The problem of evil is a challenge to religious belief, and yet the New Testament writers felt that the death and resurrection of Jesus effectively disempowered the forces of evil in the world, and evil should not be a hindrance to trust in God.
How does this make sense?
Read More »Black Panther and the Problem of Evil
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I recently had the privilege of talking with Eric Peterson, (pastor of Colbert Presbyterian Church) about Batman and Theology. Check out our conversation below: EP: So I gather you grew up enjoying comics? SV: I think I read the comic books later. I first watched Batman on TV, the Adam West 1960’s Batman, then I watched the cartoons. Then for a while there was a series of pretty bad Batman films in the 90’s, which I watched, but I lost interest in the character. Then in 2005, this new director Christopher Nolan made Batman Begins which was just really great. Good story, great writing, entertaining. And that’s when I really got interested in the character again. And then of course The Dark Knight which was the sequel which had huge cultural impact and became sort of an iconic version. And I think it was really after that one that I thought about Batman and theology. I thought, wow there’s all this great stuff in here, I want other people to see this too. EP: So that’s when you thought about writing the book? SV: Yeah,… Read More »Conversation with Eric Peterson about Batman and Theology
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SV: When Christians talk about the atonement, what do they mean? What is the doctrine of the atonement about? AJ: Answering this question is a lot like asking: “when people talk about education, what do they mean?” As it turns out, there are lots of answers. Some folks think of education as a means to the end of getting a job. Some think of it as a form of daycare or imprisonment by society. Other think about it as a life-long vocation to grow in wisdom and understanding. When it comes to the atonement, there is a similar range of meaning. Some think of it primarily in terms of the Hebrew word kipper, used throughout the Old Testament in describing the role of blood within the sacrificial system. Others think about it as an explanation of the death or crucifixion of Christ. In this sense, the atonement answers the question: “Why did Christ need to die?” My own preference is to use this word to sum up the work of Christ: pulling together the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, to explain… Read More »Interview with Adam Johnson
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