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Do I Need to Believe in a Devil?

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One of my seminary professors liked to answer the question, "Do you believe in the Devil?" with this... "No, I believe against Him." It was a clever retort. If to "believe in" something is to give support to it, then we shouldn't believe in a Devil. We should oppose sin and evil, and we should […]

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Introducing My Movie, Seer!

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Friends, I made a movie! This 40-minute film features my photos and videos of nature, mostly in Idaho. The movie is called Seer, and the tagline is "A Spiritual Nature Photographer Explores Love." I explore various types of spirituality and how nature helps me tackle life's challenges. In the coming […]

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Teen Mania Theology – Unreached Peoples?

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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 […]

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God’s Essential and Contingent Attributes

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I'm writing a systematic theology. As a small part of the task, I'm comparing and contrasting my view of God with other systematic theologies. Most theologies prioritize a different list of divine attributes than what I prioritize. A common way to prioritize one or some divine attributes identifies […]

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Gloria M. Coffin – Queer Ally and Uncontrolling Love Advocate

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My friend and fellow schemer Gloria Coffin died unexpectedly a few days ago. She was one of the most energetic and quickest thinkers I've ever known. She could also be feisty, which I especially liked! Since hearing of her death, I've been scanning hundreds and hundreds of notes we've sent to one […]

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Amipotence vs. Omnipotence – John Cobb

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My heart sank when I heard that John B. Cobb, Jr. died on December 26, 2024. I'm told that he died peacefully, surrounded by family. John was one of the greatest theologians of our time, and his influence upon me is immeasurable. His death made me realize how much I looked forward to sharing with […]

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Radical “Be It Unto Me” Theology

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“Be it unto me,” says the Mary, the mother of Jesus. Or "let it be," as some translations of Luke 1:38 put it. (Cue the Beatles.) Mary is responding to the angel Gabriel’s announcement of her impending pregnancy. I believe the story of Mary’s willingness to conceive has great theological import. It […]

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Learning How to See… in Photographs

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For his "Learning to See" podcast, Brian McLaren of the Center for Action and Contemplation interviewed photographers Thomas Jay Oord and Christy Lubbers Berghoef. Here's a link to the interview. Much of the conversation revolved around Christy and Tom talking about experiences in nature as […]

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Answering Questions After the Trial

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The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. After being found guilty at my queer church trial, I have been talking with news sources, radio (BBC), podcasts, and more. And there are more developments in the works. I'm writing this while in Britain. I'm living out of a backpack for a month as I travel […]

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My Church Queer Trial Verdict

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On July 25, 2024, I underwent a church trial for being LGBTQ+ affirming. I was charged with teaching contrary to the Church of the Nazarene's stance on human sexuality (I'm queer affirming). And I was charged with conduct unbecoming a minister for the various things I did to advocate for change in […]

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About

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books and professor at Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho.

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