, 2023
Classic Groomer? The Fall of John Stackhouse
I woke up this morning to the news that one of Canada’s leading evangelical scholars, John Stackhouse, had been terminated by Crandall University for sexual harassment of students. The CBC article also references the investigator as identifying a “classic case” of grooming with reference to Stackhouse’s pattern of communication with at least one student. It […]
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November 22, 2023
Why I (Still) Love Calvin and Hobbes
It’s been 28 years since Bill Watterson stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes and people still love it. Why is that? Rather than speculate, I will give my top four reasons why I still love Calvin and Hobbes. First, I don’t think any cartoon has ever equalled Calvin and Hobbes’ masterful depiction of childhood imagination. As […]
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November 18, 2023
Shattered Image: Bruxy Cavey and the Meeting House Scandal with Rachel Browne
In this video, I discuss the scandal surrounding one of Canada’s leading Christian public figures, Bruxy Cavey, with journalist Rachel Browne. You can read Rachel’s excellent article, “The Meeting House: Inside a Megachurch Scandal.” ?
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November 12, 2023
Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the Celebrity Conversion with the Weak Apologetic
Back to Constantine (or the Apostle Paul!), Christians have always loved dramatic celebrity conversions to their tribe (though in fairness, most folk do). So it is not surprising that Christian apologists are celebrating Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s conversion to Christianity which she anounced yesterday in an essay simply titled “Why I am now a Christian.” For […]
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November 11, 2023
The Power of Recognition: My Kiss Concert Review
I have been to dozens of concerts in my life. But I don’t know that I’ve seen a more satisfying production by consummate showmen than Kiss last night in Edmonton. You can tell they’ve been at it for 50 years. The old-school pyrotechnics were great, the catalogue of songs unparalleled, and not many septuagenarians can […]
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November 5, 2023
Harassment and Apophasis: Lessons from Donald Trump
Donald Trump loves to use a rhetorical device called apophasis (i.e. raising an issue by saying it will not be mentioned/affirmed). In this clip from the weekend, he repeatedly says he will not refer to Chris Christie as a “fat pig” … while in essence doing precisely that. Apophasis is a type of non-denial […]
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October 31, 2023
Blame it on the Singers: The Tragic and Triumphant Story of Milli Vanilli
The other day I watched Milli Vanilli, a critically acclaimed new documentary about the infamous duo. And I highly recommend it. To those who don’t remember, the stratospheric rise of this Euro pop duo Rob and Fab back in 1990 was matched only by their straospheric crash when their own producer called a press conference […]
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October 29, 2023
My Statement on the Abuse Allegations Against Mike Bickle
Pastor Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, has been accused of clergy sexual abuse over several decades by multiple complainants. According to the statement released yesterday (see below), leaders have reviewed the allegations and found them to be credible. While the statement does not explain how leaders undertook a […]
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