Latest Blog Entries

I think about love nearly every day. As a love scholar and professor, I talk about love so much some students call me “Dr. Love.” But when Valentine’s Day arrives each year, I can get annoyed. The language of love I hear can be confusing! Sex and Romance I hear the word “love” used in […]

In a previous post, I listed three reasons some Christians think God created our universe from nothing. I was unconvinced by those reasons. Here are three more reasons some people embrace creatio ex nihilo. Although some are interesting, I also find these reasons unconvincing. Science Requires the Traditional View There are strong scientific reasons to […]

Research in science and religion captivates me. Adding the dimension of love to this research motivates me in powerful ways. Making sense of life requires exploring science and religion with help from philosophy. In fact, I can’t imagine answering well the big questions of life while ignoring any of the three. We wonder, “Why is […]

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 […]

Both conservative and progressive Christians admire John Wesley. But his statements on the Bible may surprise people in both camps. I’m offering a free copy of Randy Maddox’s essay on John Wesley and the Bible. The essay was published in a book I co-edited with Richard Thompson, The Bible Tells Me So, and elsewhere. Those […]

The idea that life could get better strikes some as naïve. With recent elections, wars and their chaotic aftermath, looming ecological disasters, and more, it seems absurd that things can get better.  Some even say things inevitably getting worse. I disagree. The Pessimists Pessimists will admit that improvement of a certain sort can be made.  […]

In an article published recently in the Wesleyan Theological Journal, John Sanders raises concerns about and criticizes my theological proposals in The Uncontrolling Love of God. In this essay, I answer his criticisms and explain my views in greater depth. Introduction The problem of evil is conundrum for those who believe in God. Unsolved, it […]

The Thanksgiving holiday is a terrific time to talk theology. But some theologies make more sense when offering thanks to God. Whether the setting is private or public, secular or sacred, hundreds of millions express gratitude. For what, however, are we to thank God? What credit is due the divine? And which theologies best account for […]

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.