On Scientific (and Philosophical and Theological) Ignorance

December 20, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 25 Comments

Today I came across the following retweet courtesy of Secular Outpost. (I must say, Twitter is an endlessly fecund resource […]

epistemology, philosophy, science, theology

“There is no evidence for…” On the unqualified and indefensible claims of bad apologists

September 22, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 23 Comments

A few months ago I was approached by an individual after a speaking event. “Do you believe in evolution?” he […]

apologetics, evolution, historical Jesus, science, Victor Stenger

Is there a better way to know than science?

September 9, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 48 Comments

A reader named “Oliver” posted the following questions in the thread to my article: “How the British Humanist Association undermines […]

epistemology, knowledge, science, scientism

On God and Volcanoes

August 17, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 9 Comments

I’ve been fascinated by volcanoes since May, 1980. We were outside playing during recess when the late spring sky began […]

atheism, Krakatoa, plate tectonics, science, scientism, Simon Winchester, volcanoes

Mystics, Skeptics, and Nothing Buttery

August 5, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 8 Comments

In The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Oliver Sacks offers an interesting neurological account of the visions of […]

Donald MacKay, idealism, mysticism, nothing buttery, Oliver Sacks, reductionism, science, skepticism

Have a question about God? Ask the scientist!

July 17, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 36 Comments

Yesterday morning a reader posted the following comment on my article “Why I don’t take young earth creationism seriously (even […]

science, scientism

We’re not laying pipe! We’re talking about poetry.

July 16, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 10 Comments

There is a famous scene in “Dead Poet’s Society” where the teacher, Mr. Keating, deconstructs the introduction to his students’ […]

knowledge, science, scientism

God, Science, and the Universe: A Debate between Krauss, Meyer, and Lamoureaux

March 21, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 30 Comments

This debate live-streamed on March 19th and features Lawrence Krauss (atheist), Stephen Meyer (intelligent design theorist), and Denis Lamoureux (theistic […]

atheism, Denis Lamoureux, intelligent design, Lawrence Krauss, science, Stephen Meyer, theology

Ted Cruz and Climate Change Denial

February 4, 2016 / Randal / The Tentative Apologist / 24 Comments

The documentary Merchants of Doubt provides an excellent primer explaining how spin doctors propagate misinformation. What is especially interesting is […]

climate change, science, Ted Cruz, truth