Summary: David Skeel argues that far from being a problem for Christians, the complexity of the world is in fact something best explained by the Christian faith. This book is helpful both for the person considering whether it makes sense to become a Christian as well as for Christians looking for ways to articulate how Christian faith makes sense of life's deepest questions. Many people consider that Christians are “simple minded” and that anything that is complex or poses intellectual challenges is problematic to … [Read more...] about Book Review: True Paradox
Christian Apologetics
Apologetics – the What and the Why
In my last post, I said that as an academic teaching religion, I should not consider that my role as a teacher is apologetic in its nature. And by that I mean that I can teach religious systems (in my case Catholic theology) as religious systems without feeling like I have a responsibility to point out where these religious systems do not agree with the basic tenets of Christianity or with my own position as an evangelical Protestant. But this raises the question, what then is the nature of apologetics and why do we … [Read more...] about Apologetics – the What and the Why
A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World IV
"[The belief scale]. Picture an old set of set of scales, the kind that would tip to the right, tip to the left, or balance in the middle depending on where you place the weight. These positions represent believing that a proposition is true (tipping to the right), believing that a proposition is not true (tipping to the left), or withholding belief about a proposition (balancing in the middle). The weight placed on the scale is reasons to believe one way or the other, and the balance of the scales reflects the balance … [Read more...] about A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World IV
A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World III
"If you identify yourself as a Christian, you may get stuck with a label that describes you as harsh and offensive and when you try to stand up for your faith you will be told to sit down. It can come as a shock that people find your belief so corrosive, but the source of the problem is the cornerstone of Christian faith: you claim to know the truth. To say your understanding of the world is absolutely true means you believe you are right and everyone who disagrees with you is wrong. This is currently viewed as the … [Read more...] about A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World III
A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World II
"The challenge [to seeing the big picture and living in light of the truth] is that every religion claims to grant such heavenly insight, and many peer groups will pull together to defend what is common sense at least to them. They may even point to a few pieces of the puzzle that seem to go together and support their view. A small sample of life can give you a glimpse of the big picture but it can also distort it, and when someone has drifted off course we need to try to steer them back in the right direction. Raising … [Read more...] about A Jigsaw Guide to Making Sense of the World II