Journalists deal in facts – lots of them. We eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We snack on them at midnight. Facts, facts, and more facts! So, what can possibly convince an atheist journalist about the existence of God? Facts – and lots of them. I found discussions with Christians about science interesting, but those about morality were a bit disturbing. I couldn’t … [Read more...]
Chronological Snobbery and the Resurrection of Jesus
When discussing the historical basis for the resurrection, one often encounters a popular misconception that the ancient world was far more gullible about claims of resurrection than people are today. This common presumption amounts to what C.S. Lewis called “chronological snobbery.” People imagine that, while our post-enlightenment modern world treats claims of resurrection … [Read more...]
GOD: The Best Explanation?
What is the most plausible way to explain the features that we observe about our universe? In this first installment of our new miniseries, "GOD: The Best Explanation?", we begin to investigate whether a personal Creator God might or might not be a good explanation to the variety of features we observe in our Reality. In this video we also discuss 4 features of a strong … [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...]
The Ethical Life
Ethics is a wide topic that touches every facet of our individual lives and our society. I want to talk about a very small slice. The fact that ethics has, in certain cases, been boiled down to one concern – environmental ethics or how we interact with the natural world. In particular, reducing one’s carbon footprint. Let me explain. The BBC recently appointed Justin … [Read more...]
If materialism, are there subjects?
In this post I seek to establish one premise: If materialism is true, there are no subjects. There has been much extended discussion in my post on atheism's universe, wherein (in the comments) I asserted that, on atheism, there are no subjects. It is high time I clarified my position and drew out its implications. Materialism and Atheism My argument is based upon a … [Read more...]
Should the State look like my Church?
What a week in politics (both US and Australian)! What was very evident to all was the passionate actions and reactions of individuals and groups within our communities on a range of topics including marriage of homosexuals and abortion. Rather than focus on the political, let me unfold a fascinating accusation that caught my attention during the war of words. … [Read more...]
Is Atheism a Religion?
At The Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reason and Science you can find a witty and urbane video of TV host and comedian Bill Maher. In the video Maher is primarily arguing that “atheism is not a religion." Maher contrasts the difference between atheism and religion like this: When it comes to religion, we’re not two sides of the same coin, and you don’t get to put your unreason … [Read more...]
The Remarkable Design of the Eukaryotic Cell Cycle
Have you ever wondered how the eukaryotic cell knows when to transition from one phase of its cycle to the next? How does the cell know to begin DNA replication (S phase) or mitosis (M phase), or to enter the two "gap phases" (G1 and G2) that separate them? How are previous phases halted and new phases initiated? What quality-control measures are in place to minimize … [Read more...]
The Search For Truth — Experientialism and Pragmatism
To build an Incarnational Apologetic capable of reaching the post-modern person, it is important to understand four basic epistemologies. Rationalism Agnosticism Experientialism Pragmatism The first two have already been covered in my previous posts, in this video-post I want to define both Experientialism & Pragmatism. What is Experientialism? Experientialism is a … [Read more...]