I’ve argued that religious outsiders can write theology and be theologians. I still believe this to be true. But I was recently on a panel at a con that explored the intersection of science fiction/fantasy and religion. One of … Read the rest
Tag: Theology
The Cognitive Value of Theological Fiction: C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce
This is part of a series of posts about the value of speculative fiction in understanding religion.
I’ve expressed skepticism about the cognitive value of speculative fiction insofar as it’s understood as merely imagining possibilities because possibilities—like the future impacts … Read the rest
Biblical Inspiration and God’s Trustworthiness
We’ve determined that God’s trustworthiness can’t be assumed because of how the Bible portrays His character. He does not deceive wantonly, but He has no qualms about deceiving His opponents to further His goals.
How are we to know that … Read the rest
Alchemy and Mud: Arguments in Fiction
I’m regularly surprised when my readers spy ideology lurking in my writing, as if the presence of an argument or even a sensitive topic in a work of fiction is proof that the author is trying to seduce the reader … Read the rest
God As Executive (To Whom We Can Say Nothing)
We construe transcendent God through analogies: God as a loving father, a just or cold-eyed judge, a suffering savior, as Jesus of the Gospel, as victor over Death, as jealous tribal god of the Hebrews, as (war)lord of hosts… Read the rest
Freedom is Slavery to One’s Good Sense
The formula “Freedom is Slavery” seems Orwellian but a version of it is true. Freedom is not slavery to a regime, government bureaucrats, a master race, one’s work, or another person, but to good sense, to rationality. Why is this? … Read the rest
On Giving God More Than His Due
A friend of mine helped one of his friends recover a chapter of her graduate thesis from a corrupted flash drive. Needless to say, she was appreciative and made this clear on Facebook. Amongst the many compliments and comments to … Read the rest
God’s Lie to Abraham
Earlier we determined that commands can deceive and possibly be lies because they can be used to convey deceptions or lies. What is the theological significance? We have reason to believe that God deceives Abraham, one of His greatest servants. … Read the rest
Can a Religious Outsider Be a Theologian?
When I was an undergraduate studying religion and a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School I was taught that theology is written by religious insiders, and theologians are religious insiders. Non-Christians cannot be theologians of Christianity or write Christian theology, … Read the rest