Latest Blog Entries

Does God Have Emotions?

November 4th, 2017 / 6 Comments

Some Christians believe God has no emotions. They believe this, in part, because they think only embodied beings have the capacity to express emotions. I think God can experience and express emotion. In a series of previous blog essays, I’ve argued that God is relational. By that I mean God gives and receives from creatures. […]

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Emails of the Deceased

November 1st, 2017 / No Comments

What should we do with the email folders of our deceased friends? I’ve been thinking about this question for more than a decade! And I’ve come to an All Saints Day answer. It somehow felt wrong to delete immediately the email folders of friends and acquaintances who have died. But as the years have passed, the […]

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Martin Luther’s Greatest Contribution

October 25th, 2017 / 2 Comments

Christians around the world are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Not just Protestants, even many Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians are celebrating! Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on Castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Most Christians today who read the document Luther posted would find his theses bewildering. […]

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It Takes a Community

October 17th, 2017 / 12 Comments

We often consider the lone theologian our standard of theological excellence. In some ways, that’s understandable. In other ways, our standard should be different. Often overlooked are the collaborators, cooperators, and team players. Instead of standing alone, they form communities and together address issues, solve problems, and confront negativity. There’s something powerful about collaboration for […]

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God’s Love is Relational in Three Forms

September 25th, 2017 / No Comments

The theo-logic of God’s love says divine love is relationally full-orbed rather than one-dimensional. Three forms of love — agape, eros, and philia — demonstrate this theo-logic. And the Bible gives witness to them. AGAPE God expresses the agape form of love by responding to sin with forgiveness and healing. Those are activities that assume God relates with […]

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Posted in Love and Altruism

25 Tips for Using Social Media from Theologians, Philosophers, Bible Scholars, and Religious Leaders

September 15th, 2017 / No Comments

Social media is changing contemporary culture. And its changing scholarship in religion and philosophy. Some of the leading voices in these fields are using social media and technology in interesting ways. I recently asked more than 90 theologians, philosophers, biblical scholars, and religious leaders to write essays on social media. The result is a 460-page […]

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The Jesus Argument for God’s Relationality

September 4th, 2017 / 2 Comments

Christians often say what they know best about God comes from the revelation of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God is specially incarnated (Jn. 14:9). Those of us who think God is relational believe Jesus reveals a relational God. Jesus’ Compassion Scripture tells us that Jesus himself had compassion for those in need (Mt. 9:36, 14:4, […]

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