Does the Atonement of Jesus Prove Jesus is God?

An argument one sometimes comes across for the idea that Jesus, a man, is somehow also actually God as well is this:

Only God can atone for sins; ergo Jesus, who atoned for sins, must, in addition to being a man, also be God.

I do not find this argument compelling for a number of reasons. Continue reading

How Did I Get Here?

Recently, an old friend of mine, upon reading some of what I have written on this site, expressed his concern that some of the things I have written are a “departure from orthodoxy.” He asked what happened to me since he knew me last that had led to these views. Copied below are the two emails I wrote him in response to his email. I have edited the emails, removing things of a more private nature. Continue reading

Andrews Norton on Christianity

Below is what I regard a most apt description of what has happened to the doctrines of the Christian religion as taught by Jesus and those whom he designated his apostles. It comes from the unitarian Christian scholar Andrews Norton (1786 - 1853), one-time professor at Harvard University and author of several books including the classic A Statement of Reasons for Not Believing the Doctrines of Trinitarians: Continue reading

Why Even Calvinists Resist Calvinism

I recently reached out to a Calvinist friend of mine imploring him to reconsider whether Calvinism is true or not. In reply my friend told me something interesting and significant. He told me he had become a Calvinist reluctantly, indeed that he had fought against it “tooth and nail,” that he had ultimately only converted to Calvinism because he believed he “saw it plainly in the scriptures.” Continue reading