Why Calvinism Misunderstands Biblical Election: What about Romans 9?
A lot of people assume Romans 9 obviously teaches the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election. They think it means that God selected...
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Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
N.T. Wright on Authentic Church Unity #UMC
Anyone who’s spent much time in church will know that disagreements happen. If those disagreements aren’t resolved quickly, they may soon...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
N.T. Wright: Paul Was Not a "Religious" Figure (@fortresspress)
So says N.T. Wright in the opening chapter of his Paul and his Recent Interpreters (Fortress, 2015): “though we have been accustomed to...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
If We Do Not Repent (#PPSellsBabyParts)
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...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right: Grace, Progress, & the #UMC (@DrewBMcIntyre)
Do evangelicals have a double standard when it comes to sexual ethics? That’s the claim made by Drew McIntyre in a post on authority in...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
New SermonCast: "Growing into Salvation" 1 Peter 2:2-10 #UMC
Much of the time we think of salvation in the past tense. We focus in on that moment when we first experienced God’s reconciling grace,...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
On Priorities, Positions, and the #UMC Via Media (@eJoelWatts)
I raised a few questions last week about the current call among United Methodists for a via media (or a middle way) that might preserve...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Defining the Methodist middle: Is there a via media for the #UMC?
The United Methodist Church is increasingly embroiled in an ever more polarized debate over human sexuality. As the debate rages, many...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
New SermonCast: "First Things First" #UMC
Every organization that wants to be around and be effective for the long haul must, at some point, ask the question: What is the most...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
#WesleyCast Interview w/ @DrewBMcIntyre, Review by @TalbotDavis #UMC
I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Lake Junaluska last week. I’ve been United Methodist for over 20 years, yet this was my...
Matt O'Reilly
4 min read
Allowance Isn’t Affirmation, Except When It Is (@DrewBMcIntyre #UMC)
My recent post aimed at evaluating the “Way Forward” plan set forth by Adam Hamilton and others has garnered a fair bit of response, some...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Why "A Way Forward" Isn’t (#umc #umcschism)
These are difficult days in the United Methodist Church. The divide in our denomination between those who differ on the compatibility of...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Andrew T. Lincoln Interview on the Virgin Birth (@eerdmansbooks)
Eerdman’s has recently posted this interview with Andrew T. Lincoln on his new book Born of a Virgin? Reconceiving Jesus in the Bible,...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Is #UMC Conversation Still Possible?
Prominent United Methodist polity expert Dr. Thomas E. Frank has called upon the Council of Bishops to put a stop to church trials for...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
If Trials Stop, Likelihood of Schism Grows (#UMC, @UMReporter)
The United Methodist Reporter has published an open letter from United Methodist polity expert Thomas E. Frank asking the Council of...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Athanasius on the "Conquest of the Cross"
Easter is around the corner. So, I thought I’d share this gem from St. Athansius’ On the Incarnation. A very strong proof of this...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Review: The Lost World of Genesis One (John H. Walton)
The lines of the creation-evolution debate are boldly and firmly drawn and few plausible arguments have been made that carve a promising...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Guaranteed Appointment Redivivus: A Few Reflections on a Major Decision
We already have a way of exiting ineffective clergy. I say that because the relevant paragraphs in the Discipline which provide clergy...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Book Giveaway: Spirituality According to Paul by Rodney Reeves
Spirituality often evokes images of quiet centeredness, meditative serenity and freedom from life’s pressures. It’s become a chic...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Report: HTR will not run article on Jesus’ wife fragment
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Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Involuntary Retirement Recommended for Bishop
Does a Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy have the authority to involuntarily retire a bishop? Is this an implication of the General...
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