I became an avid supporter of the pro-life movement back in the mid-1980s. At the time, I was an enthusiastic supporter of pro-life groups like Last Days Ministries. And in high school, I proudly wore an Operation Rescue t-shirt to school. Then I went on to university where I completed a BA followed by an […]
dialogue
Why Theology Doesn’t Make Contributions to Natural Science
Theology has repeatedly changed because of natural scientific advances. Does natural science ever change because of theological advances? And if not, is that a problem? ?
Looking to Disagree: The Problem of Pugilistic Evangelicals
The other day, I posted the following tweet criticizing a t-shirt being marketed by evangelical apologist Frank Turek: “Frank Turek is selling a shirt that replaces the “Coexist” logo with one that says “Contradict” as if belief in the truth of Xianity entails that all the claims of other religions are false. That is wrong. […]
Is Bart Ehrman a Spiritual Terrorist?
Arminians, Calvinists, Orthodoxy, and Mere Christianity
Arminians and Calvinists are often mistrustful of each other despite the fact that each tradition protects a shared deposit of mere Christianity. Or do they? Some folks in each theological camp appear to think that representatives from the other side have abdicated their core theological convictions. But one thing I’ve observed over time is that […]
May the 33,000 Be One: Debriefing a Catholic/Evangelical Dialogue
Last night, I participated in a dialogue between Roman Catholics and evangelicals at Taylor Seminary in Edmonton. The main speakers were Dr. Brett Salkeld (Catholic) and Dr. Jo-Ann Badley (evangelical). I was one of two respondents. In my comments, I echoed a point touched on by Salkeld, namely that while “Roman Catholic” is a clearly […]
Christian and Atheist Fairyology
Many atheists find the study of God to be equivalent to the study of fairies, that is, a misbegotten enquiry into a fantasy reality. These folk seem to take much satisfaction in invoking this equivalence. But before they take too much satisfaction, they should realize that many Christians view the study of a world without […]
Beyond the Anathema: A Catholic/Protestant Dialogue
This year, I decided to recognize Reformation Day (October 31) by inviting my friend, Catholic apologist Trent Horn, to share his understanding of the Catholic faith for my community at Taylor Seminary. We had some technological problems, but we powered on through. And this is that exchange.
The Day Christopher Hitchens Battled Five Christian Apologists
I started blogging at the Christian Post in March 2009. (My website and blog were born a couple of years later.) My first article was titled “Atheism in Dallas” (reprinted here) and in it, I recounted my reflections after seeing the late Christopher Hitchens pitted against five (five?!) Christian apologists. As I recounted in the […]
Asking Atheist Apologist Pinecreek Doug some Questions
Yesterday, I was tweeting back-and-forth with Doug when he invited me back onto his show. Fifteen minutes later, we were recording again. Here it is:
Talking hell, the Bible, biblical violence, and lots more with an atheist apologist
Remember Pinecreek Doug? If you don’t, you can get up to speed at “A street apologist puts me in my place” and “My Response to the Pinecreek-Doug-Dilemma.” Today, Doug had me on his show. He seems like a very nice fellow, but it also seemed to me that he had an inordinate and ultimately unhelpful focus […]
Off the Rails: Debriefing my Misunderstanding with Paul Franks
I had an interesting exchange with Paul Franks this morning, but alas it eventually ended up going off the rails. I’ve summarized the exchange below by reproducing the text of our tweets following my initial tweet. I’ll then conclude by offering my own diagnosis of how and why it went off the rails. The hope […]
Cambridge University is too inclusive to allow Jordan Peterson to visit. Seriously.
On Monday, March 18th, Cambridge University offered Jordan Peterson the opportunity to spend two months at the university this fall as a visiting fellow. This offer apparently resulted in a meltdown at the school between Cambridge faculty and students outraged at the offer. It didn’t take long for their protests to be heard. Today, Wednesday, […]
The Problem of Evil and Biblical Violence: A Conversation with an Exvangelical
Clint Heacock is a former senior pastor with a PhD in theology who has since left Christianity and bills himself as an exvangelical. In this conversation, Dr. Heacock and I discuss his objections to theodicy and the problem of biblical violence in particular. To learn more about Dr. Heacock, you can visit him online at […]