The acknowledgments of J. P. Moreland's Scientism and Secularism include a nod to colleague Garry DeWeese, followed by a parenthetical comment about how Moreland has never understood the second 'R'. It's a throwaway line, possibly tossed in for some private levity to break up the intense, thoughtful process of writing. Yet it helped crystallize for me how I think differently than Moreland and thus why some parts of his book clicked for me while others did not. To me, the answer is obvious: because name spelling drifts … [Read more...] about Science Book Review: Scientism and Secularism
Book Review
We Are Ahab – Both Hunter and Hunted. A Book Review of Moby Dick
Like most who are part of the academe, I consider myself a well-read person, though we all admit that the more of an expert you become in one area, the more you realize how ignorant you are in others. My focus is the 19th Century American religious environment and even when I stray from there to another research focus, I always come back because I find the century so interesting. Sometimes, to get a more complete view of the period, I will read fiction from the era since it gives a window into the period's views about … [Read more...] about We Are Ahab – Both Hunter and Hunted. A Book Review of Moby Dick
Winsome Persuasion. A Teaser
This week I received a box of books from InterVarsity Press which included Winsome Persuasion: Christian Influence in a Post-Christian World by Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer (2017). In the midst of Holy Week, how does Winsome Persuasion, Christianity Today's 2018 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Apologetics/Evangelism, contribute to the discussion of and engagement in public discourse? … [Read more...] about Winsome Persuasion. A Teaser
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 8
Evolutionary biology is a challenging topic; the history of the Christian church's reaction to it, doubly so. Continuing a theme running throughout When Science and Christianity Meet, David Livingston identifies the human element as a major complicating factor. After all, the church does not respond to evolutionary biology; individual Christians do. And some of those individuals are responding more to Darwin the man than his scientific contributions. And even Darwin the man had many reactions to his own work and its … [Read more...] about Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 8
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 7
How would I have thought about my fellow humans had I lived 50, 100, 150 years ago? That question has been nagging me for a while now. As a biologist, my current thoughts on topics like race are influenced by my understanding of the science. I am also aware that various scientists have come to a range of conclusions on those questions over the years. With hindsight, we can see how some of those conclusions were based on flawed studies, biased reasoning, or incomplete or nonexistent data. But would I have been able to … [Read more...] about Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 7