I am not a rabid anti-postmodernist; there are aspects of postmodernism that I find very helpful when talking and writing about faith. Relativism, however, is not one of them. One of the best examples of postmodern relativism is the catchphrase “that may be true for you, but it's not true for me.” Often, this phrase is heard in the context of a conversation between a … [Read more...]
Solving The Problem of Pluralization
In this part of my series on Incarnational Apologetics, I want to explore the four key problems: Secularization Pluralization Privatization Polarization Today's video post picks up with a discussion of Pluralization. To be certain, there are many positive qualities found in Pluralization. Art / Architecture Language Culture People Food But, as I discuss in the … [Read more...]
Are You an Expert?
Now more than ever, we seem to be surrounded by experts and intellectual giants on all corners. Throw out a question on Facebook and you will get a response, often from an "expert". Google a contentious question that has plagued philosophers for centuries and you will discover reams of pages linking to the blogs of "experts". I am also often told that you don't need to be a … [Read more...]
Why Telling Your Story is NOT the Best Way to Share the Gospel
Anyone who’s ever taken a class on how to share their faith has heard some well-intentioned teacher say, “You don’t need to learn a lot of big words. Just tell them your story. Just tell them how Jesus changed your life. No one can argue with that.” Then everyone sighs a big sigh of relief because they thought they’d have to spend time learning how to answer hard questions. … [Read more...]
Boys in the Girls' Locker Room?
Last week in California, a news article reported that state legislation was passed to enable "students in California schools to compete on sports teams and use facilities, including restrooms, based on their gender identity, regardless of whether they are listed as male or female in official campus records." This basically means that if a boy believes he is a girl, despite his … [Read more...]
Is Morality Objective?
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral universe, and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws.(1)” He helped build the Civil Rights movement upon these moral laws: whites are not superior to blacks and … [Read more...]
How should I respond to religious pluralism?
Religious Pluralism has become common in our daily lives. Not only do we live in a religiously diverse nation, one that claims to uphold each individual’s right to choose their faith, we also live in a culture that has adopted the belief that all religions are fundamentally the same. I’m daily confronted with the reality that many people believe all religions are true, teach … [Read more...]
Solving The Problem of Secularization
Having defined 4 key epistemologies in my previous video posts on Rationalism, Agnosticism, Experientialism, and Pragmatism. It is a good time to remind new readers that the focus of this series is to develop a healthy Incarnational Apologetic which I define as follows. Incarnational Apologetics is not to convince others that the Church is “relevant” NOR to persuade them of … [Read more...]
Warm Bodies: Exhuming Ourselves
“Once you’ve arrived at the end of the world, it hardly matters which route you took.” Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies has been a surprise hit. Though this zombie romance book (?) was originally written for an adult audience, the recent movie targets a YA crowd. If you are tempted to dismiss the story as yet another sign that we are staggering toward cultural annihilation, you … [Read more...]
Opinions vs. Truth-Claims
This post is more of an addendum to my post "Positive vs. Negative Arguments". Please check out that post for more context. Opinions reflect feelings and may or may not be true. If one claims that their thoughts are simply "opinions" (not claiming to actually be truth- even though it might be) then they have no responsibility to provide a reasoned defense of the … [Read more...]