Entries by Rick Pidcock

The tangled web of evangelical opposition to abortion while believing in original sin, eternal conscious torment and the mysterious age of accountability

May 10, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on May 10, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Few topics enflame conservative evangelicalism’s self-righteous ire like the topic of abortion. We’ve all seen social media posts from friends that depict or describe abortion procedures in the most graphically violent ways in order to shock us. Who could possibly be in favor of violently […]

What will Twitter’s $44 billion purchase do to theological discourse?

April 27, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on April 27, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Imagine if the online theological discourse that led to the rise of Donald Trump and the conservative determination to use political power and misinformation to push their agenda on others was owned by a man rich and powerful enough to buy and control it for $44 billion. That is essentially […]

Exiles in Babylon conference gets so much right but can’t apply its logic about race to sexuality

April 13, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on April 6, 2022 at Baptist News Global. While many conservative evangelicals focus on fighting culture wars in an attempt to save the United States from progressive ideologies, New York Times bestselling author Preston Sprinkle seems to have accepted that Christians should reimagine their identity as exiles rather than as culture warriors. As host […]

Here’s a better way to talk about Lia Thomas and transgender athletes

March 24, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on March 24, 2022 at Baptist News Global. When Lia Thomas touched the wall during the 500-yard freestyle swim and became the first NCAA Division I national champion who self-identifies as a transgender athlete, many people quietly wondered whether her victory was something to celebrate or lament. On one hand, historic victories from underdogs […]

How the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy became a litmus test

March 14, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on March 14, 2022 at Baptist News Global. “Do you affirm the doctrine of inerrancy as articulated in the Chicago Statement?” demands Denny Burk, professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, tweeting his line in the sand to defend what he thinks are attacks against historic orthodoxy by the ever-so-dangerous Beth Allison Barr. Bringing up […]

Plagiarism is the least thing to worry about with Voddie Baucham, who is a threat to children, women and daughters

March 7, 2022 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared on March 7, 2022 at Baptist News Global. After Baptist News Global broke the news that Voddie Baucham was being asked to accept a nomination to become the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Theobros could hardly contain their excitement. Owen Strachan tweeted: “What Voddie saw TEN YEARS AGO, many evangelicals still refuse to see. […]

A response to Tish Harrison Warren about livestreaming worship

February 1, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on February 1, 2022 at Baptist News Global. “I think it’s time to drop the virtual option,” says Tish Harrison Warren in an op-ed for the New York Times, arguing that churches should stop livestreaming their services. She explains: “Bodies, with all the risk, danger, limits, mortality and vulnerability that they bring, are […]

How a student’s fashion design project upset the created order at Bob Jones University

January 18, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on January 18, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Let’s call this controversy Wrap-Coat-Gate. Trustees and administrators at Bob Jones University recently grew so alarmed over a wrap coat designed by a student for a class project that they publicly called the student’s work sacrilegious, blasphemous, dishonoring to Jesus, offensive, and egregious. […]

Beth Moore is not the first Baptist to journey to the Anglican Church

January 5, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on January 5, 2022 at Baptist News Global. When Beth Moore left the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021 and soon after was seen in a photo serving Communion at an Anglican church, the social media outrage became a reminder that few people seem to rile up Southern Baptist and conservative evangelical TheoBros as much […]

Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas and the world we see

December 20, 2021 /1 Comment/in /by

This article originally appeared on December 20, 2021 at Baptist News Global. After having what will one day be recognized as a Hall of Fame NFL career, Demaryius Thomas died unexpectedly of what police are calling “a medical issue” in his Georgia home on Dec. 9, 2021. He would have turned 34 on Christmas Day. As […]

BNG column sparks Thanksgiving Twitter war of words between complementarians and two female scholars

November 29, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared on November 29, 2021 at Baptist News Global. When David Gushee wrote his article “The Deconstruction of American Evangelicalism” for Baptist News Global, he kicked off what would become the focus of the next stage in the debate between conservative evangelical complementarians and their egalitarian counterparts. That debate took the form of […]

Interview: “Josh Harris, Evangelicalism, and Deconstruction, with Rick Pidcock”

November 23, 2021 /0 Comments/in , /by

Check out my interview on the Full Mutuality podcast! EPISODE DESCRIPTION: “Author and musician Rick Pidcock joins the show to share his thoughts on Christianity Today‘s podcast, ‘The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,’ evangelicalism’s take on deconstruction and the ex-evangelical phenomenon, and the platforming of former evangelical pastor Josh Harris. You can read Rick’s […]

What if Thanksgiving were a time to celebrate the natural creation?

November 23, 2021 /1 Comment/in , /by

This article originally appeared on November 23, 2021 at Baptist News Global. Christian churches in the United States often take advantage of national holidays to communicate particular theological points. For example, Memorial Day and Veterans Day provide opportunities to celebrate the idea of Jesus sacrificing his life on the Cross for spiritual freedom. Independence Day triggers […]

The five pillars of conservative evangelical Calvinism that are incompatible with love

November 12, 2021 /1 Comment/in , /by

This article originally appeared on November 12, 2021 at Baptist News Global. The majority of my adult life has been spent within the conservative evangelical Calvinistic world of Desiring God, Grace to You, Ligonier and The Gospel Coalition. Having grown up in the rules-focused world of the independent, fundamental Baptists, these ministries provided a much-needed relief […]

Book Review: “Why Is There Suffering?” by Bethany Sollereder

November 4, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

During my time at Northern Seminary, two of the most impactful theological insights for me had to do with learning to recognize my theological assumptions and examining the consequences of my beliefs. In her new book, Why Is There Suffering: Pick Your Own Theological Expedition, Bethany Sollereder provides a brilliant path for exploring how our theological […]

As Facebook evolves to Meta, what is the future of consciousness and control?

