Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical

2017-01-04T10:49:44-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What Gives You the Right to Be a Christian? Better Yet, Who Gives You the Right?

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

What are you willing to die for? That tells you what you really believe. John Henry Newman wrote in “Secular Knowledge Not a Principle of Action,” The heart is commonly reached, not through the reason, but through the imagination, by means of direct impressions, by the testimony of facts and events, by history, by description. Persons influence us, voices melt us, looks subdue us, deeds inflame us. Many a man will live and die upon a dogma: no man will... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:44-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“If you see a Buddha on the road, kill him.” What about Jesus?

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

“If you see a Buddha on the road, kill him.” What about Jesus? I got into a conversation on this topic the other morning over breakfast with a Buddhist friend. The exchange has lingered on to this day, and no doubt, will last a lifetime of discussions with my friend. Before proceeding, it is important to try and place the quotation in context. I found a reflection on this quotation online. According to one interpreter, Dyung Le, The context of this... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:44-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Does God Wear a Toupee? Thoughts on Political Candidates and Divine Despots

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

The Republican Party is coming to terms with the near inevitable after Donald Trump’s landmark victory in Indiana last night: “Donald Trump is its presumptive presidential nominee.” So claims a CNN article titled “GOP wakes up to Trump victory—and plenty of questions.” Some of the questions are rather hairy. Like the top of Trump’s head, one might wonder which of his varying claims are more like a toupee, and which are for real. For the debate on Trump’s hair, refer... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:45-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We Have Never Talked with Mere Mortals. So, Let’s Elevate the Conversation.

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

In his essay “The Weight of Glory” in the book by the same title, C. S. Lewis claims that you and I “have never talked to a mere mortal.” [C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: HarperCollins, originally published in 1946), page 46.] Many of the essays in the volume were sermons Lewis delivered during WWII. During times of war, we see the best and worst in one another. People’s true colors are often manifest during times of... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:45-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Did Jesus Come to Save Blue-Green Bacteria?

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

Renowned paleontologist and devout Roman Catholic Prof. Peter Dodson from the University of Pennsylvania spoke to a small group of Christians on dinosaurs and paleontology last Saturday evening at a museum in the Portland area. Earlier in the day, he spoke on faith and scientific method at the conference “Church and Science: Partners for the Common Good.” Prof. Dodson made many insightful remarks at each talk. One of the most penetrating reflections to me went something like this: “If scientists... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:45-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Urban Planning: What Are the Unintended Consequences?

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

Gentrification benefits “urban pioneers,” but what about those who are native urbanites? Yes, clean streets, cafes, shops, art studios, and shorter commutes to work in the city are very nice to contemporary Lewis and Clark pioneers. However, for all the fresh faces and new wealth, we lose out all too often on the cultural riches of the displaced, vibrant traditional communities. Such cultural loss is an unintended consequence. Many who are forced to abandon their long-standing communities and migrate from... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:45-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Mental Illness Is Not a Sin. So Why the Shame?

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

Mental illness is not a sin. So why the shame? According to Lea Seigen Shinraku, MFT, “Shame conflates feeling ‘bad’ with being ‘bad.’” “You feel bad, therefore you are bad” (See the article, “When You Feel Shame About Your Mental Illness” by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. at PsychCentral). Shame causes us to isolate ourselves from others. It does not help that in our culture, we often associate mental illness with weakness and character flaws. There is also the fear that sometimes those... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:45-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Messiahs & Monsters: Which Do We Project?

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

Like messiahs, monsters bridge divides, including those between disciplines. As David Skal claims, “Since it is in the nature of monsters to bridge divides, it should be no wonder that they offer an (un)natural tool for cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural studies, which almost, by definition, require some crucial encounter with some kind of Other.”[1] People often live with clear boundaries, like vampires that are neither living nor dead, but undead. Messiah figures supernaturally rather than unnaturally bridge divides, like Jesus as... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:45-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What Gives You the Right to Be a Christian?

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

The story is told of a logician/mathematician at a university where Karl Barth once taught, demanding that the Swiss theologian answer the following question, “What gives you the right to teach at this university?” Barth responded, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”[1] Some might scoff at Barth’s answer. Some might be surprised. After all, the answer comes across as, well, so unscientific. But is it? I supposed it all depends on how Barth—or others making a similar claim—understood... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-01-04T10:49:45-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Celebrate Science and Faith

Last updated on: January 4, 2017 at 10:49 am By Paul Louis Metzger

The Bible calls us to celebrate God’s goodness in the creation. The Christian community just celebrated Easter, which involves Jesus rising from the dead and bringing about the transformation of creaturely life. This emphasis is a continuation of the incarnation. God created the world good. The ultimate affirmation of the goodness of the creation is Christ’s incarnation. “The Word became flesh,” John 1:14 tells us. Since this is the case, Christians should be known for celebrating the creation, including scientific... Read more

Uncategorized

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian group follows the teachings of John Calvin?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Quaker Catholic Presbyterian Orthodox

Books by This Author Books by Paul Louis Metzger

See All Titles »

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Evangelical