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August 2021

August 21, 2021

Bad News for White Evangelical Christians

Coming in at #2 of the most-read posts in the nine years of this blog...

August 19, 2021

The Hypocrisy of Philosophers

I admit it--I am not always kind or politically correct on social media (especially Twitter)....

August 17, 2021

I’m Working On It

Any caring human being asks the question What is the right thing to do? on...

August 14, 2021

The Coronavirus and End Times

Sometimes various elements of real life align in unexpected ways. In the Spring semester of...

August 12, 2021

What is the Point of a Professor?

When I was a young professor, the chair of my department frequently would say in...

August 08, 2021

Charles Darwin and the Creator of the Universe Walk Into a Bar . . .

I'm currently reading Shankar Vendantam's Useful Delusions; one of his continuing points throughout the book is...

August 03, 2021

The Divine Plan for Delegating Authority: Just About Anything Goes

I recently had the opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with the new Provost at...

July 2021

July 31, 2021

Is Christianity a Way of Life or a System of Belief?

August is this blog's anniversary month! It's hard to believe that it has been nine...

July 27, 2021

Of Marx and Vineyards

After getting sucked into an discussion on Twitter a few days ago in which it...

July 22, 2021

A Philosopher Who Happens to Be a Christian

Who gets to call themselves "Christian"? A few months ago on this blog, I suggested...

July 20, 2021

Dear Evangelical Christians: You’re Ruining the Brand

In “Slander,” from her latest collection of essays, What Are We Doing Here?, Marilynne Robinson writes...

July 12, 2021

A Portly Angel with a Boston Accent

Some have entertained angels unawares Hebrews 11:2 I’ve never known what to make of angels. I...

July 06, 2021

What an Ancient Greek Puzzle Can Teach Us About the Life of Faith

After several years at sea rescuing besieged towns from monsters, slaying the Minotaur, and doing...

June 2021

June 30, 2021

A Modest Proposal, Part Two: Why My Time Should Not Be For Sale

A week ago, I described a proposal concerning access to my services that I proposed...

June 24, 2021

A Modest Proposal: Should My Time Be For Sale?

My next book project is a memoir about the teaching life. I started gathering materials...

June 22, 2021

The Truth Will Mess You Up

I’ve always been afraid of people in possession of what they believe to be the...

June 19, 2021

A Father’s Day Reflection: What My Dad Taught Me about Reading and Belief

One of the most important things an author has to write when a book is...

June 17, 2021

Faith Is About Asking the “What If?” Questions

In Lies We Believe Abut God, Wm. Paul Young (author of The Shack) tells the story of...

June 15, 2021

What the Author Meant Does Not Matter

At the beginning of a seminar on the books of Exodus and Job from the...

June 10, 2021

What Do You Do When the Well Runs Dry?

Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12 In...

June 07, 2021

Everything Does Not Happen for a Reason

The last text of the semester in my “Apocalypse” colloquium was Emily St. John Mandel’s...

June 04, 2021

God is Doing the Most that God Can Do

Frank Tupper, an important Baptist theologian who argued that God is in control of very...

May 2021

May 31, 2021

A Memorial Day Question: Is Our Experiment in Democracy Failing?

Memorial Day is a great time to honor those who have made sacrifices over the...

May 26, 2021

How To Be a Person

Not long ago, I read Hilary Mantel’s long-awaited The Mirror and the Light, the final...

May 25, 2021

Do You Believe In the Human Heart?

The central theme of my ethics class this past semester was human dignity. Through short...

May 18, 2021

Twelve Years Ago, My Life Changed–here’s why

Exactly twelve years ago today, I headed home from a four-month sabbatical as a Resident...

May 15, 2021

Do You Want to be Healed?

My wife Jeanne and I have been enjoying “The Chosen,” a multi-year cinematic life of...

May 13, 2021

Jesus, Ascension Day, and the Olympics

It is a reminder of the world we have been living in for more than...

May 10, 2021

Christians Should Pay Less Attention to Their Souls, and More Attention to Their Bodies

“What’s the difference between chili con carne and chili con queso?” I ask my freshman...

May 05, 2021

No One Owns God

Over the past few weeks, I have received more negative comments on my blog than...

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