Roger Olson

Wolfhart Pannenberg, R.I.P.

By Roger E. Olson One of the last theological giants passed away Sept. 5. Wolfhart Pannenberg was without doubt one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. He was born in Stettin, Germany, (now part of Poland) in…

Should Christians fear being ‘on the wrong side of history?’

By Roger Olson We have all heard people say that Christians should adjust their view of sexuality because otherwise they are going to turn out to be “on the wrong side of history.” That’s code for turning out to have…

Christians and capital punishment

By Roger Olson To this day, the majority of Americans favor capital punishment for certain crimes, in spite of — or perhaps because of — the almost overwhelming negative judgment about it on the parts of intellectuals and writers. I…

An ethical God

By Roger Olson Recently, I was graciously granted one of the highest honors a university can bestow on a professor — an endowed, named “chair.” In my case, it is the Foy Valentine Chair of Christian Ethics — named after…

Remembering C. Everett Koop (and Lewis Smedes)

By Roger Olson Yesterday, Monday, Feb. 25, former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died at his home in New Hampshire. He was 96. Anyone who paid attention to public controversies knew of him in the 1980s as a rock-ribbed…

The sin of conspicuous consumption

Is it appropriate for a Christian to buy a $200,000 motor home in a world where children in Haiti and other places are dying due to lack of clean water, life saving medicines and even food? The other evening my…

Saying goodbye to a mentor and friend

By Roger Olson When I look back over my life and career, I can confidently say there was no more important influence on my theological development than Dr. Ralph Powell who passed away at age 96 on Aug. 7 in…