• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Randal Rauser

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

  • About
  • Books
  • Articles
    • Articles (single)
    • Articles (in series)
  • Audio/Video
    • Audio Interviews, Lectures, and Debates
    • Video Interviews and Lectures
    • Powerpoint Slides
  • Blog
    • Current Posts
    • Blog Archives
  • Podcasts
    • The Tentative Apologist Podcast
    • Archived Podcasts
    • Reviews

tradition

Tradition is like dog fur

April 4, 2013 by Randal

I bet you’ve never thought of this simile before, but believe me it’s a keeper. Every spring pet owners shave their shaggy dogs in preparation for the hot summer ahead. They do so with the best of intentions under the assumption that this will help their dogs cool down. It is understandable why they would […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: reason, tradition

Squeezing David Hume’s big toe (and other ironic ways to honor the naive skeptical tradition)

June 11, 2012 by Randal

As you probably know, the idea of “tradition” has not received great press in the modern age. In particular the appeal to a grand tradition as the legitimation (or partial legitimation) for a specific knowledge discourse is categorically rejected as naive and question-begging. Undoubtedly one of the most pivotal quotes expressing this skepticism comes from […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: atheism, David Hume, epistemology, humanism, Sam Harris, skepticism, tradition

The letter Dawkins wrote, and the letter Jerry Rivard would like to think Dawkins wrote

May 21, 2011 by Randal

Jerry offered some interesting comments in response to my recent critique of Dawkins. They were well formulated and deserve to be pulled up on stage to perform a couple numbers with the band. “So come on up Jerry’s comments!” (Randal extends his hand and helps the nervous comments up on stage.) Jerry’s comments begin: “Sometimes, when […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: authority, epistemology, faith, indoctrination, Jerry Rivard, knowledge, rationality, Richard Dawkins, tradition, truth

An illustration for the wisdom of conservatism (theological and otherwise)

May 1, 2011 by Randal

Eight years ago we moved to Edmonton, Alberta. A month or so after we arrived I noticed a strange piece of wood on the floor with a shiny black veneer. “What the heck is that?” I thought to myself. And I set it aside, thinking I would soon discover from where it had come and thus where it […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Christianity, conservatism, doctrine, tradition

The Always Prayer Shawl: A Reflection on Living Tradition

April 25, 2011 by Randal

When my daughter was younger I bought her hundreds of books. The vast majority were forgettable tripe tied in to product lines like “Thomas the Tank Engine”, “Dora the Explorer” and “Caillou”. Almost all of those early books are long gone, having been donated or discarded without a second thought. But a precious few were treasures […]

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: Judaism, The Always Prayer Shawl, tradition

Footer

Against Malaria Foundation

Against Malaria Foundation

Support Kiva

Support Kiva

Search this website

Archives



Copyright © 2023 • Randal Rauser • A Steady Site