Two streams of thought have merged and crashed into my struggle with the crisis of church scandals. And yes, crisis is the correct word, not hyperbole. Ten years ago, I wrote one of my favorite papers of my academic career. The paper was on John Williamson Nevin, an obscure theologian from the 19th century. Nevin … Continue reading Humanity, Law Enforcement, and the Crisis of Church Scandal
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Lynched, by Angela D. Sims
This post is not a review or a critique, just a few insights gleaned from Sims' incredibly important project (published 2016). Over the course of 18 months (July 2009 - February 2011), Sims traveled around the country collecting oral histories from people in locales as varied as New Jersey and Louisiana, Texas and Nebraska. She … Continue reading Lynched, by Angela D. Sims
Books on Justice, Race, and Critical Race Theory
(updated 9/14/21) Eighteen months ago, I began hearing terms thrown around in my online theological discussion boards I was not familiar with. More alarmingly to me, I was being accused of things I didn't understand - being 'woke' or having bought into critical race theory. Often times when I asked what they meant I got … Continue reading Books on Justice, Race, and Critical Race Theory
City of God, Book 21: Eternal Punishment
The entirety of Augustine's Book 21 is devoted to defending the reality and the justice of eternal punishment. This book roughly breaks down into two parts: the first part addresses the objections of unbelievers to the doctrine of eternal punishment (ch. 2-16) and the second part addresses errors of "compassionate Christians who refuse to believe … Continue reading City of God, Book 21: Eternal Punishment
City of God, Book 20: Final Judgment
Augustine sets out in Book 20 to instruct the reader on the day of God's final judgment from Scripture. In large part, the book is a series of expositions on relevant passages from both the New and Old Testaments. I will not, in the summary, rehash all of Augustine's exposition, simply highlight the main points … Continue reading City of God, Book 20: Final Judgment