Ehrman & Wright on the Problem of Evil
I’m finishing the first of a three-volume, systematic theology of love. In a chapter on providence, I address the problem of evil. I’ve written about the problem of evil in many books, but I chose a different approach to the topic for this one. I decided to look carefully at two influential New […]
Panentheism and Theoenpanism
As part of the systematic theology of love I’m writing, I address providence. And part of a chapter on providence explores God’s relation with creation. Below is an excerpt of that chapter, and it explains panentheism and theoenpanism. To read the whole chapter and eleven previous ones, check out my […]
Ex Nihilo and Other Creation Theories
(This is chapter ten of the systematic theology of love in progress. Free subscribers get a portion of the chapter; paid subscribers get the entire chapter. Paid subscribers [only $8 a month] will also get a signed copy of the book and be mentioned in the book’s acknowledgements. Consider […]
Where Was God in the Shootings?
The recent shooting at a back-to-school mass in Minnesota has many people asking: Where was God? A gunman killed two children and injured eighteen others at Annunciation Catholic Church. In response, there’s a renewed call for gun reform and a dialogue about how to prevent future shootings. Many […]
Augustine’s View of God & Time
Augustine’s beliefs about God and time have been highly influential in Western civilization, especially among Christians. Scholars often cite his beliefs about divine immutability and impassibility. But Augustine’s belief in a timeless God and waffling about the reality of time powerfully shaped the […]
The Spirit as a Relational Person Who Feels
It’s obvious to many believers that God is personal, relational, and experiences emotions. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim scriptures routinely describe deity in this way.[1] These abilities and attributes also seem required if the Spirit is loving, because lovers are persons who act and feel in […]
Teen Mania Theology – Unreached Peoples?
I enjoyed watching the recent Shiny Happy People documentary on Ron Luce and Teen Mania. The series conclusion disappointed me, however. I think producers missed an opportunity to explore a theological claim that could have motivated Ron Luce more than his concern for teen culture or politics. A […]
The Amipotent God is Neither Externally Nor Voluntarily Limited
In my systematic theology of love, I argue that believers should reject the idea God is omnipotent. They should embrace the notion that God’s power is uncontrolliong love. I call this “amipotence:” ami=love; potence=power. The amipotent view stands between two adjacent concepts of divine power […]
Introducing Gino-Theology
In a recently published Substack essay, I looked at arguments for and against saying God is a being. I propose a new way to think about God I call “gino-theology.” In that Substack essay, I argued that we best think of God as an everlastingly becoming Spirit. That’s gino-theology. By “becoming,” I […]
Eleven Ways to Rethink Religion in Light of Science
I was recently invited by the Center for Christogenesis to give a paper. (Thanks, Ilia Delio, Robert Nicastro, and team!) It was part of the Center’s “Rethinking Religion in an Age of Science” online conference. Given the invitation, I took the opportunity to reflect on what precisely I’d like to […]