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...]
Sailing to Utopia
“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing.” – Oscar Wilde [i] Oscar Wilde wrote that a map that didn’t include utopia was not worth glancing at. Why do we dream of utopia and strive towards it? The dream of a world of peace and harmony has inspired many throughout … [Read more...]
Four Essential Questions For Teaching From A Christian Worldview
Recently, I wrote about how and why we are failing our students. But, what does it mean to teach from a christian worldview? The foundation of the Christian worldview is the conviction that in Christ are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). In other words, Jesus has the best information about everything. To live out a Christian worldview is to “think … [Read more...]
"The Da Vinci Code" Critique – Part 1
Note: Although I don't hear as much about "The Da Vinci Code" since its release several years ago, I do hear assertions derived from the gnostic gospels... this critique addresses both the book and gnostic sources, so I believe it is still relevant. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code begins with the murder of the curator of the Louvre museum in Paris, Jacques Sauniere. As he is … [Read more...]
To Tell Truth From Error: The Church's Teaching Responsibility
We don't know how to tell truth from error, and it's time for the church to take responsibility. The Roman Catholic Church in New York is promoting Jesus Christ as "The Original Hipster." I saw that on the news not long ago, just a day after I found out an online poll by Prospect magazine had Richard Dawkins being named the world's top thinker.Neither of these speaks well for … [Read more...]
“That’s Just What You Think”: Responding to Relativism
The other night, while I was at an outdoor party and cookout, I got into a very interesting conversation with a friend of a friend. Her outlook on life was quite different from my own, which led me to ask a number of questions to better understand where she was coming from, how she saw life, and what was important to her. Overall, we were having an engaging, lively … [Read more...]
Is #Gosnell #INHUMAN?
Happening now is the #INHUMAN TweetFest, from 8am-8pm in whatever timezone you happen to inhabit. The goal of this event is to raise awareness about late-term abortion. A legitimate question was raised on the event page by Sandra: "Is this supposed to be 'Inhumane'? It just seems a little strange to call another person inhuman when he is indeed human. It is his behavior that … [Read more...]
The Strange Story of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and the National Press (Part 3)
The press (news media) is very good at covering big stories. News managers decide what stories are big enough to warrant extended coverage with multiple reporters bringing a wide variety of angles to the stories. Notice the words - "news managers decide." That's a key to understanding why the national press has decided not to cover the Gosnell trial as a BIG story. … [Read more...]
The Search For Truth – Rationalism
In the ongoing effort to develop an Incarnational Apologetic to reach the post-modern person, it is important to understand four basic approaches in the search for truth. Rationalism Agnosticism Experientialism Pragmatism In this video post, I want to focus on Rationalism which is defined as follows: Rationalism is any system that stresses reason as the means of … [Read more...]
Desperate Human Beings: The Walking Dead and Ethics
“Horror is not a glimpse into someone’s dark imagination, but a bridge into corners of everyday life most of us would rather not think about.” - Tauriq Moosa ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Walking Dead and Philosophy brings together a number of philosophers and ethicists to analyze … [Read more...]