Summary: This is a survey and critique of the major philosophers and theologians of the West beginning with the Greek philosophers and early church fathers up to the present day, written from a reformed perspective.Read more…
Book Response: Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?, by James K. A. Smith
Truly the church is an apologetic in which one is renewed and transformed by God as part of a people living in a disciplined, liturgical community (28-30, 25, 99) across particular times and places to interact with “the lens of an interpretive framework governed by ultimate beliefs” through the Scriptures by the sanctification of the Spirit (54-56).Read more…
Movies are Signposts in a Strange Land
May we point to the path, at times narrow and dark, but never without the Light.Read more…
Interview: David Naugle on Philosophy
As I shared in Interview: David Naugle on Worldview, I’ve engaged in periodic conversation with David Naugle for quite some time to wrestle with “the heart” and the history of worldview. His recent publication Philosophy: A Student’s Guide (Crossway, 2012) caught myRead more…
Devotions: “In-spite-of” Wisdom
“For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.Read more…
Book Review: Doing Philosophy as a Christian
In Doing Philosophy as a Christian, Garrett DeWeese, Ph.D.[1], contends (contra Kant) that our approach should be one of Reason within the bounds of Religion (rather than the reverse). For him, this is a basic governing principle for how ChristiansRead more…
Becoming a Thoughtful Christian in the Secular Academy
One month ago yesterday I walked the stage to pick up a diploma in Religious Studies at a secular institution. And I’m a stronger Christian than ever. In the Religious Studies department at the University of Montana I learned howRead more…
The Myth of Sodom and Gomorrah
Homecomings for Christ-following secular university students may not always be perfectly sweet. The mellow look of sympathy from a friend or loved one is accompanied by the statement that “Now that you’re home, you can be with real Christian people.”Read more…
Thank you. You can rest Dallas Willard.
I write after a good cry. Dallas Willard died this morning after announcing stage 4 cancer on Monday. You can read more here. For those who don’t know, Dallas was a longtime philosophy professor at USC. He was a great voice forRead more…
Nicholas Wolterstorff: Advice to Those Who Would Be Christian Scholars
Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology Emeritus at Yale University, has been one of the leading voices in Christian philosophy for decades. In October 2009, he spoke at the Veritas Forum at the University of Tennessee, presenting aRead more…
Should Faculty Challenge Students’ Religious Beliefs?
A column at Inside Higher Ed by Portland State philosophy instructor Peter Boghossian raises a good question: Should faculty challenge the religious beliefs of students? Here’s how he opens his essay: Until two weeks ago, I had been laboring underRead more…
New Book Reviews: Christian Parenting, Religious Bias
Over at the main ESN website, we’ve recently published a couple of book reviews that you might be interested in. Foundations of Christian Parenting My co-blogger Tom Grosh has reviewed Wise Stewards: Philosophical Foundations of Christian Parenting by Michael W.Read more…
Is Religion Inferior to Science?
Yesterday, USA Today published an opinion column by University of Chicago professor Jerry Coyne called “Science and religion aren’t friends.” Coyne, the author of Why Evolution Is True, opposes any attempt to reconcile, integrate, or otherwise bridge the gap betweenRead more…
Most people aren’t deeply interested in science
Last Wednesday, I explored Mystery and Evidence, one articulation of the contrast between Religion and Science. Another topic stemming from Tim Crane’s NY Times Article which I found of interest was his claim: … most people aren’t deeply interested inRead more…
Mystery & Evidence
Mystery and Evidence‘s (Tim Crane. NY Times. 9/5/2010) opening paragraph immediately caught my attention. There is a story about Bertrand Russell giving a public lecture somewhere or other, defending his atheism. A furious woman stood up at the end ofRead more…
Week in Review: Mary Meets Lou Gehrig Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you’d like us to consider for theRead more…
The End of Philosophy?
Michael Ruse’s Do We Need Philosophy? (Chronicle of Higher Education. 8/15/2010) masterfully weaves together reflections on the death of his colleague David Hull*, transitions in philosophy, the increasing costs of higher education, and lamplighting in philosophy. A significant part ofRead more…
Week in Review: Future of Evangelicals Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you’d like us to consider for theRead more…
Week in Review: Inter-Varsity Records Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you’d like us to consider for theRead more…
Justified True Belief
After rattling the reader’s cage by exploring Have you been properly educated?, Paul D. Spears and Steven R. Loomis argue: Most of the abilities that we associate with knowledge in the educational field turn out to be mostly a capacity toRead more…
Have you been properly educated?
Educational standards are the foundation of the modern educational endeavor. Statements about educational success imply standards. Measuring whether or not students are being properly educated involves testing them in particular subjects with its prescribed set of grade-appropriate standards that theyRead more…
Philosophical influence upon educational theory
In Chapter 2 of Education for Human Flourishing: A Christian Perspective* (InterVarsity Press, 2009), Paul D. Spears and Steven R. Loomis draw attention to the importance of foundational categories and philosophical thinkers for the development of educational theory. Furthermore, theyRead more…
Week in Review: Abbreviated Thanksgiving Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about over Thanksgiving break? Anything special with some time off or is there too much going on with the holiday? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us knowRead more…
Dennett and Plantinga at APA
Longtime friend of ESN Jay Woodham shared this link on Facebook to an “opinionated play-by-play” of the dialogue between Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga and atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett at the recent American Philosophical Association meeting. It’s a very interesting read,Read more…