Olympics 2024: Celebrating Dionysius at The Lord’s Table?

July 31, 2024 By Anthony Costello

Editors Note: This is a guest post by Christian author and speaker Kaon Serjani. Immediately following the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, there was global controversy among Christians who interpreted certain segments as a mockery of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Some organizers clarified that it was intended to depict Bacchanalia, an ancient Roman festival honoring (Dionysus). Throughout history, Bacchanalia has involved dancing, singing, and revelry, focused on the worship of Dionysus, the Olympian god revered in Greco-Roman... Read more

Paganism Book Review: Response to “Under The Ancient Oaks”

June 28, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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Recently, I posted about a new eBook I wrote on the return of Paganism in America (actually, in the West more broadly). That book can be found here for those interested in the topic. To my surprise one of my co-bloggers here at Patheos, John Beckett of “Under the Ancient Oaks,” graciously purchased a copy of the book, read it, engaged with its content, and even found the time to write a short review. What follows is my response to... Read more

My New eBook: “The Return of Paganism”

June 13, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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Roughly three and a half years ago I started writing for Patheos. Around that time, I was reading quite a few academic articles on Critical Race Theory. One of the articles I came across, which I highlighted in this two-part series, opened my eyes to something I had not expected, namely, that there was an organic connection between Critical Race Theory, as well as Queer Theory, and paganism. That article, published in July 2021, was called “CRT And The Return... Read more

What is a Saint in Christianity?

May 30, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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In the last post I tried to answer the question of “What is Legalism?” within the context of the Christian life. In this post, I will address another common question about Christianity, namely, “What is a Christian saint?” As with the last post, I will draw from a theologian who few would regard as a saint, let alone as having lived a “saintly” life, namely, Paul Tillich. Still, even the least saintly among us can provide good definitions or strong... Read more

What is Legalism in Christianity?

May 23, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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The charge of “Legalism,” or of being legalistic, can often come quick and hard in Evangelical churches, sometimes in a fairly legalistic manner, as in: “oh, you’re just being legalistic!” Another favored synonym for the act of “being legalistic” is to call someone a Pharisee or accuse them of acting “pharisaical.” While there is such a thing as legalism in the Christian life, there is also its opposite. The antithesis of legalism was best summed up by Bonhoeffer as “cheap... Read more

Natural Theology vs. Ancient Idolatry

May 20, 2024 By oanderson

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Natural theology can mean two things. It can mean the affirmation that God (Yahweh) is known by his works. This is called general revelation. Natural theology is the study of general revelation. We can know from general revelation that God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in being, wisdom, power, holiness, goodness, justice, and truth. We can know that God alone has existed from eternity and is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. We can know that... Read more

Can Dreams Be Sinful?

May 3, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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In contemporary Christianity the claim is often made that only behaviors are sinful. However, the idea that only external acts can be sinful, or immoral or transgressive, is a very modern idea. It is certainly not one the biblical authors or the early Church Fathers would have endorsed, let alone Jesus (Matt 5:21-30). In fact, one Church Father, Clement of Alexandria, argued that even our dreams could be sinful. While some modern Christians may balk at the thought of involuntary... Read more

Why the Conquest of Canaan was Just

April 12, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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In the last few posts I have offered a defense of the “literal view” of the conquest of the Canaanites. This renewed interest surrounding the justice of God’s commands to Moses to conduct herem, or total destruction, against the Canaanites was sparked by a controversial interview the YouTube skeptic Alex O’Connor conducted with Christian philosopher, William Lane Craig. In these posts, I have provided some reasons to think that even if the commands to destroy the Canaanites, to include women,... Read more

The Canaanite Conquest and The Corporate Nature of Sin

April 3, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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In this series, I have been defending the literalist view of the Israelites’ conquest of Canaan. This series was prompted by an interview William Lane Craig did with the YouTube atheist, Alex O’Connor. In that video, Craig defended the attack on the Canaanites by appealing to a version of Divine Command Theory, whereby God’s commands are directly related to His perfect nature. Craig also referenced this 2009 article by Clay Jones, which highlights some of the “abominable practices” of the... Read more

The Conquest of Canaan: How Sin Pollutes the Land

March 29, 2024 By Anthony Costello

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In my last article, I addressed a recent controversy that broke about Israel’s conquest of the Canaanites. In that article, I began a defense of the literalist view of the war against Canaan; one that has recently reemerged in light of an interview that William Lane Craig did with Alex O’Connor, an atheist YouTuber. In that interview, Craig defends the literal view of the conquest based on two major premises: first, that the commands of God are always in alignment... Read more