"No philosophy or metaphysics has ever been admitted without question or qualification into Christian theology, bit had to be tried by fire (1 Cor 3:13-15)." - John Betz

It's release day for Christological Dogmatics! I try to cover the bases: historical debates, global development, exegesis, moral theology. I use less-known figures to supplement well known ones: Cyril of Alexandria, Aimee Semple McPherson, Gregory Nazianzus, Jon Sobrino, Robert Clarence Lawson...

My piece on Lonergan’s philosophy of history, “Things Will Get Better Before They Get Worse,” is live now in @commonweal.bsky.social Both @gelliottmorris.com & @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org get shout outs in this one, btw. www.commonwealmagazine.org/heaps-jonath...

I keep seeing progressive Christians write chastising posts about evangelical Trump support (3 so far today). Here's a reminder that a majority of white Catholics & mainliners also voted Trump. Maybe rather than write scathing commentary about others, tend to your flock? prri.org/spotlight/re...

Social media just makes this an uphill battle even more than it normally would be. I work hard to convince 60 evangelicals in a Sunday school class that the immigration system is unjust, and evangelical Josh Howerton has 1.8 million followers he can pepper with short media to defend the system.

The table of contents for Christological Dogmatics wasn't working on Amazon, so I'm sharing it here. I'm happy with several features: 1) engagement with less common figures (Lawson, Thomasius, McPherson, etc.) 2) content bracketed by evangelism 3) social ethics + classical doctrine interspersed

The recording of my round table discussion on immigration with Gordon-Conwell's Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square from December is now posted online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfRa...

"Thinking about God and praying to God are not two discrete acts which we must somehow try to bring together by some mechanical bridge called ‘spiritual application’; rather, they are ultimately a single act of relating to God.” - Simon Chan

I'll be part of an immigration roundtable conversation with a few great scholars on December 3rd. You can stream it and watch, too. www.gordonconwell.edu/event/christ...

I’ll be participating in a forum on Christian immigration ethics this week, seeking to balance justice and rule of law in Romans 13 while aiming for a critique of some current policy that I hope people across the political spectrum can stand behind. stream available here: www.gcts.edu/live

Endorsements are up for "Christological Dogmatics" on amazon: tinyurl.com/mudt9ts2 I asked people who wrote some of the best and most stimulating works I read in writing the book. I'm thankful they were willing to say something nice about my work.

"Feuerbach should be asked whether human beings would really, on their own, wish to receive redemption through a crucified man." - Hans-Martin Barth

Great review here from a notable scholar of migration in Scripture. Much to learn from his engagement.

Here's a short piece I wrote defending due process for immigrants. There's a lot more to be said (and I'm hoping to get a few more pieces out soon), but this is certainly one thing I'm very concerned about. cateclesia.com/2025/07/16/w...

Here's a short piece I wrote defending due process for immigrants. There's a lot more to be said (and I'm hoping to get a few more pieces out soon), but this is certainly one thing I'm very concerned about. cateclesia.com/2025/07/16/w...

100%. Many of the stories of ICE detaining people with green cards could have happened under any admin. That’s not true for the pro-Palestinian stuff, of course, and the Trump admin is doing a lot of new stuff too… but a lot of this just isn’t novel. It’s the system operation as intended.

Look what’s available for preorder: www.amazon.com/Christologic...

Theology 101: One of your responsibilities in your ministry is to prepare to pass it on to somebody else.

Westerners assume that “the state is not yet the Beast of the Apocalypse,” but “the state is now, as always, a monster in which all the irrational forces of the human being meet. People may think the monster has been defeated, but it is always able to reappear.” - Jose Comblin

My new book has a page! (that's not the cover though - must be some kind of holding image)

I saw a series of images from Josh Howerton getting tons of attention on several social media platforms. It’s world refugee day, so a little tongue in cheek (though serious issues are at stake), I thought I’d “grade” this as a theology professor.

I saw a series of images from Josh Howerton getting tons of attention on several social media platforms. It’s world refugee day, so a little tongue in cheek (though serious issues are at stake), I thought I’d “grade” this as a theology professor.

It's world refugee day. I wrote a liturgy.

