On the third day of creation, God made a mistake so extreme that the world still hasn’t fully recovered. I know, it’s hard to believe, but after two days of creating a whole universe you’d have trouble maintaining perfection too. The physics involved in creating gravity alone would be enough to drive a mere mortal… Continue reading God’s terrible mistake
Author: Drew Costen
Why we should keep the law out of the courtroom
If the Mosaic law was created to get people to sin more rather than less, as Romans chapter 5 tells us it was, then it seems to me that the people who want the 10 Commandments posted in or around court houses and schools are actually encouraging sin rather than discouraging it. Which isn’t the end… Continue reading Why we should keep the law out of the courtroom
Moderate religion is still religion
While it’s obvious to most of us that religious fundamentalism and extremism is clearly harmful, many of us tend to overlook the fact that moderate religion will destroy your soul just as easily (be it a moderate form of the Muslim religion, a moderate form of the Christian religion, as well as basically any other… Continue reading Moderate religion is still religion
The evangelical abortion inconsistency
If you’ve read many of my posts, you know by now that one of the most consistent traits of Christians is that they’re not very consistent in their theological thinking. This is possibly no more obvious than in their views on the subject of abortion. Most evangelicals I know of, for instance, are extremely anti-abortion,… Continue reading The evangelical abortion inconsistency
We are all innocent
Those who know me well know that I don’t believe in “free will,” or at least that I think it’s the biggest misnomer there is, philosophically and theologically speaking. Every person alive is a victim of their genetics and past experiences. In other words, every choice we make is predetermined by a combination of our… Continue reading We are all innocent
Do Universalists need Jesus?
Someone I know recently said that if Universalism is true then we don’t need Jesus and, since I’ve heard this statement too many times from too many traditionalists, I felt a need to give a short response to it here. As a Universalist, I like to respond to assertions like this one with a parable… Continue reading Do Universalists need Jesus?
TULIP for Universalists
Believe it or not, I find that there is a little bit in Calvinism to agree with, particularly their take on the sovereignty of God. There are some points where we disagree, though, what with me being a Universalist and all, so I thought I’d give my Universalist take on TULIP: 1. Total Mortality and… Continue reading TULIP for Universalists
You are already a heretic
It doesn’t matter what your theological views are, nor does it matter what denomination your church is; no matter who you are, you are considered a heretic by some other group of Christians out there. What most people don’t realize is that the definition of “heresy” isn’t “false teaching,” just as the word “orthodoxy” doesn’t… Continue reading You are already a heretic
If you were a Universalist
I was recently reminded of a great old (possibly apocryphal) story about the 19th-century Universalist, Hosea Ballou: Ballou was riding the circuit in the New Hampshire hills with a Baptist minister one day, arguing theology as they traveled. At one point, the Baptist looked over and said, “Brother Ballou, if I were a Universalist and… Continue reading If you were a Universalist
Just because it’s “orthodox” doesn’t mean it’s true
Always remember, just because something is labelled “orthodox” doesn’t mean it’s true. Heresy is often just the rejection of commonly accepted error. This is the essence of my life philosophy, along with, “Question everything… even this.” As most people do, I began life accepting that most of the standard “orthodox” beliefs were true, be they… Continue reading Just because it’s “orthodox” doesn’t mean it’s true