Randal Rauser

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  • 21st century martyr: A conversation on the legacy of John Allen Chau

    21st century martyr: A conversation on the legacy of John Allen Chau

    Not all assessments have been negative. In his fascinating article “Should Missionaries Just Stay Away?,” theologian John Stackhouse offers a very different assessment of Chau as a “brave young man doing what brave young Christians should.” In this conversation, I spoke with John about his article and the issues it raises.

  • Do bad children go to Hell?

    Do bad children go to Hell?

    When I first became a father, I found myself facing a question that most Christian parents must confront at one time or another: when is my child responsible to make her own decision to follow Jesus?

  • In apologetics, the ability to debate is good, but the ability to listen is better

    In apologetics, the ability to debate is good, but the ability to listen is better

    I still think that the ability to debate is important for apologetics. But I now believe that it is superseded by another skill: the ability to listen.

  • Morally Indignant Humanists Take Aim at Operation Christmas Child

    Morally Indignant Humanists Take Aim at Operation Christmas Child

    In this article, I'm going to offer a response to an article by Humanists UK which expresses opposition to the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child (OCC) program.

  • The Fascist Snowflake: Thoughts on the Bannon/Frum Debate

    The Fascist Snowflake: Thoughts on the Bannon/Frum Debate

    I watched the online stream for the Munk Debate on the Rise of Populism. The debate featured Steve Bannon in battle with David Frum. The debate was delayed by close to an hour because of angry protesters in the streets who were harassing arriving audience members, screaming at them that they were supporting fascism.

  • The Ways of Atheist Indoctrination

    The Ways of Atheist Indoctrination

    Many atheists are keen to identify indoctrination within Christian (or other religious) communities. Not surprisingly, however, they typically fail to recognize the extent that indoctrination can occur among atheists.

  • The Kavanaugh Effect: Coming to Terms With Rape Culture

    The Kavanaugh Effect: Coming to Terms With Rape Culture

    USA Today columnist Kirsten Powers published a powerful article titled "I was sexually assaulted and thought it was my fault." The fact is that sexual assault and date rape were punchlines in the 1980s.

  • What Does It Mean to Be Evangelical? And Is It Worth Defending?

    What Does It Mean to Be Evangelical? And Is It Worth Defending?

    I grew up viewing the term "evangelical" as a guarantee of quality. I believed that evangelicals were the most faithful and orthodox followers of Christ and that they offered the closest approximation of the New Testament church. But while I regularly used the term "evangelical" to identify "good" Christianity, I would have been hard pressed to give a concise definition of the term. So what, exactly, does it mean to be an evangelical?

  • Top 5 Problems With Contemporary Christian Apologetics

    Top 5 Problems With Contemporary Christian Apologetics

    These days, so much of apologetics is focused on debates. On the downside, the entire debate format tends to reinforce tribalism (more on that anon), competition, and spin-doctoring/motivated reasoning to the end of winning the debate.

  • Fundamentalist Apologetics Comes of Age

    Fundamentalist Apologetics Comes of Age

    Like many in my generation, I grew up with a copy of Josh McDowell's Evidence that Demands a Verdict on the bookshelf. Over the years, I frequently consulted Evidence to quell doubts and provide ammunition to fire back at the skeptics on topics like evolution and the authorship of Daniel.