Photo by Jordan Madrid on Unsplash Paper Presented at the Evangelical Theological Society SW Conference 2022 on April 1, 2022. Download it as a PDF or read it below. Orientation-as-Ontology-A-Theological-Critique-Final-Draft-1Download Resources
Photo by Drei Kubik on Unsplash On September 14, 2021, Californians will have a special election on whether to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. There will be two questions on the ballot. The first will ask whether Gavin Newsom should be recalled (removed) from the office of governor. The second (should the first question get more than 50% of the vote) asks who should replace him. Below are my thoughts on the recall and some of the top candidates to replace him. Question #1: Shall Gavin Newsom be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor? Let's look at reasons for and against the recall: Reasons for Recall https://recallgavin2020.com/reasons/https://rescuecalifornia.org/reasons-to-recall/https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article253707108.html The reasons for recall [Read more...]
Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash A new documentary was recently released on Netflix called Pray Away (watch a trailer for it below). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs Pray Away delves into the controversial practice known as "conversion therapy" or "reparative therapy." (As a point of clarification, although the media often conflates these two terms, they aren't the same thing. "Conversion therapy" is a derogatory name developed to describe any effort to change one's sexual orientation through therapy, prayer, or other practices. "Reparative therapy" is a specific type of therapy developed by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi. It views most homosexual desires as being born from a need to "repair" a deficit in one's gender identity.[1] This deficit is often linked to different [Read more...]
Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash This article was originally published on Advocates for Truth under the title "Christians and Conspiracy Theories." Introduction From the moon landings to 9/11, from QAnon to chemtrails, from Covid-19 to vaccines— conspiracies abound in American society. And according to many surveys and studies, Christians seem to be more likely than other groups to believe them. Should this be the case? How should Christians discern true conspiracies from false ones? What is a Conspiracy Theory? Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a conspiracy theory as “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.” Encyclopedia Britannica says it is “an attempt to explain harmful or tragic [Read more...]
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash This article was originally published on Advocates for Truth under the title Critical Race Theory and the Bible. Introduction Over the past couple of months, numerous state legislatures have begun to pass laws that ban or limit the teaching of Critical Race Theory in K-12 classrooms. Critical race theory has been making big inroads into the wider culture these last few years. If you’ve heard the terms “intersectionality,” “whiteness,” “microaggressions,” “white privilege,” “systemic racism,” etc., then you have been exposed to ideas that have been shaped by or come directly from critical race theory. In light of this, how should a Christian worldview inform how we think about critical race theory? [Note: Before reading this article, it is [Read more...]
Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash This article was originally published on Advocates for Truth under the title Christian Basics: Gender, Marriage, and Sex. It certainly isn't meant to cover all the aspects of this conversation, but it will concisely lay out the Bible's basic teachings on these subjects. Introduction June is declared to be Pride month for the LGBTQ+ community. As such, gender, sex, and marriage are frequent talking points in our culture right now. What do Jesus and the Bible teach about these issues? How should Christians respond? What Does Jesus Say About This? Many Christians and non-Christians alike will say that Jesus never addresses issues of gender and sexuality. However, this is not the case. In the context of discussing divorce in Matthew 19:1-12 and [Read more...]
Photo by Adam Bezer on Unsplash This article was originally published on Advocates for Truth under the title "Racial Bias and Policing." Introduction Racial bias in policing has long been a source of debate in the United States. This controversy has reentered the wider American consciousness since the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014 and reached new heights with George Floyd in 2020. Due to these incidents and others like them, most Americans believe that there is racial bias in how police officers treat people of color (especially black Americans) versus white Americans. Do the statistics bear this out? How should Christians think about this? What Data Do We Have? Before diving into what the data shows, it needs to be acknowledged that we lack much of the data that would [Read more...]
Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash This was originally published at Advocates for Truth under the title "Pro-life Concerns About the Covid Vaccine." Introduction Many Americans are hesitant to take the Covid-19 vaccines. One issue raised by pro-life Christians is whether the vaccines are tied to the use of human cells that come from aborted fetuses. If so, are Christians complicit in abortion if they get these vaccines? How should our pro-life ethic inform our decision of whether or not to get vaccinated? Background How would aborted fetal cells come to be used in vaccine development anyway? The answer lies in what are called immortal cell lines. Cell lines are cultures of human or animal cells that can be propagated for research and study. Generally, cell lines come from a [Read more...]
Photo by Margaux Bellott on Unsplash This article was originally published on Advocates for Truth under the title "Should Christians Support Fairness For All?" Introduction Since the Obergefell decision legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, there has been increasing political tension between the LGBTQ community and religious communities that hold to traditional views of gender and sexuality. More and more cases like cake baker Jack Phillips are arising (Phillips has been sued for refusing to use his creative talents to make cakes for a gay wedding and celebrating a gender transition). Holding to convictions about marriage being between one man and one woman or about gender being tied to biological sex are increasingly being deemed “discriminatory.” In response to this conflict, [Read more...]
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash This was originally published on Advocates for Truth under the title "Should Christians Legislate Morality?" Introduction Christians are often told that they shouldn’t try to legislate morality and that they should keep religious values out of public policy. Sometimes it is phrased, “Christians shouldn’t force their values on others.” Just how true are these sentiments? What does the Bible say about how our faith and values should influence the law? Law and Morality The answer to these questions will largely come down to how we define “legislating morality.” If we use this phrase to mean “using morality as a basis for making law,” then legislating morality is unavoidable. All law is derived from someone’s morality. Behind every law [Read more...]