Theologian and Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer believed that the arts (music, paintings, drama, movies, etc.) reflected the true inner philosophy and beliefs of a society. This being the case, it was not uncommon to find him lecturing in his Swiss L’Abri community not only on the teachings of Christ but on topics such as the metaphysics of the rock group Led … [Read more...]
Is Naturalism Rational? The Self-Defeating Epistemology Behind Evolutionary Theories of Cognition (Part 2)
This is Part 2 in a 3 part series on evolutionary theories of cognition. This part discusses Alvin Plantinga's Argument from Proper Function. Part 1 examined C.S. Lewis’ Argument from Reason and part 3 will cover Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism. See Part 1 of this article here. Alvin Plantinga’s Argument from Proper Function Alvin Plantinga advances two … [Read more...]
Evolution and the Church: A Dysfunctional Marriage
Although none of its followers would call it a religion, evolution has become the religion of the university. Instead, they call it science, even though none of it can be verified in the laboratory. However, even a growing number of atheists are challenging this theory. The late theoretical physicist, Fred Hoyle, dismissed this theory: "Darwinian theory is wrong because … [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...]
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...]
The Euthyphro Dilemma
The Euthyphro Dilemma is designed to explore the relationship between God and morality. The dilemma is found in Plato’s Euthyphro dialogue. It consists of an exchange between Socrates and a young man called Euthyphro, from whom the dilemma gets its name. When applied to an Abrahamic conception of God it asks “Is something good because God commands it? Or does God command … [Read more...]
In Kopplin's Words
In an age where many teens are concerned with paltry things, I am inspired by young people like Zack Kopplin and his incredible courage to articulate and defend his worldview. His passionate advocacy and political/social engagement is unmatched in today’s culture by most adults, let alone teens. Yet, I want to be clear that Zack is defending a non-scientific worldview and not … [Read more...]
Banquet At Delmonico's – How Darwinism Came to America
Banquet at Delmonico’s Great Minds, the Gilded Age, and the Triumph of Evolution in America by Barry Werth Reviewed by: Terrell Clemmons Post Civil War America was looking for a new belief system, says social historian Barry Werth. Across the Atlantic Charles Darwin had proposed a new theory of biology, but had left the popularization of it to others. In Banquet at … [Read more...]
When the Natural Meets the Supernatural
Many years ago I was present at a home where two young boys – ages 6 and 4 – were playing with a Ouija board[1] that the woman of the home had carelessly supplied to keep the kids occupied. In addition to the homeowner and me being there, my brother and sister were also present. It wasn’t long before the children began to declare that they were not moving the pointer across … [Read more...]
Evaluating Naturalism
[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: Naturalism can be summed up with Carl Sagan’s well-known mantra, “The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.”[1] This worldview holds that everything about reality can be reduced to and explained by … [Read more...]