Of Binary Mindsets Spectrums seems to be ideologocial flavor-of-the-month in language today as binaries are on the outs. And it’s clear that Randal doesn’t like binaries, complaining that such thinking, “ is characteristic of conservative evangelicalism and fundamentalism. According to that mindset, the world is divided into stark categories of good and evil, right and wrong, light and darkness, truth and error .”[ 1 ] This statement should be kept in mind since Rauser is himself engaged in binary thinking: his position is what is right , Childers is that which is wrong . If this was not the case, why the need to write the book? For Part 1 , Part 2 That’s not to say that I entirely agree with Childers, nor is it to say that I entirely disagree with Rauser. However it does assume that there are certain clear “rights and wrongs” and that both can be participating in them. However, I would like to suggest that rather than asking, what is the historically orthodox position, one tha...

Finding Ones Footing  As was noted in the introduction , Randal Rauser, in his book Progressive Christians Love Jesus Too , intends to argue that conservative believers—like Alisa Childers, to whom his book is directly responding—has a “ errant notion that Christianity is anchored in doctrine .”[ 1 ] He insists that Christianity is “ anchored in Christ rather than our doctrines about Christ ”.[ 2 ] However, Randal, in his hurried attempt to respond to Childers’ critiques misses the all important question that Jesus himself asked at the pinnacle of his own ministry, "But who do you say that I am?"[3] Jesus’ question isn’t one of self-focused existential inquiry but a question of genuine belief about his identity.  Indeed the question, as it was originally posed, presumes some level of relationship (teacher to disciples), a relationship that was built upon certain beliefs about the nature of such a relationship. If Christianity is truly “ anchored in Christ ” as Randal...