Randal Rauser's Blog, page 30

The Gospel is a Big Enough Stumbling Block Without Christians Adding Their Own

Paul famously said that the message of Christ is “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23). This provocative statement is part of an elaborate rhetorical argument that provocatively frames the way that the heart of Christianity, the incarnation, atonement, and resurrection, challenged the received wisdom of the day. This stumbling […]

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My Body, My Choice: On the Anti-Christian Logic of Christian Anti-Vaxxers

I heard a Christian woman say that she is not getting the COVID19 vaccine because her body is the temple of the Spirit and, “My body, my choice.” I beg to differ. ?

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Why isn’t God Clearer? Dealing with Biblical Ambiguity

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On Sexual Predators and ‘Young Adulterous Whores’

Two years ago, I posted an article pointing out that Christian “comedian” John Crist did not simply have a “moral failing” with multiple women: he committed sexual assault and evinces the grooming behaviors of a sexual predator. Right on cue, Christians posted comments attacking his victims as morally compromised vamps of dubious character. I subsequently […]

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ABBA Resurrection? A Reflection on Mortality

Yesterday, ABBA released their first new music in forty years: two singles from a forthcoming album. The first single, “I Still Have Faith in You,” features Frida on the lead. At 75, it is hardly surprising that her voice has deepened, and I don’t know what studio effects may have been added. But for the […]

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Who Would Jesus Insult?

In Matthew 5:22 Jesus says: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Call your […]

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Why I Am Off Twitter

Last week, I decided to delete my Twitter account after about a decade. Here are the reasons. First, time. social media is notorious for becoming a massive time-sucker. That’s what it’s designed to do. A platform like Twitter has the tendency to fill in the crannies of your life. Have a spare moment? Check your […]

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We Struck Them With Axes: On ISIS and the Bible

In a recent CNN segment, reporter Clarissa Ward interviewed a leader of ISIS-K, a Muslim group that opposes the Taliban because … they aren’t serious enough about following Sharia law. As the interviewee observes of the Taliban, “they can’t present one example where they have observed fixed Islamic law punishments, where they have cut off a […]

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Rethinking the History of the Canaanite Genocide: What Do You Have To Lose?

The other day, I received an email from a reader of Jesus Loves Canaanites who stated that while he was sympathetic with the argument of the book, he remained inclined to accept the history of the Joshua narrative (and by implication, the ethics of divinely commanded genocide) because of uncertainty over alternative interpretations of the passages. […]

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The Sin of Empathy and Sexual Ethics

I was recently asked to respond to a new teaching popular in some Reformed circles according to which empathy is a sin. The article that provides the basis for my understanding of this teaching is titled “Have you heard the one about empathy being a sin?” The author, Mark Wingfield, is attempting to summarize the […]

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