“The Christian Delusion”
First it was Dawkins’ The God Delusion, now it is John F. Loftus’ (general editor; you know, the guy who’s always complaining that William Lane Craig won’t debate him) The Christian Delusion. Another book written with the express interest of destroying Christian theism in 500 pages or less. Reading the blurbs for the book, you’d think more people would be impressed. Not the guys at Triablogue, who have written an almost 200 page critique of The Christian Delusion, calling it — perhaps unoriginally — The Infidel Delusion.… (Read more)
But Why, God?
A few weeks ago I watched Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and I remember there was a scene where Absalom the caterpillar is asked by Alice whether or not she is the Alice that everyone remembers, that is, the Alice of the old stories. This Alice, it is “prophesied,” will slay the Jabberwocky, a fearsome dragon-like monster. Fearful, full of doubt and in a seemingly foreign environment, the unsure-of-herself Alice is told that she is “not hardly Alice” (or, not hardly that Alice). With these words, Alice (and mostly everyone around her) proceed with the knowledge that she isn’t who everyone thinks she is, and she does not (purposely) pursue her prophesied task. I really have to wonder, how many of us would be like this — or are like this — when it comes to “obeying God”?
It happens all the time in fiction, and yet we seem to … (Read more)
Chesterton: The Ballad of the White Horse
I was skimming through J.I. Packers Rediscovering Holiness (which I will review in the near future) and a segment of a poem by G.K Chesterton was quoted. This poem — The Ballad of the White Horse — is a literary masterpiece. So much so, that I have to share it here (well, and because I haven’t prepared anything else to write for tonight), at least, a little bit of it. As I’m aware, this is a poem which addresses both the battle between King Alfred and the Danes, in 878, and Christianities war against nihilism.
So with that said, enjoy.
The gates of heaven are lightly locked,
We do not guard our gold,
Men may uproot where worlds begin,
Or read the name of the nameless sin;
But if he fail or if he win
To no good man is told.
The men of the East may spell the stars,
And times … (Read more)
Stephen Meyer interviewed by R.C. Sproul
An interesting interview I first heard of on Justin Taylor’s blog. This interview is described as, “RC Sproul sits down with Stephen Meyer, author of the book, “Signature in the Cell”, and they discuss philosophy, evolution, education, Intelligent Design, and more.” Enjoy.
Seriously, it’s really good. Listen. Now!
Kreeft on Interfaith Cooperation
Well, it seems a mid-term and essay have taken control of my life, so I won’t be able to put any substantial thought towards posting (for today). I do think it’s worth mentioning, however, a talk given by Peter Kreeft on something he calls “ecumenical jihad”–that through (religious) separation comes unity (mighty paradoxical, isn’t it?). It’s about an hour and a half long, but it’s well worth the listen if you’re interested in hearing a little about interfaith cooperation. Though, to be clear, Kreeft is not a pluralist.
You can listen to the lecture here.… (Read more)
Apologist’s Evening Prayer
I just finished Peter Kreeft’s Heaven and Hell, and he closes the book with a piece of poetry written by C.S. Lewis. I’m surprised I haven’t come across this before, the admirer of Lewis that I am (I’m told its from his book Reflections on the Psalms). He seems to be saying that there is a certain danger in intellectual arguments and logical proofs for God’s existence. Namely, that such things may very well deaden one’s faith, turning it into an intellectual exercise, rather than a matter of the heart (if one’s not careful). (Unfortunately) from experience, I can attest to this.
From all my lame defeats and oh! much more
From all the victories that I seem to score;
From cleverness shot forth on Thy behalf
At which, while angels weep, the audience laugh;
From all my proofs of Thy divinity
Thou, who wouldst give no other sign, … (Read more)
Mohler: Christian, Muslim Dialogue
Justin Taylor has posted a link on his blog to a presentation on Islam by Dr. Al Mohler. A good introduction to the Christian / Muslim dialogue, Mohler’s talk is described as an examination of “some of the fundamental ways in which Islam and Christianity are at odds with one another, and how Christians and local churches can best think through their implications for life and ministry.” Having listened to it last night, I can say that it’s very informative and a worth the listen if you’re interested in the Christian / Muslim dynamic.
You can find the presentation here.… (Read more)
Plantinga and Gale on God and Evil
One of the most interesting (and humorous) discussions I’ve ever seen on the topic of God and evil was one between philosophers Alvin Plantinga and Richard Gale. Plantinga is notable for two things; he’s regarded as one of the pioneers in the renaissance of Christian philosophy, as it’s called. He’s also considered to have put an end to the intellectual argument from evil. Gale has himself written quite a few books on metaphysics, ontology and God. The dialogue is very informative and the discussion easy to follow (even if at times a bit difficult to understanding). So please, watch Which gives me an idea for another post…
Avatar, Pagan Advertisement?
It’s surprising the things you’ll find on YouTube, and I mean that in a good way. (**Spoiler if you haven’t seen Avatar**)
I came across an excerpt from one of Mark Driscoll’s sermons (his most recent series on Luke) in which he gives a brief analysis of the ‘wildly popular’ movie Avatar. This is Driscoll at his most candid: Avatar is “the most demonic, Satanic film I’ve ever seen. How any Christian could watch that without seeing the overt demonism is beyond me”. Ouch. I have to say, though, that I agree with him. I ended up seeing Avatar a few weeks after release (the only time I could get tickets), and the one thing that really bothered me about the movie was the amount of religious animism. I wonder how many (Christians) will completely miss the world view being presented–that everything is interconnected, divine, and that the … (Read more)
Musical musings
Whether I’m writing an essay for school, or writing new content for here (well, or trying!) I almost always have some sort of music playing. I figure it wouldn’t be fair of me to keep these artists to myself, as it were. So, I’m going to share a few with you all (before getting back to my new post for this evening). All of these artists are from Candyrat Records (YouTube channel ‘rpoland’), the first three artists primarily finger pick, with the last (Steffen) playing something very jazzy and highly recommended. If you like any of what follows, check out their YouTube channel as there is a lot of good talent there.
Don Ross — Tight Trite Night
Antoine Dufour — Ashes in the Sea
Don Ross and Andy McKee — Ebon Coast
Steffen Schackinger — City Lights
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