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Randal Rauser

Home of progressively evangelical, generously orthodox, rigorously analytic, revolutionary Christian thinking (that's what I'm aiming for anyway)

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rhetoric

Are We In a Post-Truth Culture? My Response to an Evangelical Talking-Point

May 2, 2022 by Randal

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Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, evangelicalism, post-truth, rhetoric

Who Would Jesus Insult?

September 1, 2021 by Randal

In Matthew 5:22 Jesus says: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Call your […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: holiness, invective, Jesus, rhetoric

Is Bart Ehrman a Spiritual Terrorist?

August 24, 2020 by Randal

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Bart Ehrman, dialogue, rhetoric

“Religion Flies Planes into Buildings.” And My Response.

May 5, 2020 by Randal

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: apologetics, new atheism, religion, rhetoric

A Short Word on Good Arguments

March 28, 2020 by Randal

What is a “strong argument”? This is a question that every apologist should consider. You should start with premises that are true or plausibly true. Next, a conclusion that follows from the premises. That makes it a *valid* argument. But there’s more. After all, a valid argument with premises which cannot be understood by the […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: argument, persuasion, rhetoric

“I believe because it is absurd”: On atheist abuse of Christian rhetoric

February 1, 2020 by Randal

I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen an atheist cite 3rd-century theologian Tertullian’s statement “I believe because it is absurd” as evidence that “faith is irrational.” That’s equivalent to citing unemployed Miguel as evidence that “Mexicans are lazy.” What is more, it’s quote-mining which does violence to Tertullian’s point. The passage (which appears […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atheism, fideism, rhetoric, Tertullian

Is abortion a genocide?

January 4, 2020 by Randal

Dear fellow Pro-Lifers, Please do not refer to support for elective abortion as a “genocide”. The word “genocide” has a specific meaning in international law: it refers to the attempt to destroy an ethnic, religious, or cultural identity. To be sure, genocidaires may use abortion as a means to destroy an ethnic, religious and/or cultural […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: abortion, bioethics, genocide, rhetoric

Is the Lock Him Up Chant a decline in civility?

October 28, 2019 by Randal

Here is a link to a Twitter survey that I posted on the Lock Him Up chant: What do you think of the actions of baseball fans who chanted "Lock him up!" when Trump's presence was announced at the World Series game yesterday? — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) October 28, 2019 And now for my thoughts: […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Donald Trump, public discourse, rhetoric

Christianity is a religion, not a relationship

July 20, 2019 by Randal

This morning, I read the following tweet: Christianity is not a religion, let alone one religion among many. It is God's good news for the world. – John Stott (The Gospel: A Life-Changing Message) — Bruxy Cavey (@Bruxy) July 20, 2019   It’s a common refrain among some Christians. Christianity is not a religion, it’s […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Christianity, rhetoric

Atheists who poison the well by calling things magic

June 1, 2019 by Randal

Have you noticed how atheists often like to refer to theistic accounts of various aspects of reality as “magic”? It’s an irritating practice, a juvenile case of poisoning the well. And it’s even more irritating when a professional philosopher like Stephen Law engages in the practice. Here’s the summary of my recent twitter exchange on […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: magic, poisoning the well, rhetoric, Stephen Law

Does it degrade public discourse to call people buffoons, fools, and clowns?

May 22, 2019 by Randal

This article consists of an exchange I had on Twitter with a fellow named “Jar Jar” (whether the surname is “Binks” is TBD). Here’s my initial offending tweet: Remember when Trump said he hires only the best people? The sheer ignorance of #BenCarson is deeply distressing. #KatiePorter, on the other hand, is amazing. Once again, […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: persuasion, public discourse, rhetoric

On Retreating into Mystery: A problem for Christian apologists?

April 6, 2019 by Randal

Ever since Antony Flew published his short parable of the invisible gardener, atheists have complained that theism is a hypothesis forever in retreat. Or, to shift metaphors, rebutting theism is like nailing the proverbial jelly to the wall: as soon as you drive the hammer in, the jelly breaks free, sliding on to greener pastures […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: A.C. Grayling, apologetics, mystery, paradox, poisoning the well, rhetoric

Winsome Persuasion: A Review

February 24, 2019 by Randal

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 […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: communication, dialogue, review, rhetoric, Richard Langer, Tim Muehlhoff, Winsome Persuasion

On Anti-Abortion Extremists (and other unhelpful rhetoric)

February 6, 2019 by Randal

CNN just posted an article titled “Before judging ‘late-term abortion,’ understand what it means, doctors say.” I agree with the sentiment. There is way too much heat and not enough light in this complex and highly emotional debate. That said, I cannot help but reply to the comment of one of the two doctors interviewed […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: abortion, prochoice, prolife, rhetoric

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