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
Articles by Drew Costen
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?
An actually biblical TULIP
Believe it or not, I find that there is a little bit in Calvinism to agree with, particularly the fact that they believe everyone whose sins Christ died for 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
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 the last post here, it was pointed out that if there is anything at all that we have to do to “get right with God,” even if it is simply “choosing to trust Jesus,” then salvation would be by works and not grace since it would be a transaction between us and God.… Continue reading Salvations?