To summarize our predicament, our current bodies are mortal, leading us to fear death and a return to the nothingness out of which we were created. Evil powers exploit this fear to enslave us to evil/Sin, creating a cycle of more sin and more death. This post will explore Richard Beck’s argument for how our … More The Fear of Nothingness That Empowers Our Hero Stories
At only 127 pages, Richard Beck’s The Slavery of Death punches above its weight class. Richard Beck is a professor of psychology at Abilene Christian University yet also dabbles in theology in books and at his blog Experimental Theology. In this book, Beck brings biblical theology into conversation with death anxiety (with the help of … More To Free Those Held in Slavery By The Fear of Death
Here’s a fun, self-revealing exercise to consider: what qualities or values do you wish you could see more of in the world? Whatever the reason—personality, childhood formation, or perhaps a desire to grow beyond such formation—these are the qualities you highly appreciate in others and seek to embody yourself. The great diversity in what people … More Curiosity & Compassion
For most of human history, food was boring. Food as we now know it only began to take form at the turn of the 20th century. Advancements in nutrition knowledge, new food storage and production technology, and the experience of WWI culminated in the transformation of (to use one example) American diets. More fruits, vegetables, … More Food, Death, Meaning, and Fixing Our Broken Food Culture
Here’s some spicy questions to ask at your next family dinner: Can you be committed to the Jesus of the Bible and still hold some modern/progressive commitments? If you acknowledge inaccuracies in Scripture, or even say Paul erred in believing certain practices within his culture were self-evident and universal, is religious progressivism all you are … More Can You Ditch Inerrancy Without Falling Into Religious Progressivism?
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends,” proclaimed John Stuart Mill before a University audience, “than that good men should look on and do nothing.” Mill failed to see the irony of his words. Though he was, to his credit, an early slavery abolitionist and advocate for gender equality, he also supported British … More The Triumph of Evil
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 In the previous post, I listed three of the four aspects of God’s revelation on the cross that tell us something about the nature of how God breathes revelation, and, by implication, why and how Boyd thinks his thesis—that, if we anchor our conception of divine inspiration … More Reading Ethnic Cleansing Through the Eyes of Jesus
Part 1 | Part 2 During last spring’s stay-at-home order, I took the internet’s recommendation and watched an animated show called “The Dragon Prince.” I don’t have a glowing review to offer, but it contained enough deeper themes to keep me watching until the end. During season 2, one main character finally reads a letter … More The Only Wise God
Part 1 Greg Boyd cites the famous theologian Karl Barth as someone who was instrumental in helping him re-form constructive thoughts about how the Bible could still be inspired. Boyd has since moved beyond Barth in several ways however, but not without plenty of wrestling with Barth’s ideas about Scripture. (I recognize this may be … More Searching For Safe Ground (And Ditching Barth Along the Way)
On a cold and clear night illuminated by the stars, a group of Magi, continuously studying the movements of these celestial lights, notice a particularly interesting star. The Magi interpret this star to mean a king has been born for the Jews and then make their way to Jerusalem. At least, that’s how Matthew puts … More Why Jesus Makes Reading the Bible Complicated
Preaching to the Choir 