We need people who are trustworthy in the world. This is, in part, because want to know about things that are not immediately verifiable. When we miss the game we want to be able to trust our friends to tell us who won. We pity the gullible person who is prepared to overhaul her entire set of assumptions about the world because her friend tells her that there are people in a far off land who have wings. We don’t enjoy watching her being taken for a ride. Similarly, we feel for the person who trusts no one and lives in permanent relational isolation. If we are lied to we…
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After Naturalism…
Naturalism has peeked. And when it has collapsed something else will take its place. The question is: What? Naturalism is a combination of a method and an assumption. Methodologically, naturalism is the attempt to understand the world through the natural sciences. The assumption, which, theoretically at least, can be overturned at any moment, is that all that exists is material (whether these two are happy bedfellows is a discussion better left for another day). I say that this assumption can be overturned at any moment because natural sciences don’t claim to have all data at their finger tips. Fairies could be found at the bottom of an English garden and…
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10 Spiritual Truths I learned in 2014
#1 The Lord’s favor is a shield in a time of trouble. When David faced insurmountable odds he knew that no army, no missile shield and no political alliance could save him. The only reliable shield for him was the favor of God. (Psalm 5:12) #2 The Lord makes lying down and sleep happen simultaneously. Anxiety causes the extended separation of lying down and sleep, but the Lord can unite them because he provides a sure protection. (Psalm 4:8) #3 Repentance is a gift and we should ask for it. The trouble with repentance is that it follows the pain of conviction. But without the conviction of sin no repentance…
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How Humans Learned to Speak (a tentative, speculative post)
Consider the following: Adam and Eve are created by God, are conscious and can understand God and each other when they speak. Although it is possible that both human beings were made with a fully working language system programed in from the start, it is more likely that both human beings had to learn to speak and understand after they were conscious. Just like children, Adam and Eve could have been trained by God to understand and speak. There are some good reasons for believing such a hypothesis. First, it seems implausible that the first humans would have innately known a language. Of course, it is not beyond the power…
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Triunity and Thought
The Discussion by Guttuso God, in order to create the world, must be a multiplicity of persons. A person who has thought has a language. If there is no language then there can be no thinking. In order to create the world God would have to think. He would have to have intentional, highly complex thoughts about laws of nature, complex mathematical theorems, counterfactuals etc. In order to think about the world God would need a language. A picture is not a thought. A picture is of something, but not about anything. In order to have a language a person needs someone else to speak to. There could not be…
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Nine of the Most Influential Books I Have Read
Here are nine of the books that have influenced me most in my life (apart from the Bible): 1. Tintin by Herge My parents used to tell people that if I sounded like I knew anything I got it from Tintin. Despite being a little colonial in its perspective (Herge often used unflattering ethical stereotypes) Tintin’s adventures took my young imagination all over the world. 2. The Secret Agent’s Handbook When I was old enough to go to the movies I became obsessed with James Bond. My parents bought me this book to put my obsession into practice. Somehow my interest, and this book specifically, became a part of my…
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Law is…
The Mosaic Law was given to the children of Israel in order that they might enjoy the relationship they had with God. Previously, God had chosen the family of Abraham to be recipients of his favor. Then, after the family had grown, been enslaved by and delivered from the Egyptians, the Lord gave them the Law in order that they might enjoy favor in their national, familial and personal lives. The Law was not supposed to be a mere prescription, but a description. The Law told the children of Israel who God is, what creation is designed for and who the children of Israel are. If the Israelites were wondering what…
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Faith is…
What is faith? It seems to be a simple concept, one simply believes in something. However, a Biblical definition is rich and multifaceted. Clifford McManis offers a survey of some of the ideas involved in a definition of faith: Faith is being safe and secure (Psalm 4) and being in a refuge or shelter (Psalm 2). Faith is fidelity (Habakkuk 2:4 cf Rom 1:17) and trusting God with your whole life (Psalm 22:1-10). Faith is trusting in the word of God (Gen 15); it is belief that motivates you to action (James 2:14-17). Faith is also the content of belief that you defend (Jude 3). Faith produces growth when it is tested…