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 […]
dialogue
Arminians, Calvinists, Orthodoxy, and Mere Christianity
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 […]
Islam and Christianity: A Dialogue
A few weeks ago, I was privileged to moderate an evening of discussion on the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam at my home church, Greenfield Community Church in Edmonton, AB. The two esteemed guests were Ms. Christa Eisbrenner and Dr. Hassan Masoud. Christa Eisbrenner has an MA in Muslim Studies from Columbia International […]
Winsome Persuasion: A Review
Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer, Winsome Persuasion: Christian Influence in a Post-Christian World. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2017. I’ve been concerned with the art of persuasion for almost as long as I have been interested in apologetics. And there’s a good reason why. As I like to say, you can have the best engine in […]
On Worthwhile Conversation
Last week I wrote an article for my blog on the value of conversation with others, even when your interlocutor is not particularly open-minded. I rewrote the article for Strange Notions and it was just posted this morning. Feel free to join the conversation: even if you aren’t open to my thesis, I’m sure it […]
