Tag Archives: litmus tests

The Curious Case of Simon Magus

Every now and then, you meet a “former Christian” who explains how painful it was to lose his cushy job at the seminary, his financial security, all of his friends, and his social standing by abandoning the faith. This is a tragedy on two levels. First, it’s a tragedy for the guy who is going …

July 6, 2010 – 7:48 PM | By joshua | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Only Christians go to Heaven?

Do you need to be a Christian to go to heaven? No. Christianity is a creedal religion, meaning that membership in the group “Christianity” is determined by profession of a creed. The thief on the cross did not profess a belief in the resurrection or the Trinity, so he was not a creedal Christian, yet …

June 28, 2010 – 8:14 PM | By joshua | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (5)

With Friends Like Calvinists, Who Needs Enemies?

It didn’t take me long after researching the question to conclude that I’ve always been Calvinist.  Calvinism and Arminianism both provide equally logical frameworks of description, and both are orthodox reform Christianity.  Neither explanation is flawless, but both are as good as can be expected.  I don’t expect humans to ever come up with anything …

September 20, 2009 – 9:00 PM | By joshua | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Young Earth Creationism as Litmus Test

Some Christians are convinced that modern geology and anthropology are terribly mistaken, and that the earth is, literally, only 6,000 years old.  These people call themselves “Young Earth Creationists”.  I’ve read through the entire Bible a few times, and don’t remember reading that verse, but these folks assure me it’s there. Since I wasn’t there …

September 14, 2009 – 12:08 AM | By joshua | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (9)

Important Questions

Check out this screenshot of a poll being conducted on a web site I just visited.  Visitors are asked what they think about “Creation Evolution”, and to categorize themselves into some pre-selected bucket.  Helpfully, the poll also offers “None of the above” (implying that you have your own theory) and “I have not decided” (implying …

May 29, 2009 – 8:17 PM | By joshua | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (0)