Believe it or not, I find that there is a little bit in Calvinism to agree with, particularly the fact that they believe everyone for whose sins Christ died will be saved. There are some points where we disagree, however, because Calvinists don’t understand that Christ died for everyone’s sins, so I thought I’d give… Continue reading An actually biblical TULIP
Author: Drew Costen
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
Are heretics really a threat?
Throughout history, various heretics (not to mention infidels, apostates, and other non-believers in particular doctrines and dogmas) have been ostracized, persecuted, tortured, raped, and even killed for their particular beliefs (or lack thereof). Apparently we are often considered to be such a threat to the well being of society that if we are not eliminated… Continue reading Are heretics really a threat?
Salvations?
Lector: In your last article, it was pointed out that if there is anything at all we have to do to “get right with God,” even if it’s simply “choosing to trust Jesus,” then salvation would be by works and not grace since it would be a transaction between us and God. So how does… Continue reading Salvations?
Christian magic
Many of the evangelicals I grew up with were horrified at the idea of magic and witchcraft, all the while promoting the biggest magic spell ever, known to many simply as “The Sinner’s Prayer.” This magical incantation, when spoken out loud (and truly believed), is supposed to somehow change the location that we end up… Continue reading Christian magic
The Open Church
I’ve been a part of at least two really good house churches over the last decade. The fact that they were house churches, however, was not the important factor here, the fact that they were “open churches” was. This means that we didn’t have sermons or dress codes or have to put up a false… Continue reading The Open Church
Make them prove it
Admittedly it’s only a few days old, but so far no takers on my Everlasting Hell Challenge here on my blog [June 20, 2020 Update: I’ve since removed comments from this blog, but I had them for years and nobody ever even attempted to complete the challenge on my website despite many people reading it],… Continue reading Make them prove it
The Everlasting Hell Challenge
On a Christian message board I sometimes visit we’ve been discussing the issue of hell, which got me to thinking, and I came up with a challenge for Evangelicals and other Protestant Christians who base their theology on the Bible alone: Demonstrate convincingly that the idea that “those who die without putting their faith in… Continue reading The Everlasting Hell Challenge