A call to a new Reformation in the teaching and life of Jesus' followers
I’m tempted in my discussion of war and peace, to start from the top, outline the full Biblical case for nonviolence, and enter into dialog with major objectors to that case. I’m not going to do that–now at least–primarily because I really don’t think I’ve got much to add to what has been said far more eloquently by others. I will rather reiterate a few … Continue reading War and Peace – Part 4 – Matt. 5 vs?? Rom. 13
I think Ruben Bolling has come up with a hilarious take on theodicy (the logical dilemma of a good God and evil in the world). Be sure to see the entire “Tom the Dancing Bug” cartoon here. (Partial reproduction with cartoonist’s permission – Thanks Ruben!)
Mostly I’m sticking to more directly Scriptural, doctrinal, and church/kingdom life stuff on this blog, but I’m going to veer into current events for a moment. Lots of people made lots of noise over Rick Warren’s being asked to deliver the invocation at President Obama’s inauguration this morning. As with most such storms, the import of Warren’s presence got lost, I think, in the cultural … Continue reading Observations about Rick Warren’s inaugural prayer
When I hear many Americans discussing the appropriate contexts for the use of deadly force, I have noticed that there are some pretty key assumptions underlying the discussion that rarely–if ever–get examined. While I don’t want to get into the chicken-egg question of which causes which, I would suggest that popular entertainment may give us a useful window onto some important fallacies. Although I believe … Continue reading War and Peace – Part 3 – True Lies and Tom Clancy
Wisdom can be found in many places, not all of them holy. In The Lord of the Rings, the great J.R.R. Tolkien made a profound observation: “Many live that deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” (Fellowship … Continue reading War and Peace – Part 2 – Life and Death Decisions
I have been discussing a lot of different issues related to war and peace with a couple close friends lately, and it’s time I get some things in writing. This is going to take a number of posts, but I want to start by laying out a couple of basic challenges that I will flesh out in more detail later. To put it simply and … Continue reading War and Peace – Part 1
In my last post I criticized Greg Boyd’s otherwise-excellent arguments in “God of the Possible” as giving insufficient attention to God’s sovereignty as an important key to understanding his foreknowledge. I suggested that while Boyd correctly answers his objectors toward the end of the book, by saying that the Open View of God does not diminish–and may in fact enhance–the view of God’s authority, he … Continue reading God’s foreknowledge as a result of his sovereignty
I’ve just finished Greg Boyd’s lay treatise on the Open Theism entitled “God of the Possible.” In the main I think Boyd has laid out an excellent perspective that conforms far more closely to my understanding of Scripture and my observation of the world, than does the classical view that God has exhaustive foreknowledge of a settled future. I definitely recommend the book. However correct … Continue reading The Sovereignty of God
I’m in the middle of Greg Boyd’s excellent book “God of the Possible,” an introduction to the “Open View of God” which I find quite compelling, but which I’m sorry to say some of my Evangelical friends have flatly rejected as heresy. I’ll address the Open View in future posts, but for now I wanted to share a point he makes regarding our interpretation of … Continue reading Insight from Boyd on Bringing Our Presuppositions to Scripture
The second element of the question put to me was as regards the eternal state of those who have never heard the gospel, and consequently have never had the opportunity to accept or reject Christ. This is a problematic concept when we try and break it down logically, and I readily admit this. However the uncomfortable reality is that Scripture is nearly silent on the … Continue reading Eternal destiny, part 4: What about those who’ve never heard?