"But like when you're doing a jigsaw, you don't need every piece of the puzzle to see the big picture. All you need is enough important parts that stand out and fit together." -- Alex McLellan. A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013, 19. In his new release, McLellan argues, "The ordinary jigsaw puzzle serves as a guide to making sense of the world" (19). What do you think about this idea/image? In the coming weeks I'll share several excerpts from this new … [Read more...] about A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World
apologetics
What is the biggest challenge to today’s apologist?
James W. Sire addresses: What is the biggest challenge to today's apologist? -- A question received by email inquiry. I doubt that there is a “today's apologist.” Every person engaged in presenting the Christian faith is “today's apologist.” Moreover, I can address the question but I am no longer an active traveling apologist with exposure to “today's” campuses. Among my current friends are a bitter Dawkins-type atheist and retired scientist, a mid-forties New Ager, a curious high school grandson, a liturgical … [Read more...] about What is the biggest challenge to today’s apologist?
Jim Sire on “Finding common ground with someone radically different.” Part II
James W. Sire digs deeper into Micheal Hickerson's Worldview question: How can we find common ground when someone has a radically different worldview from our own? In the previous blog post, I argued that as Christians we know that we share a common ground with all people in that we are all created in the image of God to live in a universe created by a loving, righteous, infinite-personal God. I also said that we agree to and use the universal laws of logic (A is A; A is not not-A; and B is either A or not- A). I … [Read more...] about Jim Sire on “Finding common ground with someone radically different.” Part II
Jim Sire on “Finding common ground with someone radically different”
The Worldview Question-and-Answer series with Jim Sire continues with the question: How can we find common ground when someone has a radically different world view from our own? -- Micheal Hickerson, ESN Blog Contributor James W. Sire's response: As a Christian we start with a distinct advantage. We know that all human beings are made in the image of God and that we all live in God's orderly and meaningful creation. In other words, there is a truth to know, and we were designed to know the truth. The fall has … [Read more...] about Jim Sire on “Finding common ground with someone radically different”
What keeps Jim Sire believing?
What keeps me believing, what holds my faith, is not the way I understand Scripture, but the fantastic way Scripture explains me to myself. I am particularly struck by the way Jesus, who amazes me every time I think of him, becomes personal to me as I read the Gospels and as I see his presence in the saints and the sinners around me. And, O yes, in God's creation -- those magnificent Sandhills, the Holy Land of Nebraska, icon of the near edge of eternity. -- Jim Sire. Conclusion to "Chapter 11: A Final Apologetic: Why I … [Read more...] about What keeps Jim Sire believing?