Christians sometimes argue that life is only meaningful if it goes on forever. Atheists sometimes argue that life is only meaningful if it doesn’t go on forever. They’re both wrong.
afterlife
10. The 59-Second Apologist: Will we have free will in heaven?
Mark Twain once quipped: “Let us swear while we may, for in heaven it will not be allowed.” That piece of advice, however questionable it may be, does raise an interesting philosophical question: when a person becomes unable to sin, must they give up their free will? Some theologians have supposed so. To note one […]
Do you have to love Jesus more than your children?
A little while ago I was speaking at a convention on the topic of heaven. As often happens, several people came up afterward to ask questions and share comments and stories. Over the next several minutes the conversation slowed and eventually the crowd drifted away leaving one man standing quietly. Once the others had left […]
Love has no shelf life: The goodness of life forever
I’d like to live forever, and under the right conditions I hope I can. I discuss that wish (and rebut those who look askance at the prospect) here. So I always remain puzzled by atheists/skeptics/naturalists etc. who insist that they really don’t want to live forever, even under the most ideal of conditions. Soren Kierkegaard […]
How should we think about atheists who have no problem with atheism?
Yesterday my article “Do you have enough faith to be a theist? Or an atheist?” drew an interesting comment from a reader named Bilbo who reflected: “At a very dark perod [sic] in my life, when I was angry at God for everything, I tried living as an atheist for a few years. The bleakness […]
Do spirits have a ghost of a chance to persuade a skeptic?
Over the years I have blogged on the topic of ghosts on several occasions, including the articles “Should Christians believe in ghosts?”, “Jesus believed in ghosts (so maybe you should too),” and “J.B. Phillips and the Ghost of C.S. Lewis.” Three years ago I even did some research and writing for a planned book on […]
“Heaven is for Real” A Review
Last night I saw “Heaven is for Real” available to rent at Redbox. Having read the book, and presented seminars critiquing it, and having written a sixty page book proposal titled What on Earth Happened to Colton Burpo? which was rejected by the publishers because they were worried that I (and they) would appear to […]
J.B. Phillips and the Ghost of C.S. Lewis
J..B Phillips was a well known Bible translator of the highly regarded Phillips Translation as well as the author of the popular 1962 book Your God is too Small. In his 1967 book Ring of Truth: A Translator’s Testimony (London: Hodder and Stoughton) Phillips recounts a stunning experience he had with a ghost … and not just any […]
Do human beings have spectral bodies?
The other day I received the following query via email: “Do we get an intermediate body for our souls in heaven whilst we await the second coming?” I suppose the answer will depend what one means by “body”. Historically, most Christians have believed that human beings have (or are) souls, and that these souls are simple […]
NDEs and those determined not to believe in them
In “Sprites and near death experiences” I argued that current study of NDEs is in the early stages of first-person reports analogous to the study of “sprites” (a rare meteorological phenomenon) which was initiated forty years ago with a growing collection of first-person reports. Mike D replied: I thought Sam Harris did a bang up […]
An Unbelievable debate on heaven with the Friendly Atheist
Today (February 1st, 2014) Unbelievable with Justin Brierley broadcast a discussion / debate I had with the Friendly Atheist (Hemant Mehta). I have included the 1 1/2 hour episode below. After listening to the broadcast feel free to join the discussion. (Of course you can also join the discussion before listening to the broadcast, just […]
Cooling Twilight reviews “What on Earth Do We Know About Heaven?”
The blog Cooling Twilight (great name, by the way) has reviewed What on Earth Do We Know About Heaven? You can read the review here. The closing of the review summarizes matters nicely: “In this slim volume Rauser tackles important and intriguing issues in a robust and engaging way, providing a reasoned alternative to so much of […]
Randal talks heaven on The Bob Dutko Show
I’ve been on The Bob Dutko Show several times now. Radio is a fast-paced medium as you gallop to make your points before the next commercial break. At the same time, it is a noble challenge because the medium forces you to state each point in what is little more than a glorified elevator speech. […]
17. Randal asks “Does Heaven Need a Makeover?”
In this episode of The Tentative Apologist Podcast I break with my usual practice of an interview / conversation. Instead, I’m featuring a talk I delivered at the OnWord Conference at Steele Heights Baptist Church in Edmonton, AB on September 28, 2013 titled “Does Heaven Need a Makeover?” In this talk I argue that common objections to heaven […]
