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BIO
Subscribe to this bloggerRandal Rauser is associate professor of historical theology at Taylor Seminary, Edmonton, Canada and was granted Taylor's first annual teaching award for Outstanding Service to Students in 2005.
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Ouranophobia and its treatment
September 28th, 201106:27 PM ETThe world is full of bizarre phobias. One of the strangest is arachibutyrophobia, the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. (If you're that scared then why are you eating a Reese Peanut butter cup to begin with?!) As a theologian, my pick for the weirdest phobia (at least on the surface) is ouranophobia, the fear of heaven. How... -
Al Mohler says the devil is in the details. Ironically enough, he’s right.
September 22nd, 201104:26 PM ETImagine a defense attorney that is trying to defend his client's innocence against the charge of murder. To his initial delight the defense attorney comes across an eyewitness who is emphatic that the attorney's client did not commit the murder. The reason? The eyewitness says he saw another man commit the crime. Do you think the attorney would be ... -
The unconscionable act of executing Troy Davis
September 22nd, 201104:24 PM ETThe Supreme Court rejected the final appeal for clemency on behalf of Troy Davis. This despite the surprisingly weak eye witness testimony (much of which has since been retracted) which initially convicted him. This past year the United States criminal justice system executed 46 people, almost twice the number that was executed in Saudi Arabia. (Wh... -
How should we interpret the religious skepticism of elite scientists?
September 19th, 201105:43 PM ETThere have been many surveys of the religious belief (or lack thereof) of scientists. While certain factors vary, the overall pattern is strikingly consistent: scientists on the whole are less likely to be religious than the general population. And elite scientists (e.g. members of the NAS or Royal Society; nobel laureates, etc.) are less likely to... -
Is it moral to divorce a spouse with Alzheimer’s Disease?
September 17th, 201108:32 AM ETIf you would have told me yesterday that I would find myself in sympathy with a controversial ethical position taken by Pat Robertson I wouldn't have believed you. But here we are. Christian Post blogger Olabode Ososami's article "Divorce and Pat Robertson's Alzheimer's Gaffe" has changed all that. In an interesting article Ososami points out that ... -
Does God answer prayers for parking spaces at the Pottery Barn?
September 16th, 201104:24 PM ETRight now a prayer is being offered up by a desperate mother somewhere at a camp in Somalia. Her severely malnourished child is suffering from severe diarrhea and vomiting. She has been told by one of the men that these are signs of cholera. Her child is dying in her arms and she can do nothing. Her prayer is desperate and anguished. If God hears ... -
Is doubt good? Is skepticism a virtue?
September 14th, 201103:33 PM ETWhile reading through Michael Shermer's enjoyable book How We Believe: Science, Skepticism and the Search for God (New York: Henry Holt, 2000) I came across the following passage: "Doubt is good. Questioning belief is healthy. Skepticism is okay. It is more than okay, in fact. Skepticism is a virtue and science is a valuable tool that makes s... -
The End of Christianity? A Skeptical Review (Part 12)
September 13th, 201101:20 PM ETI was not very kind to David Eller's first contribution to The End of Christianity. I shall continue my curmudgeonly ways as I review his second contribution, an essay titled "Is Religion Compatible with Science?" I shall begin my complaints with the topic. Why "religion"? Why not focus on Christianity and argue for the incompatibility of Christia... -
Why “God hated Esau” is of no use to the Calvinist
September 11th, 201107:42 PM ETPete asked what a person who believes God is omnibenevolent does with "God hated Esau" (Malachi 1:3; Romans 9:13). There are a number of complexities in these passages. To begin with, there is the fact that the specific individuals Jacob and Esau serve as symbols representing people groups (Israel and Edom, or more broadly, insider and outsider). ... -
The End of Christianity? A Skeptical Review (Part 11)
September 09th, 201107:06 PM ETHell. It had to come up sooner or later. And it takes center stage in Keith Parson's contribution to The End of Christianity, chapter 10, "Hell: Christianity's Most Damnable Doctrine". I took away one important lesson from this chapter: Keith Parsons doesn't like Dick Cheney or Sarah Palin. In fact, I thought these were the two best lines in the e...
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An exploration of faith, knowledge, reason and doubt (with the occasional trite pop culture reference thrown in for good measure).
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