James W. Sire addresses another excellent question from Micheal Hickerson, ESN Blog Contributor: Should Christians worry if they find themselves enjoying or gaining insight from artistic, literary or academic works by people from other worldviews? I know that this has been a question within the Christian world from the ancients to the present. Didn't Tertullian (c. 160-230) ask, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” But, though I was brought up in a modestly fundamentalist community, the question has always … [Read more...] about Insights from works by people from other worldviews?
Augustine
“What, then, is time?”
As some of you know, I've been enjoying ESN blogger/mentor Kevin Birth's provocative Objects of Time: How Things Shape Temporality (Palgrave Macmillan, New York, NY: 2012). Augustine of Hippo wrote, "What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know; if I want to explain it to someone who asks me, I do not know" (1997 [ca. 397-98], 256). The question stumps us for quite different reasons. We surround ourselves with cognitive artifacts to tell us what time is, and the time these artifacts represent is demonstrably … [Read more...] about “What, then, is time?”
When God Talks Back by T.M. Luhrmann
For the past several weeks, I've been reading T.M. Luhrmann's When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. The book addresses a simple, but profound, question from the perspective of a nonbeliever: how can seemingly rational, otherwise normal people claim to discern God's will, to hear God's voice, and, sometimes, to even see or feel spiritual beings? Luhrmann asks this with genuine curiosity, both personal and professional. A psychological anthropologist who has written previous … [Read more...] about When God Talks Back by T.M. Luhrmann
Finding Mentors Who Share Your Faith
Last week, I gave some general thoughts on finding good mentors as an undergraduate. This week, I'll talk a bit about finding mentors who share your beliefs. This is not in any way to minimize the value of mentors who have different views about life. I've learned valuable skills, knowledge, and virtues from mentors who had completely different assumptions about the way the world works. It's often quite helpful to have a mentor who will challenge your deepest beliefs about the world. But, as in most things, it's also … [Read more...] about Finding Mentors Who Share Your Faith
A Lenten Reflection Break: Transformation
God gave us instructions about how to live a righteous life (Ex 24:12-18). God is holy and loves justice, and we offer him our worship and praise (Psalm 99). We pay close attention to Scripture and the words of Jesus (2 Pet 1:16-21), who is the beloved Son of God and takes away our fear (Mt 17:1-9).* Ash Sunday (Corrie Francis Parks. 3/8/2011. A drawing, formed in a swirl of dust, awakens to find herself trapped on an empty, dimensionless square of paper). Be sure to have your speakers on as the meditative music … [Read more...] about A Lenten Reflection Break: Transformation