All Will Eventually Cooperate with God
In a series of essays on this website and in books, I’ve argued that God requires creaturely cooperation for love finally to win. To put it another way, the ultimate victory of good over evil requires creatures to cooperate with God. I’m not saying God alone will right all wrongs and bring about […]
John Wesley Says God Can’t
My recent book, God Can’t, makes the claim God can’t do some activities. Although this strikes some as unprecedented, John Wesley said it before I did. God Can’t in the Bible Biblical writers said “God can’t” before John Wesley and me. In various books and blogs, I’ve listed biblical passages that […]
A Wesleyan Approach to the Bible
If we took John Wesley’s use of the Bible as central to describing a Wesleyan doctrine of Scripture, what would we conclude? The answer to that question resides at the center of my living and thinking. Randy Maddox on John Wesley Perhaps the leading Wesleyan theologian of our time, Randy Maddox […]
John Wesley’s View of Scripture
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 […]
The Best is Yet to Be?
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 […]
My Response to John Sanders
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 […]
Ways to Think about Providence
Christians have many ways to think about how God acts in creation (providence). Each way has implications for making sense of life in light of God’s love, power, and other attributes. But some ways are better than others. In my forthcoming book, The Uncontrolling Love of God, I identify seven models […]
We Should Expect Diversity in Holiness
In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned nine dominant themes present in the new book of essays, Renovating Holiness. The final dominant theme in the book is the most frequently mentioned in the essays, so I list it as the most dominant theme overall. The Renovating Holiness book brought together 100+ […]
The Power of a Missional God
Now it’s time to reach for perhaps the most elusive fruit of all. It’s time to talk about the power of a missional God. We can’t ignore the power issue if we want a robust missional theology.
Wesleyan Theology and Fundamentalism
The Wesleyan tradition in Christianity, with its high view of Scripture, has a fair number of people in its ranks tempted by fundamentalism. A new book should help Wesleyans resist that temptation.