The video above features a short excerpt from a debate between well-known atheist philosopher A.C. Grayling (famous for conveniently "forgetting" having debated William Lane Craig) and Christian philosopher Peter S. Williams. Their subject: the fine-tuning of the universe's initial conditions to support complex life, bearing on the case for intelligent design. Williams … [Read more...]
Is Naturalism Rational? The Self-Defeating Epistemology Behind Evolutionary Theories of Cognition (Part 1)
This is Part 1 in a 3 part series on evolutionary theories of cognition. This part discusses C.S. Lewis' Argument from Reason. Part 2 will examine Alvin Plantinga's Argument from Proper Function and part 3 will cover Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism. No matter how contentious an intellectual debate may appear, both parties agree on at least one thing. They … [Read more...]
Understanding the Meaning of "Faith"
Introduction. The other day I was involved in a conversation with a group of men at a Men's Breakfast at our church. One of the discussions we were working over was the meaning of this word, "faith." The definition of faith is very much misunderstood by Christians and maligned by skeptics, depending on which side of the conversation one finds themselves. Allow me explain what … [Read more...]
The danger of an overly rational mind
One of my recent word studies in the NT texts involves the distinction of the greek "pneuma" (spirit), "sark" (flesh), and "psyche" (mind/soul). The Hebrews as well as the 1st century Christian Jews had accepted these distinctions when defining the separate characteristics of the human being, which they believed was composed of these three elements. As apologists, we rely … [Read more...]
The Value of Existential Apologetics
As part of my exploration of new approaches to apologetics, I’ve been reading through Clifford Williams’ book Existential Reasons for Belief in God. So far, the hardest thing about understanding Williams’ thesis has been getting my head around the difference between an evidential argument for faith that uses needs as evidence of God and the existential argument for faith which … [Read more...]
Kant's Critique of Anselm: Can Existence be a Predicate?
One of the most famous (and supposedly devastating) criticisms of Anselm’s ontological argument comes from Immanuel Kant. It is virtually undisputed by those who mention the argument. One hears this criticism even on the Internet. In nearly every instance in which I have encountered this objection, an explanation is never provided. What is this criticism, and what does it … [Read more...]
Bacterial Cell Division and Peptidoglycan Synthesis: An Evolutionary Enigma
The video above shows the process by which bacterial cells reproduce themselves. Looks simple, doesn't it? It's only a colony of cells elongating before splitting in two. Don't be fooled -- appearances can be deceiving. As is so common throughout biology, the apparent simplicity at the macro level masks remarkable complexity at the micro or molecular level. In eukaryotes, cell … [Read more...]
Faith: ‘wishful thinking’?
I often hear people talk about faith as if it is ‘wishful thinking’. This is especially true in the ‘science vs. religion’ debates. “I have my reason…. you have your faith…” is the general sentiment. I have even heard Christians use a similar way of speaking. In some circles, there seems to be an attitude that you should ‘just believe’ and not question anything. These views of … [Read more...]
Approaching the Existence of God
How do we know God exists? In the past when I was asked this question I used to automatically jump to an argument for God. I would sit down and try to explain it in detail to the individual. I have now decided to take a different approach and back up: I ask the person “How should we approach the existence of God?” or “ What method should we use?” Now, I know … [Read more...]
The Promissory Metaphysics of Thomas Nagel: A Review of Mind and Cosmos
A review of Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False by Thomas Nagel I didn’t expect to write this review. In fact, I didn’t know when I would get around to reading this book. When a book is reviewed by the likes of William Dembski and Alvin Plantinga, what could a poor schlub like myself have to offer? Possibly not … [Read more...]