Tripp Fuller and I are writing a book, doing a podcast class, and holding an in-person lecture tour on the theme, “God After Deconstruction.” Doubt is a common thread among the deconstruction stories we hear. Here’s a draft of our book-in-progress that explores certainty, doubt, and deconstruction. Biblical Certainty Sarah grew up in a “Bible-believing” household. […]

Theists in general and Christians in particular often worship a God they call “omnipotent.” This practice creates profound problems. In The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence, I address those problems. In one chapter, I focus on lyrics and liturgies that proclaim God as all-powerful. My argument: they implicitly endorse abusive politicians and policies. […]

In my book The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence, I explain how omnipotence and almighty are not rightly associated with scripture. In this essay, I lay out the problem with English translations of the New Testament that call God “almighty.” Almighty Is Rare “Almighty” appears ten times as a translation of Pantokrator in […]

My daughter Alexa and I co-edited a collection of essays with the title, Why the Church of the Nazarene Should be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming. The writers of the essays are current or former members of the denomination. And their writing is simply OUTSTANDING! The essays are divided into three sections: Queer Voices, Ally Narratives, and […]

I’m writing a book on why we should reject the idea God is omnipotent. In a previous blog, I said scripture does not support omnipotence. Hebrew and Greek words often translated as “almighty” in English have been mistranslated. And the meaning of omnipotence is not in the Bible. Greatest Conceivable Being? Since the writings of […]

In previous blog essays, I’ve expressed my disdain for the belief that hell glorifies God. Those who advance this idea, however, say it has biblical support. Romans 9 The ninth chapter of Romans is most often marshaled as evidence for the claim that hell glorifies God. The key passages are verses 22-24, but a quick […]

My new book introduces open and relational theology to the general public. The manuscript is currently in the review stage. But here’s an excerpt to give you a taste! TIME Before the digital age, movie-makers shot movies on film. A filmstrip comprising single images moved rapidly through a projector’s light beam. Although images were static, […]

The idea life could get better strikes some as naïve. It’s easy to lose hope in a pandemic and amid political strife. Pessimists Some people point to the pandemic, wars, ecological disasters, political elections, racial injustice, and more that’s wrong in the world. To them, it’s absurd to think things could get better. The world […]

President Trump announced on Twitter today that he and Melania tested positive for Covid-19. Most news outlets are assuming the announcement is true. I’ve been wrestling with how to pray for the President. I believe we should pray for our leaders, even though I don’t think the President is leading well. “Praying for the President” […]

Does God love rapists and arms dealers? How about cancer and the coronavirus? And the devil? Does God really love all creation? In my best-selling book, God Can’t: How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils, I offered five answers to evil. Taken together, they explain why a God of […]