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
1 min read
The Dual Focus of the Resurrection
For Paul, the historicity of the resurrection of Christ and its “bodily” character are crucial. The historicity of the resurrection...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Reclaiming Revelation
Unless you have been under a rock for the last month, one of the revolving themes in culture this year are predictions regarding 2012...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Inerrancy and Interpretation: The Licona Controversy
The details of the controversy are available in other places; so I’ll simply sum up the core issue. In his massive book, The Resurrection...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Pelagius Redivivus
The move to reinstate Pelagius is being led by the Rev. Benno D. Pattison, rector of the Church of the Epiphany in Atlanta. You can read...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
What About Justification?
We don’t lose justification because the doctrine is clearly taught in the very same paragraph that we have been considering. Paul says...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
An Unfalsifiable Prediction does not a Prophet Make: Pat Robertson, the Signs of the Times, and the
Earlier this week, Pat Robertson made the statement that the recent Washington DC earthquake “means that we’re closer to the coming of...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
A United Methodist Archbishop?
The proposal presently remains just that, a proposal. As a constitutional amendment it would require a two-thirds majority vote of the...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Can Wrath Be Righteous? And Are We Blinded by Culture?
The question as to whether God’s wrath could possibly be righteous was raised by Paul in the middle of the first century. Paul sets out...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
United Methodist Student Pastor Wasn’t Fired; Left Willingly
Earlier this week, I offered some reflections on the reports that United Methodist pastor and student at Duke Divinity School, Chad...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Don’t Leave Clergy Vulnerable
The good folks at the United Methodist Reporter were kind enough to publish my article on the issue of the “guaranteed appointment.”...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Not Committing Idolatry, Resisting It: A Response to Rev. Sky McCracken
Has homosexuality become an idol for United Methodists despite what side of the issue they take? This is the charge leveled by Rev. Sky...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
So What Counts as Heresy?
I’ve been hearing the word heresy a lot, as of late. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Rob Bell’s yet-to-be-released Love Wins,...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
And that Is What Faith Looks Like
I left home early this morning to visit a church member at a hospital in Pensacola before her surgery. By the time I got home my family...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
When Authorities Collide
As we can expect, the debate continues in response to the recent “A Statement of Counsel to the Church – 2011” signed now by 36 retired...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Further Thoughts on Electing a General Conference Delegation
After my recent post on the potential for improvement of the way our Annual Conference votes on our General Conference delegation, I’ve...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Losing Our Connection: Is the United Methodist Hierarchy Out of Touch with the People in the Pew?
United Methodists are marked by our connection. Our people are part of churches that are part of Annual Conferences that make up our...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
And So It Begins: The Next Round in the United Methodist Battle for the Bible
The 2012 General Conference of the United Methodist Church is still over a year away, but the controversy that we all knew would precede...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
2010 Top Clicks
We have come to the end of yet another year, which means its time for all and sundry to post their top ten lists of this and that. Below...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Is the New NIV Going Liberal?
That appears to be the concern of some in the blogosphere concerning the translation of 1 Timothy 2:12 in the new edition of the NIV due...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
The Incarnation of Truth
As a philosopher, Plato’s highest desire was the attainment of truth. For Plato, though, one major problem stood in the way of the...
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