I might be a heretic. At least that’s what some inferred after I mentioned I was leaning toward Inclusivism. Sure, some of the charges came in the form of finger-wagging. But for the most part, it was friends cautioning me to be careful, to be faithful to Scripture, and to not be deceived by the [...]
I took up William Webb’s Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis as part of a challenge.That challenge was issued by a pastor friend after I made some comments on Facebook critical of Christian feminists and egalitarians. He suggested that rather than base my opinion on the popular treatments of the subject [...]
A new movement was started entitled National Back to Church Sunday (NBCS). In September 2013, more than 21,200 churches participated in the event. The massive outreach attempt has continued to grow each year. It’s based on Thom Rainer’s research that “82 percent of the unchurched are likely to attend church if invited by a trusted [...]
If Christian Speculative fiction is on the rise, it’s not showing. At least in the mainstream Christian market. Several weeks ago, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association announced the finalists for its annual Christian Book Awards in seven categories.The five finalists in the Fiction category contain NO speculative novels. The closest would be Tosca Lee’s Iscariot, which [...]
I have postulated elsewhere why a Judeo-Christian worldview and moral absolutes are essential to good storytelling. I was reminded of that idea while reading this interview with William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, who ventures a similar idea by suggesting that the film worked because he was a believer. Via The Hollywood Reporter: 1973’s The [...]
I believe that mythologizing the early chapters of the Book of Genesis has serious theological ramifications. Nevertheless, I seem to be part of a growing minority. Nowadays, more and more professing evangelicals seem to have little problem viewing the biblical creation event and early Christian history as a myth. But why? The going theory follows [...]
Apologist Randall Rouser recently posted a couple articles that touched on an important concept for Christian novelists. Rouser was rebutting some critics’ rejection of the Bible on the grounds that God does not appear to distance Himself from “moral atrocities” and “problematic moral content.” The illustration one critic used was that of an editor who [...]
A while back, I articulated some reasons Why I Am Not a Calvinist. As I’m not a theologian, that post could probably use some re-thinking and polishing. Nevertheless, it highlights my ongoing struggle with Reformed theology. I call it a “struggle” because there’s lots of things I agree with and appreciate about Calvinism. And there’s [...]
I’m typically torn by most “Christian films,” as I am with God’s Not Dead, which opens in theaters this weekend. On the one hand, I believe it’s important that Christian artists and biblically themed stories reach mainstream audiences, rather than simply being aimed exclusively at churches and existing Christians. On the other hand, much that [...]
Several months ago, in a discussion about Christian speculative fiction and where it’s heading, I suggested that “‘bad theology’ has shaped much of mainstream Christian fiction.” One aspect of this “bad theology” is the belief that reading “clean fiction” — and by this, Christians normally mean fiction without sex, profanity, excessive violence, occult themes, etc. [...]
