That was the Twitter hashtag trending last week. Being that unpopular opinions are my forte, I immediately began cataloging mine. Here’s ten, the majority of which are sure to bunch some panties and chafe sensitive hides. Video games contribute to societal violence. The importance of a “college education” is really over-hyped. Affirmative action perpetuates racism. [...]
I have a love/hate relationship with Calvinism. On the one hand, I appreciate a love for “good” theology (as opposed to a casual / careless approach), the intellectual rigor of its adherents, and many of the doctrines it articulates. On the other hand, I am leery of “systems” (especially theological ones), adherents who become devotees [...]
Another topic that came up in the comments on last week’s thread about crime fiction writer Mark Bertrand was brought up by J.L. Lyons who suggested that “the burden of responsibility for connecting to readers fall on [authors].” Not to knock Bertrand, but I was just curious what his site looked like so I Googled [...]
There were a lot of great comments on last week’s thread about crime fiction writer Mark Bertrand and whether or not being published by a religious publisher limited his book sales. The responses were pretty much split, with lots of grey area in between. I wanted to use a couple posts this week to address [...]
The antagonist of my first novel, The Resurrection, is Benjamin Keen, a disgraced seminary professor who’d been labeled a heretic and banished from the school. Keen’s appreciation for florid beliefs and paganism has drifted past exotica into the realms of blood sacrifice. The cover for Keen’s madness is an interfaith group. Which probably tips my [...]
Nick Harrison, Senior Editor at Harvest House Publishers, recently made mention on his Facebook page about a study which revealed that “60% of Christian fiction readers are over 45.” That the Christian fiction industry markets to an older demographic of readers is not news. Neither is the fact that the majority of that group, or [...]
EvilBible.com, a web-site “which preaches Atheism by exposing the many evil crimes in the Bible committed by God and his followers,” defines Slavery in the Bible this way: “Except for murder, slavery has got to be one of the most immoral things a person can do. Yet slavery is rampant throughout the Bible in both [...]
The Conjuring broke box office records in its debut weekend, beating out some much bigger budget movies. The movie’s generated a lot of press, not just in good reviews, but in the conversation it’s generated regarding demons and exorcism. While some are calling it the best “possession” film in years, others cite the theological issues [...]
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that so many atheists support “Christian” sites that mock the Church. It should be odd, I think, that so many Christians approve of said support. I’ve gone on record with my concerns about this hate machine and the professing Christians who keep it well-oiled. So yesterday, I linked to [...]
It’s become rather common for a criminal suspect to blame their offending actions on people or forces outside of themselves or their control. A hostile workplace. A troubled childhood. An abusive spouse. An unjust system. Sexual or racial discrimination. Chemical imbalances. A manipulative pastor. A drug habit. In this way, rage, vitriol, over-reaction, and even [...]
