There are good and bad reasons people affirm the idea that God created the universe from nothing. Some have merit. But to me, none are finally convincing. In this essay, I’ll list three such reasons. I plan to address each in detail in my forthcoming book. And I’ll post other reasons in future blogs. What […]

I’m writing a book that offers a new theory of initial creation. It’s a project I’ve wanted to do for some time. To help my thinking, I’m asking friends and readers to comment on the issues. So far, the comments I’ve been sent have been very helpful, and I’m incorporating them in my writing. I […]

In recent decades, biology has moved to the fore of love research.  The role of evolution, the function of genes, selection pressures, and group interaction play a prominent role in contemporary biological discussions of the possibility and nature of love. 

Guest Post by Jeff Skinner Is there a limit to the number of miracles per person? I hope not because we’re praying for yet another one! My sister-in-law, Josie, is dying for the fifth time. Her first brush with death came one Easter Sunday when she collapsed in the shower preparing for church. She had […]

Guest Post by Noel Cooper Like most people in my field, I was drawn to be a psychologist because I wanted to help people. As I entered my training and began thinking about how my professional identity was woven into other aspects of my self, I developed an understanding of how my work as a […]

Guest Post by Bradford McCall In his book, The Uncontrolling Love of God, Thomas Jay Oord says randomness and chance  are real occurrences in the natural environment. I agree. I find the notion of randomness and chance as operative in nature consonant with my view of a God who lures creation to higher levels of complexity through the […]

A theologian. With a camera. Exploring nature. In Chicago. Those four elements introduce intriguing possibilities. I know, because I am that theologian-photographer who made photographs in Chicago. Making Photographs I say I “make” photographs. Good photography often results when a photographer works from a vision and uses a camera to portray an intriguing subject. Good […]

The well-being of the world depends, in part, upon our decisions to promote overall well-being. That’s just a fancy way of saying: we need to love! Many people know that love, altruism, and compassion plays central roles for making sense of life and living life well. For centuries, various religious traditions and philosophers have recognized this. […]

As far as I know, no scripture or great piece of spiritual literature praises the squirrel. We find references to foxes, eagles, snakes, and locusts. Judah is a lion. Doves are harmless. Sparrows have value, even though not much. But nothing on the squirrel. It’s not that squirrels are rare. They live on every inhabitable […]

We all want to make sense of life. But tragedies and evils – whether caused by free creatures, microorganisms, or random events – make it difficult to do so.