Introduction The objection of Christians being intolerant or narrow-minded is one of the more popular charges thrown down when discussing some of the moral issues of our day. Christians in many cases, are painted with broad strokes to be the "horse with blinders on its eyes, limiting its vision of the world; or that of an ostrich with its head buried in the sand, completely … [Read more...]
Church in crisis: a message every Christian needs to hear
It isn't much of a secret anymore that the church in the West is in crisis. If you haven't read one of the many church-produced or sociological studies, you've probably noticed it just by watching the news or looking around at society. But why is this the case? How did we get here and, more importantly, how do we fix it? … [Read more...]
Understanding the arguments in God’s not Dead: Part III of III
In part one we looked at Professor Radisson's arguments in detail, and in part two we dug into Josh's first and second lectures to his class. In the final part we will discuss the final talk, and the importance of Philosophy for Christians. Josh's third lesson begins with the problem of evil and suffering. This is one of the most difficult questions for the Christian to … [Read more...]
Ask the Alliance: What about animal pain and the violence in nature?
::Ask the Alliance #10::: Does God permit torture? Question submitted by Steve: Have any apologists spoken about the problem of animal pain (nature being "red in tooth a claw")? It is hard to understand the violence of the natural world (which includes us) in relation to the character of God. Is the violence of nature strictly a result of the fall? How do the theistic … [Read more...]
God, Love & Evil
The standard response to the traditional problem of pain and suffering, after Alvin Plantinga’s contributions1, is that there is a morally sufficient reason for a being that is God to permit or bring about instances of pain and suffering. If it is possible, not necessarily true nor believed by (a)theists, that a being that is omnicompetent has a morally sufficient reason to … [Read more...]
What happens when we disagree? Wisdom from Nicholas Wolterstorff
Just over a year ago I discovered a philosopher who would come to be one of my favourite thinkers—Nicholas Wolterstorff. As I read his book Justice in Love I was struck by the sharp clarity and rigor of his thought. But what I’ve come to appreciate most about Nicholas Wolterstorff is the gracious manner in which he challenges the views of his opponents. He writes with a … [Read more...]
OT Wrath Versus NT Love?
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: In the Old Testament, God is often perceived as wrathful while in the New Testament, Jesus (who claimed that He and the Father were united in all things) is perceived as loving. Such an alleged dichotomy … [Read more...]
Why Do We Need the Church?
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: Many modern people seem to indicate that they are “spiritual, but not religious,” or “I’m a Christian, but I don’t go to church” which is often code for “I don’t have people with whom I worship God.” Some of them … [Read more...]
Does the Mosaic Law Apply to Christians?
Approximately thirty-five hundred years ago, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai and soon after, other commandments followed. These together formed what is called the Mosaic Law. It consisted of six hundred and thirteen laws (or commandments) that were both positive (“you should”) and negative (“you should not”) and are contained in the first five books of the … [Read more...]
Quickly Answering Memes
A staple for skeptics of religion on social media is the use of memes: pictures with captions that quickly elucidate an argument or display a contradiction in doctrine or Scripture. Most arguments against Christianity can be articulated in a sentence or two, but it takes a 1,000 word article to unpack. That isn't universal, however. To wit, I have selected three memes I … [Read more...]