The parable of the blind men and the elephant "has crossed between many religious traditions and is part of Jain, Buddhist, Sufi and Hindu lore." One version goes like this: "A number of blind men came to an elephant. Somebody told them that it was an elephant. The blind men asked, ‘What is the elephant like?’ and they began to touch its body. One of them said: 'It is like a … [Read more...]
The Truth Holds Us
In a world of religious and ideological divisions, hardly anything evokes more anger than saying, "I know the truth." A statement like that may be tolerated in mathematics and science, though even scientists are wary of it, knowing how often the "truths" of one age are later corrected or replaced. In morality and religion, though, it's downright offensive. Relativism reigns. … [Read more...]
Politics and Foundations
The other day I was in conversation with a friend who is quite involved in the political scene over here in The States. Every now and then she will forward me the latest "evidence" pointing toward the corruption of government in general. However, she had made a religious claim that she based on subjective evidence. I had asked her to support the assertion in a way that might be … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Claim to be Divine? (Answering Pluralism)
Religious Pluralism is a post-modern way of thinking that rejects the idea that any one religion is true, rather, all religions are equally true and equally valid ways to God. While pluralistic efforts at trying to support equality, tolerance, and dialogue may be noteworthy in some instances, there are serious philosophical, historical, and logical flaws in this type of … [Read more...]
The Presumption of Pluralism
Everyone has their own truth. What's true for you is true for you, what's true for me is true for me. All religious backgrounds have a piece of the puzzle. All roads lead to the same goal. God is big enough to work through all people's faiths. Pluralism is rampant in our society. People want to affirm everyone's belief. Tolerance is the buzzword. Few want to talk about the … [Read more...]
Tactics by Greg Koukl: A Book Review
Want more friends? Better conversations? Frequent, life-changing spiritual encounters? But wait, there’s more! What if you could also avoid dead-end discussions, pointless arguments, and go-nowhere debates? Then you should be interested in Tactics, a book by Greg Koukl, the president of Stand to Reason Ministries. The fact is that many Christians feel intimidated by … [Read more...]
The Relationship Between Science and Philosophy
How far can science take us and at what point does philosophy and metaphysics take over? Here is the general process of science and philosophy. METHOD. Science’s modus operandi is to observe the data while philosophy is examining the data and reasoning through it. MATERIAL. Science’s materials are facts. There are certain data that provide empiricalfact to work with. … [Read more...]
Responding to Cultural Buzzwords: Tolerance, Multiculturalism, and Relativism
Have you ever been placed in a situation where you have pointed out particular problems in our culture, only to have someone respond back with "Judge not, lest you be judged..."? In that encounter were you ever given the chance to finish it for them? In many cases, Christians are not given a chance. It is because we are told that "toleration" in a pluralistic, multicultural … [Read more...]
Evolution, Morality, and Transformers
Recently I saw the movie "Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon". I almost made it through the whole thing without a single thought about worldviews, philosophy, or apologetics. But, alas, near the end, something happened that my mind couldn't ignore (I pulled out my phone and immediately started taking notes). For those who are unfamiliar with the Transformers' basic … [Read more...]
Ideas are Powerful: A Little Virus Can Take Control of an Entire Body
Ideas are powerful. Some ideas are so coercive that they can transform our entire worldview. The Galatians had been “running well” (Gal. 5:7). However, they fell under the influence of a powerful, coercive idea. Along with trusting Christ, the Galatians succumbed to the belief that they had to also become Jews and follow the law in order to be saved. Rather than contributing … [Read more...]