Matt O'Reilly, PhD

I’ve been a pastor for twenty years. If there’s one thing people have questions about, it’s the afterlife. If there’s one thing people...

What barrier must be overcome for the mission of the Church to be effective?

On the willingness to say I don't know Anyone acquainted with theological discourse and debate will know that humility is not always the...

Many think of heaven as a distant place far removed from this world. But that's not the picture we get in the New Testament book of Acts.

Reviews are starting to come in for Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice (SBL Press). In particular, Chris...

Can Christians lose their salvation? Here's why 1 Corinthians 6 indicates that they can.

Dissatisfied with Heaven So what are they waiting for? To answer that question we need to look more closely at their appeal. Their...

The newest episode of the SoWhat? Podcast aired earlier this week. This one is part 2 of a discussion about the resurrection of Jesus in...

The newest episode of the So What? Podcast went live today. This one is in two parts, and the topic is one of my favorites. That’s right:...

From The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology: The immortality of the soul is an opinion – the resurrection of the dead is a hope. The...

Many of us thought it couldn’t get worse than seeing a medical doctor swill her wine and crunch her croutons while speaking of “less...

That’s what several standard Bible translations would have you think. The verse in question is 1 Corinthians 6:13a, and it turns out that...

Jerry Walls is taking a turn in Rachel Held Evan’s “Ask a…” series, and he is answering question on hell, free will, and possibility of...

I’m leading an adult Bible study on First John this summer, and last night we came to John’s first use of the word “antichrist”, which...

Everything Jesus says is his answer to the question raised by the disciples in 24:3. And their question is primarily looking for a bit of...

“…they will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in...

These questions and more have abounded for centuries; indeed, such questions are anticipated by the scriptures. In 1 Corinthians 15:35,...

In fact, Paul makes it clear here (Rom 8) and elsewhere that it’s the present life that is meant to function as purgatory. The sufferings...

With great confidence (and financial expenditure), May 21, 2011 is declared to be the day of Jesus’ return. Or the rapture. Or whatever....

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered...