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TechnoratiPOST PUBLISHED INMay, 2011
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Inerrancy, liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons
May 31st, 201108:34 AM ETThe word "Cretan" means (not surprisingly) an inhabitant of Crete. But it also means an uncouth, uneducated person as in: "When we were in Moscow I tried taking Billy to the Bolshoi Ballet but the Cretan listened to his heavy metal garbage the whole time on his iPod." So the word "Cretan" in fact doubles as a racial slur not unlike calling someon... -
Alister McGrath writes fantasy? What’s next? A cookbook?
May 30th, 201102:08 PM ETThis is an unabashedly churlish review of Alister McGrath's new book The Aedyn Chronicles: Chosen Ones. It is based on a quick read of the first chapter. That first chapter was photocopied and handed to me — unsolicited mind you — from a pastor who is a big fan both of Alister McGrath the Theologian and of fantasy literature. So he had high hop... -
How to support the troops on Memorial Day
May 29th, 201112:23 AM ETOn Monday, May 30th 2011 Americans will commemorate Memorial Day, an annual observation of Americans who have died in war. But how best to observe Memorial Day (which, incidentally, doubles as the unofficial start of summer)? First, let's consider how not to commemorate it. I suggest you avoid going to city park, getting sloshed on a case of beer,... -
Can you name one scholar who accepts the resurrection but isn’t a Christian?
May 28th, 201111:24 AM ETOver the last week I have had the following question posed to me two or three times: "Can you tell me of just one scholar who accepts the resurrection of Jesus but who isn't a Christian?" Of course this isn't just an innocent question. I feel like the ticket person at an old drive in theater. Suddenly a 1967 Pontiac Parisienne with a driver and ... -
Goddidit and The Chatty Skeptic Doll
May 27th, 201101:51 PM ETIs it possible that a historian could invoke divine agency as the best explanation of past events such as the reports of an empty tomb and post resurrection appearances that we find in a number of the documents collected into the New Testament? Robert thinks not. In the thread on "Heathenism, Naturalism, and other unstated premises" he writes: "Wh... -
Do Atheists discriminate?
May 25th, 201112:25 PM ETOf course. More exactly, some do and some don't. Just like some Christians discriminate and some don't. (I chronicle both types of discrimination in You're not as Crazy as I Think.) The real question for the present moment is this: how do atheists commonly discriminate? In the last couple weeks I've been focusing on some key examples of discrimi... -
Dawkins’ infinite regress and why it really matters
May 23rd, 201110:13 AM ETOver the last several days I have launched several important charges against Richard Dawkins' letter to his daughter . These critiques have been, for the most part, simply ignored by the many enthusiasic Dawkins apologists who have lept to his defense this week. So I am going to slow right down and lay out a fundamental critique more fully. I will... -
‘Dawkins was Wrong.’ Come on, say it. Say it!
May 20th, 201111:22 AM ETFor those of you who, like me, were raised on a diet of "Happy Days" back in the seventies you will remember that the Fonz could not say "I was wrong". Whenever he was expected to he would mumble and stutter and stumble over his admission, much to the delight of the viewing audience. I thought of that this last day as I have read Beetle's comments... -
Richard Dawkins’ foolish advice to his daughter
May 19th, 201102:52 PM ETThanks to Beetle for linking us to Richard Dawkins' advice to his then ten year old daughter. I call it foolish because any advice that is self-referentially defeating is foolish. First, Dawkins tells his daughter: "Something that you learn by direct seeing (or hearing or feeling...) is called an observation. Often evidence isn't just observatio... -
Is Mother Teresa in hell?