I was able to write this brief reflection on Nicaea: livingchurch.org/covenant/nic...

Surprisingly, when it's mandated that you move offices (a three day ordeal) in the two weeks you have to grade all of spring papers and prep all of your new summer online class, you wind up with a ton of mistakes in your new prep that make you look like a dolt.

An honor to write on #immigration policy & #theology for the Mygration Christian Conference blog. Confused by ”America First” rhetoric? See how immigration, of all types, is good for the U.S.—and why Christians ought to defend immigrants even if the benefits weren't so clear: tinyurl.com/adpmcc0525

One of the greatest MAGA successes has been their ability to bring about this conversation so often. Person: “we should admit X group of immigrants.” MAGA: “so you believe in open borders?”

Apollinarius or Apollinaris? And why?

"The tendency in American life is to view the migrant through the lenses of utilitarian calculus. In what way will he or she bring benefits to us or constitute burdens?... With this perspective, we view immigrants as objects to be assessed in terms of their value to us." - Dana Wilbanks

"God's discourse, like everything God does, is qualified by everything God is - the sum total of the divine perfections, including wisdom, goodness, and love." - Kevin Vanhoozer

Happening in my neck of the woods if you’re an interested graduate student.

“If then your prince or secular lord commands you… to believe one thing or another, or commands you to throw away books, you should then say: 'Lucifer is not entitled to sit beside God… if you should tell me to believe and to throw away books, then I will not obey.'"

Stunning. May was brutal for Trump in federal court: 96% loss rate ⚖️. Even GOP-appointed judges have ruled against the admin 72% of the time. District courts are doing their job defending the Constitution. Soon the Supreme Court may be the only court unwilling to defend the rule of law.

Trinitarian Dogmatics - now available in Korean

Does anyone own a copy of Maximus the Confessor's "On the Difficulties of the Church Fathers" vol. 1 (Constas translation)? I'm trying to track down what page numbers "Ambigua to Thomas" are on. No luck finding a TOC anywhere. If you own, could you please help?

In my OT course I assign students to read almost all the OT. This takes about 67 hours (based on audio Bibles). Because an average American watches about 30 hours of TV a week, if one chooses to “fast” from TV, they can actually read the entire OT in about 2 weeks.

My friend from Marquette is a boss

I lock my doors at night. I've no moral objection to locks. But I would object to someone who needed an electrician, found a desperate man to do the job, refused to unlock the door for him, warned him he'd be arrested if caught breaking in, but promised to pay well if he did the job uncaught.

It's often the people with the least awareness of facts that like to insist that facts don't care about your feelings.

I have signed a contract with Baker Academic to write a 2nd book on immigration. I'll argue that governments have a right to exclude migrants, but that other moral factors constrain that right. The US has consistently excluded migrants immorally by failing to meet these other moral standards.

A 25-year-old DOGE bro at the CFPB held $715,000 in stocks that ethics lawyers told him he wasn’t allowed to own while working there — then DOGE fired those ethics lawyers. This is corruption. Always call it out.

On this episode of Glad You Asked, theologian and social ethicist Glenn Butner explains what it means to be a refugee, the accuracy of calling Jesus one, and its implications. uscatholic.org/articles/202...

Is anyone familiar with sources using the ethics of just war but in the context of policing? Basically I'm looking for parallels in the ethics of force between just war and an ethics of policing. Sources appreciated.

The state has never been the friend of God’s people (see 1 Sam). At best it has been a strategic tool. I know I’m not making the case in one post, but perhaps the burden falls on those who want to rely heavily on the state to make their case. Begin from a position of suspicion of all that isn’t God.

“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,”(Exodus 23:1-2 ESV)

I'm working through applying the principles of just war theory to the use of force in migration as part of my next book project. So much of what we do violates the principle of discrimination (protect the innocent), last resort, and reasonable success.

Not my best podcast performance ever (I didn’t put in enough details), but still worth sharing. I’m thankful for being invited! uscatholic.org/articles/202...

I have incredible students at Gordon Conwell. It’s been such a blessing to be in a classroom with them.

This was a great event to be part of. Well done @jonathanrheaps.bsky.social