Right Reason

God died

On November 20, 2013

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him” ~ C. T. Studd

“Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?” ~ Charles Wesley

“Being the followers of God, and stirring up yourselves by the blood of God, you have perfectly accomplished the work which was beseeming to you.” ~ Ignatius of Antioch

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” ~ St Luke, Acts 20:281

If Christianity is true, then God died.

Any concerns raised about the possibility that this statement in Acts should be translated as “with the blood of his own” or “with the blood of his son” can at least in part be met with the response that so many of those who would feel it improper to speak of the death of God on the cross are also those who take the translation here to be the appropriate one and who are suspicious of the alternatives as concessions to liberalism. [↩]

Where did Elijah go?

By Glenn

On November 15, 2013

In Old Testament, theology and biblical studies

Did Elijah ride up to heaven in a flaming chariot, ending his life on earth?

Don’t you hate it when you’ve got a favourite Bible story and then someone who takes the Bible just as seriously as you comes along and ruins it for you? The story of Elijah and the flaming chariot is well-known. It comes from the book of 2 Kings, chapter 2. Here’s the passage, from verse 9 to verse 12:

“Can These Bones Live”? is up at Afterlife

By Glenn

On November 15, 2013

In theology and biblical studies

I’m an occasional contributor to Afterlife, a New Zealand Website exploring the questions of life, death and eternity, from an Evangelical Christian perspective. My latest article there, Can These Bones Live? The Resurrection of the Body is now available.

Is it really clear that the first Christians believed in the empty tomb of Jesus and in the resurrection of our bodies, leaving all the graves empty?

Check out the rest of the article, in which I explain that the earliest Christian community maintained that in the resurrection of Jesus, his body came back to life, setting the precedent for the resurrection of all the dead.

When good advice is bad

By Glenn

On November 11, 2013

In social issues

A LOT of people fancy themselves as life coaches – especially in the age of the internet where they have access to an audience. If only people followed their advice, their lives would be so much better. People should look to you, you might think, as a dispenser of wisdom about what is best for people’s family, health and finances. Or maybe the reality is that you’re an insular, out-of-touch, privileged and frankly callous know-it-all who doesn’t even realise it and whose advice genuinely hurts people and is as painfully naïve as you are. But that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it now, does it?

Yes, this blog post is a vent. Fair warning.

Reclaiming Humanism

By Glenn

On November 2, 2013

In atheism, Christianity, social issues, videos

Are you a humanist? A lot of Evangelical Christians might hear that question and immediately say no, as though the idea is just unthinkable. Have another look.

This is the first of what may be many short videos, comparable to the “Nuts and Bolts” blogs. I’m interested in seeing how they are received.

Scepticism about Online Scepticism

By Glenn

On October 18, 2013

In atheism

Is the internet really a benevolent playground of truth about religion?

Some people read conspiracy theory websites and magazines. In fact, I’d wager that more people than ever before read them. As a result, more people than ever before believe ridiculous conspiracy theories. Although I have no desire to see people forced to stop reading such trash, I really wish they would. The fact that more such theories are available now than ever before does not increase the likelihood that people who read this material are going to stumble onto a true theory. It just means that there is more nonsense to choose from, leading to paranoid, sometimes hysterically funny, and often sad, unscientific and damaging beliefs and practices. I have little sympathy for anyone who would reply by saying something like “Dude, you’re just threatened. The truth is out there and now that it’s out there, you can’t stop people finding out.”

I suspect that my perspective on the proliferation of conspiracy theory websites and magazines is shared by most people. At least I hope it is. Such material gives a platform to views that frankly do not deserve it.

Josh McDowell is concerned about the proliferation of comments of a different sort on the internet.

Divine Timelessness and the Death of Jesus

By Glenn

On October 17, 2013

In metaphysics, theological anthropology, theology and biblical studies

If the doctrine of divine timelessness is true, then it turns out – perhaps surprisingly to some people – that materialist Christology – and in particular what it has to say about the death of Jesus – is given a helping hand.

Coming to Texas in July 2014

By Glenn

On October 2, 2013

In mid-2014 I will be speaking at the first ever conference of Rethinking Hell, which will be in Texas.

When: 11th and 12th of July, 2014
Where: Lanier Theological Library, Houston, Texas

Video of the conference will be available once it’s over.

Poisoning the well, dualist style

By Glenn

On September 29, 2013

In philosophy of mind, theological anthropology

Is Christian physicalism really the child of naturalism that gives essentialism the heave-ho?

I really wish that evangelical institutions would pick the right fights to get into. A couple of days ago I got an email advertisement from that great bastion of substance dualism (or more importantly, that good and faithful opponent of Christian physicalism) in the modern Evangelical world, Biola University. The advertisement reads as follows:

On Reform – short thoughts

By Glenn

On September 25, 2013

In Christianity, church history

Reformers may, in addition to being reformers, also be innovators. However, the essence of Reform is not innovation.

I say this thinking especially of the 14th-16th century movements in European Christianity (which were the fruit of centuries of momentum building within the Church). Reform is a call to put things right, not to start something new. There have been many reformers whose call to reform was accepted by the Catholic Church, and there have been reformers whose call to reform was not accepted. But Christian reformers, those who are now called The Reformers, were thoroughly conscious of their actions as part of an organic unity with the church catholic, and a desire to reform it.

Those Christian movements that have arisen professedly wanting to do a new thing, whatever their virtues may be, cannot be considered heirs of the Reformation. It was precisely because of the concern that the Church was doing far too many new things that Reform was called for.

Glenn Peoples