May 18th, 201109:52 AM ETAbout a month ago I gave a speech at a public function. At one point in the speech I mentioned the catalogue of saints that have come before us and who even now labor shoulder to shoulder with us. Among those individuals I mentioned people like the Apostle Paul, Augustine of Hippo, Catherine of Siena, and (in our own day) Desmond Tutu. Apparently t... -
Why you should probably sit out the slut walk
May 17th, 201111:04 AM ETI know what you're thinking: "What on earth is Randal talking about today?" It all started back in January of this year when a police officer delivering a speech at York University on campus safety made the observation that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized." That politically incorrect advice apparently was the... -
Why there is nothing wrong with being certain in your beliefs
May 16th, 201110:45 PM ETThese days one often encounters the idea that being certain about a belief — i.e. having unshakeable conviction in its truth — is somehow worriesome, dangerous, or otherwise threatening. This is how Richard Dawkins puts it: "religion causes wars by generating certainty."(Cited in Avalos, Fighting Words, 177). Second, in Does the Bible justify... -
On the Myth of Religious Violence
May 15th, 201105:37 PM ETYesterday I attended a lecture by scholar William Cavanaugh from DePaul University speaking on the topic of his recent book The Myth of Religious Violence. Cavanaugh did an outstanding job. He was witty, urbane, and argued forcefully for a thesis of monumental importance. I commend the book to you. While I haven't read it, I've read a couple of his... -
Can a Christian be a psychic?
May 12th, 201109:28 PM ETThe other day I started reading through Thomas Morris (ed.) God and the Philosophers (Oxford University Press, 1994), a collection of essays by leading Christian philosophers (or at least leading philosophers circa 1994). I didn't get far before I found myself surprised and intrigued. As I was reading through Morris' own autobiographical essay titl... -
Is Paul the Apostle guilty of hate speech against atheists?
May 08th, 201110:48 AM ETThus far I've diganosed the objection to atheism as being different than Maitzen supposes. But what about that objection itself? Is it plausible? Let's take a closer look at Romans 1:18-21 and unpack what it is affirming, at least on the "atheists are rebels" view. To begin with, in verse 18 Paul is referring to those who demonstrate a "godlessnes... -
Can atheists be trusted?
May 07th, 201110:27 AM ETLast week Stephen Maitzen, a very fine philosopher of religion, provided the links for two of his papers. The popular distillation of the argument is "Does God Destroy our Duty of Compassion?" (Free Inquiry, (Oct/Nov 2010), 52-53). That is the place if you want a quick overview of the argument. The second paper, ostentatiously titled "Ordinary Mora... -
Does the Golden Rule apply in geopolitics?
May 05th, 201109:26 AM ETDo you really think the only way to bring about the peace is to sacrifice your children and kill all your enemies? (Larry Norman, "The Great American Novel", 1972) In "American-based terrorism, or, Why I think I'd like to be a Quaker" I pointed out one terrorist that the United States had harbored for years. So it seems a bit hypocritical that t... -
American-based terrorism, or, Why I think I’d like to be a Quaker
May 04th, 201109:30 AM ETIf any work of political science characterizes the modern age it must surely be Machiavelli's "The Prince". Our political leaders do whatever they can get away with to attain and retain power. Period. It's almost enough to make me a Quaker. Case in point. It is now becoming clear that a team of elite US Navy Seals entered Pakistan without the know... -
Indoctrinated: Why you should not use Focus on the Family’s “The Truth Project”
May 02nd, 201108:27 AM ET"The Truth Project" is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by Focus on teh Family. They spent over two million dollars developing and producing this video series of thirteen one hour sessions and they have spent lots more promoting it in churches throughout North America and around the world. It is thus with much regret that I have b... -
Why it pays to be an ‘unstrategic’ Christian
May 01st, 201110:55 AM ETIn "Christians and the sin of hating homosexuals" I laid out some examples where Christians express an indefensible hatred against homosexuals. Robert Fischer objected to the post, saying that "it is unhelpful to offer up these anecdotal incidents of hate." And why is that? He went on to explain as follows: These may be used by other people to say...
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An exploration of faith, knowledge, reason and doubt (with the occasional trite pop culture reference thrown in for good measure).
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