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One of the great joys of engaging in philosophical and theological dialogue is doing so with friends who sharpen us, challenge us, and walk with us in pursuit of truth. My friend Warren McGrew (a.k.a., "Idol Killer") is one such colleague. He is a bold and thoughtful theologian who, like me, firmly rejects exhaustive divine determinism (EDD) and seeks to defend a robust view of human freedom grounded in God’s love and sovereignty. Though we part ways when it comes to Molinism

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen—not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen—not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” — C.S. Lewis Similarly, I believe in perfect being theology as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see the maximal greatness of God, but because by it I see everything else. This theological lens ha

Christians across denominational traditions typically agree that God is perfectly loving, perfectly just, and perfectly wise. He doesn’t make mistakes, He never judges unfairly, and He knows not just what will happen, but also what would happen in every possible situation. That’s what we mean when we say God is a maximally great being—among other things, "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and possesses perfect knowledge, is perfectly just, and perfect in mercy. Now let’s take a clos

Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein are joined by Richard Suttles known as "The Fallen Ape-Theist" who identifies as an agnostic/atheist. As friends they discuss the reason Richard doesn't believe in God, what might change his mind, and how he thinks the way he does. If you ever wanted to get into the mind of an atheist this is a great window! For our conversation on Trump's near assassination go here: Check out The Fallen Ape-Theist here: Facebook: Twitter: @TheApe_Theis

Recently, during a public discussion on divine determinism, a Calvinist objected to my use of the term “EDD” — short for Exhaustive Divine Determinism (or Exhaustive Divine Determination). He said, “I’m just going to use the term everyone else uses in the literature — theological determinism,” and dismissed EDD as both "superfluous" and “a mouthful.” That’s a fairly common response I hear online. Many Calvinists and divine determinists seem to bristle at the term EDD. Some

I joined the launch team group for William Lane Craig’s Systemic Philosophical Theology and was given access to a preview chapter as a reward. In joining the group, I agreed to buy a copy of his book and post a review on sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, and so on. So quite clearly at this point I’ve been adequately bribed, and my opinions and commentary are suspect. I’d originally intended to finish this a couple of weeks ago and post it before the book came out, but thanks

Dear ChatGPT, I'd like to discuss an epistemological matter referred to as "direct acquaintance." In epistemology, direct acquaintance refers to a kind of immediate, non-inferential awareness or knowledge of something. When one is directly acquainted with something, one does not know it via reasoning, testimony, or interpretation, but through immediate experience or awareness. Although I disagree with him on many things, I believe Bertrand Russell was correct when he argued t

Risk is an inescapable part of life. We wear seatbelts because we can’t predict when an accident will happen. We buy insurance because we don’t know when a disaster might strike. We lock our doors at night, not because we expect a break-in, but because failing to prepare for one could prove catastrophic. Gun ownership operates on the same principle: it’s a rational hedge against an unpredictable world. This reasoning finds a striking parallel in Pascal’s Wager , a classic phi

JAMES WHITE ON THE ATONEMENT & THEOLOGICAL DEFICIENCIES The recent debate on the extent of the atonement proved to be a passionate exchange of theological ideas, with both sides advancing defenses for their positions. The responses from James White and his co-debater were, at times, creative, particularly in their exegetical treatments of passages such as John 3:16 and 2 Peter 2:1. However, their approach ultimately faltered in the broader theological and historical context (

Theology Thursday meets FTMonthly today: We often think of "wokeness" as a term specifically meant to explain leftist takeovers of institutions but what if there was a form of wokeness on the right? Dr. Neil Shenvi stops by to explain what the dissident right is and that, while it my eschew the label of "woke" it carries with it similar strategies and ideas about the world. Neil Shenvi is an author and speaker with PhD in Theoretical Chemistry and has written the books "Why

Tim and Josh are BACK together and pulling no punches. What should the church think about Trump's theology? Specifically in relation to a recent IVF executive order, Paula White's entrance into his official orbit and Trump's stated plan in the USA taking over Gaza? Josh and Tim discuss and possibly even fight about these things and more... As Christians its important to bring a theological, philosophical and reasonable perspective to political discourse. #trumpadministratio

In this article, I will be reviewing the latest installment in the growing Studies in the Doctrine of God series published by Cascade Books: One God, Three Persons, Four Views, a debate book on the Trinity edited by Dr. Chad McIntosh. In terms of difficulty, I consider it to be lay-accessible, with some challenges. Prior volumes in this series were Lyonhart’s Space God (which is a study of God’s omnipresence) and Mullins’ Eternal in Love (which explores questions about how

Introduction In previous articles, I have written about Paul’s view on suffering and how the Church is to handle times of pain and trials. What we can understand from what Paul tells us, and from our own experience, is no one escapes suffering in this life. We all have had pain or opposition in our lives and that is unavoidable, especially for Christians. At times it can seem odd that the servants of a loving God experience pain and troubles. Even the greatest of Christ’s ser

Josh is joined by Thomas to discuss recent comments by Vice President JD Vance, also, bad Super Bowl ads, He Gets Us and more - Tim is out for a Maven Trip! Check out this episode!

“At every moment of consciousness, we are fated to wrestle with God.” (Pg. xxxi) Dr. Jordan Peterson is one of the most influential conservative voices in the world. Many Christians have actively tried to discern his theological positions. Does Peterson believe in God, if so, what does that mean? What does he think of Jesus? These questions have been bandied about online for years, most recently in Peterson’s admission to Alex O’Connor (internet atheist nonetheless!) that if

Dear ChatGPT,  Guidance control is a concept from philosophy, particularly in discussions of free will and moral responsibility. It refers to the capacity of an agent to guide their behavior in a way that reflects their reasons, values, and intentions. In the context of free will, guidance control is often contrasted with what is referred to as regulative control. Allow me to explain: Guidance control asserts the ability to guide one’s actions in accordance with one’s rationa

Every so often, a text is published that shakes the very foundations of biblical scholarship. Michael Licona’s book Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently (Zondervan, 2024) is such a work in the first quarter of the twenty-first century. After decades, yea centuries, of critical biblical scholars attempting to explain the differences in the Gospels, the theological world finally has a viable option in Licona’s work. Licona breathes life into th

Paul's Theology of Suffering We have thus far studied the two parts of Paul’s theology of suffering: Paul on suffering , and imitating Christ and Paul . Imitating Christ is a vital part of our lives as Christians. Christians are not to merely assent to the truth of Christianity and that Christ is Lord; we are to take part in our faith through imitating Christ. <1> As believers, we imitate Christ through the shape of our lives; we imitate him through life, death, and resurrect

Josh is gone and Tim has... a replacement? Maybe not that extreme, but tune in to find out this Thursday at 3pm! Check out this episode!

Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein analyze a recent social media spat on immigration policy that Tim had and we look at the objectively GOOD policies currently coming from the Trump admin in Birthright Citizenship and an executive order meant to outlaw the "transing" of the kids. Check out this episode!