November 3, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on November 3, 2021 at Baptist News Global. On the heels of the recent whistleblower accusations against Facebook, the social media company has decided to change its primary organizational name and logo. Founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted the irony of the name-change timing during the launch of Meta, Facebook’s new parent company brand. “With […]

The Evolution of Consciousness and Modern Worship

September 27, 2021 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on September 27, 2021 at The Center for Christogenesis. The sound of a thousand people singing filled the room in perfect sync with the driving sound of the band. As we sang and played, my eyes looked around the room. These were people whose stories I knew. As a worship leader, […]

How did an openly queer artist climb to No. 1 on the Christian music charts?

September 27, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on September 27, 2021 at Baptist News Global. The openly queer Christian artist Semler was elated to report the breaking news that the parking attendant at a Switchfoot concert supports gay rights. And that wouldn’t be the only surprise of the night. As they drove to their parking space, Semler joked about how huge […]

Reimagining the ‘kingdom’ of God as something other than an ancient hierarchy

September 13, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on September 13, 2021 at Baptist News Global. One of my biggest disconnections with the Bible is regarding its kingdom language. I totally understand why the biblical authors used it. It was how people back then thought about ultimate reality. So, of course, God would be talked about as the ultimate king. […]

Knocking down the straw man of theological liberalism

August 30, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , , /by

This article originally appeared on August 30, 2021 at Baptist News Global. One of the growing frustrations many deconstructing Christians, ex-evangelicals, liberationist and liberal theologians share is how conservative organizations like The Gospel Coalition constantly misrepresent us through “straw man” fallacies. In the field of logic, a “straw man” is when somebody twists or exaggerates another […]

I lived in the culture of ‘The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,’ and there’s one part of the story that’s wrong

August 24, 2021 /4 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on August 24, 2021 at Baptist News Global. The more people talked about Christianity Today’s new podcast, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, the more I knew I eventually would need to listen to it. In 2004, my wife and I left our families and friends behind to move across the country and […]

Pastor Greg Locke is all over the internet spreading conspiracies; here’s why you shouldn’t believe him

August 2, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared on August 2, 2021 at Baptist News Global. Two years before he divorced his wife of 21 years and married his secretary, pastor Greg Locke rose to internet fame through a Facebook video decrying the morality of Target restroom policies that allowed people to use the restroom they felt expressed their correct gender. He said in […]

From purity pledges to the Equality Act: How evangelical concern about sex has shifted and what it has to do with creation

July 27, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , , /by

When more than 200,000 evangelical purity pledges were being planted at the National Mall in 1994 at the height of the True Love Waits movement, nobody would have imagined that the next 25 years would bring about a total revolution in how Americans viewed same-sex marriage. While at the time — now 25 years ago — just 27% of […]

Desire to validate the Bible makes Christians easy prey for archaeological forgeries

July 13, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on July 13, 2021 at Baptist News Global. The early morning air breathes hot on her face as archaeologist Cynthia Shafer-Elliott picks up her trowel to begin her work she describes as “not for the fainthearted.” Before her stands a mound of dirt, otherwise known as a “tel,” that holds within itself […]

Interview: “An Economic and Theological Conversation of ‘The Value of Nothing’ by Raj Patel: Part Two”

May 6, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , , /by

In this conversation, I talk with Dr. Jacob Robinson, who is one of my professors about the book “The Value of Nothing: How to reshape market society and redefine democracy” by Raj Patel. In our conversation, we each gave the other five quotes from Part One of the book that resonated with us. And then […]

Interview: “An Economic and Theological Conversation of ‘The Value of Nothing’ by Raj Patel: Part One”

April 29, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , , /by

In this conversation, I talk with Dr. Jacob Robinson, who is one of my professors about the book “The Value of Nothing: How to reshape market society and redefine democracy” by Raj Patel. In our conversation, we each gave the other five quotes from Part One of the book that resonated with us. And then […]

American Christianity in China also imports gender bias and Calvinism

April 9, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on April 9, 2021 at Baptist News Global. Imagine if America’s coalition of conspiracy theorist, cowboy Christianity had colonized its way into the world of international politics and sexual abuse cover-ups under the guise of spreading the gospel. Research scholar Mary Li Ma believes this isn’t an imaginary scenario, but a very real one […]

Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry offers a lesson on when the ‘institution’ is the church

March 15, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on March 15, 2021 at Baptist News Global. As Bishop Curry spoke about the power of love during Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding in 2018, having recently joined the Anglican Communion myself, my heart was full. But when I watched Oprah’s interview with Harry and Meghan last week, I was stunned at […]

Postcards from Babylon-A Review by Rick Pidcock

January 17, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on January 17, 2021 at Patheos. The new Postcards from Babylon documentary comes out on January 21. And I had the opportunity to screen it for a review. But I wanted to share some additional reflections from a section later in the documentary where a number of soldiers begin to process […]

‘Postcards from Babylon’ documentary tells a better story

January 14, 2021 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on January 14, 2021 at Baptist News Global. White conservative evangelicalism had just survived its perceived nightmare of the Obama presidency. They were certain that contraception mandates, cake-baking mandates, transgender people being free to use the restroom for their gender identity, and ultimately the legalization of same-sex-marriage were threats to their religious […]