When I debate atheists, from time to time I point out when they commit some of the standard logical fallacies. The genetic fallacy probably comes up as often as any other. This occurs when you incorrectly assume that by proving the origin of a belief, you have thereby disproven the validity of that belief. For example, atheists often claim that morality is merely the … [Read more...]
Case For Rational Atheism
“Negative atheism in the broad sense is then the absence of belief in any god or Gods, not just the absence of belief in a personal theistic God,” contended Michael Martin in The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, “and negative atheism in the narrow sense is the absence of belief in a theistic God.” He went on: Positive atheism in the broad sense is, in turn, disbelief in all … [Read more...]
A Look at Bart Ehrman’s Objection: The Earliest Christians Did Not Think Jesus Was God
By Eric Chabot, Director, Ratio Christi, The Ohio State University I have been reading through Bart Ehrman’s “Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. I could not agree with Ehrman more on several points he makes in the book on the problem with the Jesus Mythers. However, there are still some areas of disagreement. I will address one of them in this … [Read more...]
Fallacy Fridays
Over the past few years I have occasionally been asked by para-church, church and home-schooling groups to put together a critical thinking or “mini logic” course, with a focus on fallacy spotting, and teach it to their youth. I have done this from time to time and have often found as many adults in attendance as youth; the demand for this sort of thing seems to be fairly high … [Read more...]
External Evidence for Pauline Authorship of Ephesians
I was recently visiting a church on a beautiful Sunday morning when the pastor made an assertion in her sermon to which I felt I should respond. She stated that Paul did not write the book of Ephesians. In fact it allegedly was not written for 100 years or more after Jesus' death, at which time an unknown author attached Paul's name to the letter in a practice that this … [Read more...]
Sins and Superheroes
Question: When is it acceptable for a young man to pretend to respect authority but not actually do so; get revenge on people who embarrass him; break promises just because he doesn't like them; believe himself to be smarter than everyone else; act as a vigilante instead of working within the system; sneak his girlfriend out against her parents' wishes; and steal the identity … [Read more...]
Review: Seven Days That Divide the World by Dr. John Lennox
In Seven Days that Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science, John Lennox addresses the science and theology relevant to the age-of-the-earth debate. This is a controversy that continues to escalate within the church, as young-earth advocates claim that acknowledgement of biblical authority and inspiration requires a young-earth interpretation of … [Read more...]
JC Lamont's "Prophecy of the Heir" on the problem of judgment
Over the summer I read JC Lamont's Prophecy of the Heir, and not included in my review and author interview is mention that my absolute favorite thing about this book is how Lamont unapologetically, yet with the prowess of an apologist, answers the problem of the harshness of judgment. In the review, I do mention that Michael’s loyalty to the Prince is challenged mainly by his … [Read more...]
A Neighborhood Sidewalk Logic Lesson
My family and I live in a interesting setting when it comes to our housing. Back in 2003, we literally landed in a townhouse community where the neighborhood has ever reflected a transitional nature. How does it change? Families in renting or leasing scenarios either change residences due to not being able to pay the rent, been evicted because of negligence or not following … [Read more...]
The Psalmist's Lamentation And The Demise of Babylon
(King James Version) Psalms 137:8-9 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. The above verse is one that was brought to my attention recently by a skeptic on Twitter. Though I have read this passage before, I hadn’t spend much time … [Read more...]