Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
Calvinism vs. Arminianism For centuries, Christian theologians have debated the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human freedom. The early Greek Church Fathers tended to have a robust view of human freedom and responsibility, even as they affirmed the need for God’s grace in order to be saved from our sin. The great fifth century theologian … Read more
Because God is Holy, nothing sinful can bear to be in His presence. So, when God’s holy covenant people sin, this creates a serious problem, threatening their relationship with Him. In the Old Testament, God provided a sacrificial system to His people by which they could make “atonement” for their sins, rectifying the threat to … Read more
WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? This phrase, often abbreviated as WWJD, was extremely popular in Christian circles back in the 90s, when WWJD bracelets could be seen on the wrists of many young Christians. Though the use of WWJD has declined greatly since then, it is still quite recognizable as a popular Christian phrase today. … Read more
Traditionally, Christians have believed that human beings are composed of two parts: a material body and an immaterial soul. This is what is known as a dualist understanding of human nature. Recently, however, an increasing number of Christians have claimed that human beings are not composed of two distinct parts, but are made up of … Read more
Traditional theism has held that God is “immutable,” meaning that God cannot change. If God changes for the worse, then God would become imperfect. On the other hand, if God changes for the better, then that would mean that God was previously imperfect. Both of these possibilities would contradict the fact that God is the … Read more
The Bible and the Age of the Earth All Christians believe that God is the Creator of the world. In this sense, all Christians are creationists. But in the modern period, the term “creationism” has come to refer to a rejection of the scientific theory of evolution in favor of a belief that God directly … Read more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had established the legal freedom to have an abortion as a Constitutional right. This has moved the question of the legality of abortion back into the democratic legislative process (where it belongs), and a number of states have quickly moved to make … Read more
The Ethical Consequences of Progressive Christianity It is no secret that progressive Christianity’s abandonment of historic Christian orthodoxy is often motivated by a desire to be free of the constraints of traditional Christian sexual ethics. While the Church has always believed that human sexuality should be expressed either through celibacy or through a lifelong covenant … Read more
What is “progressive Christianity”? The term is a little harder to define than the terms “evangelicalism” or “Protestant liberalism.” Evangelicalism is a form of Protestant Christianity that is biblicist, crucicentric, conversionist, and activist. Protestant liberalism is a form of Protestant Christianity that completely abandons historic Christian orthodoxy and replaces it with a human religion based … Read more
Jesus and the “God of the Old Testament” Marcion was a second-century heretic who believed that the god of the Old Testament and the god revealed to us in Jesus Christ were two entirely different gods. The god of the Old Testament was the creator god, a god of justice. The god revealed to us … Read more