What is Philosophy? The word, philosophy, simply means ‘love of wisdom.’ In some sense, anyone who seeks out wisdom for its own sake is a ‘philosopher’. However, philosophy often asks questions for which other disciplines have no immediate answer. As Graham Oppy writes, “philosophy is the discipline that addresses questions for which we do not yet know how to produce…agreed answers using the methods of other established disciplines.” (Graham Oppy in Four Views on Christianity and Philosophy, 23). Consider an example. Perhaps you hear a sentence and wonder what it means but then go on to wonder how sentences get their meaning. The question, ‘how do sentences get their meanings?’, does not find any…
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From Spy School to Bible School
Spy School I was brought up in a home of wealth and security in England. At seven years old I was sent to a prestigious boarding school in the south of England. My father worked in the city of London and might have expected me to follow suit. I had different plans. Ever since my exposure to James Bond I had wanted to be a spy. My Grandfather—who had worked for the British foreign office for much of the cold war—had introduced me to 007 at an early age and spying had become my obsession. When I was nine years old my parents bought me a book called “The Secret…
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A Recipe for the Fourth
At least once a year I make a dessert out of Cool Whip, vanilla pudding, Graham Crackers and chocolate frosting. It has never failed to produce in me a “God bless America” moment. And if I can make it, so can you: First, take 1 tub of Cool Whip, 2 packets vanilla pudding and 3 cups milk. Mix them together. Line a 9 by 13 dish with Graham Crackers, pour half the mixture on. Add another layer of crackers and then the other half of the mixture. Add one more layer of crackers and then the chocolate frosting. Couldn’t be easier. Happy fourth of July to you all and, sincerely, may God bless you. For…
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The Courage of a Pastor
A few weeks ago I wrote about the wisdom of my pastor, Jim Renke (here). Evidently, the man has other virtues. Here is his courage:
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Preaching the Gospel Necessitates Using Words!
There is a quote that has always annoyed me: “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” It is falsely attributed to Francis of Assisi who was a well known preacher (of the verbal, talking kind). I wrote about it in Youthwork magazine in 2007. There is also a very good correction of the history of Francis of Assisi by Mark Galli for Christianity Today. You can read it here. However, there is another good reason for not using this quote any more: it doesn’t make sense. The reason? The verb “to preach” means to proclaim, expound or promulgate a (religious) message by speaking in public. So to preach the gospel at…
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Fear and the Gospel by Sarah Holloway
We are all familiar with might be considered the scare tactics of a sermon about hell. There might be a good number of Christians who have embraced the good news out of fear of eternal damnation. And yes, there is no lack of good reasons to be afraid of hell. It is probably the most “distasteful” aspect of the Christian message; even more than the worries of earthly suffering, the thought of spending forever in a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth is pretty formidable. And so it is not surprising that there are plenty of preachers, theologians and lay people who water down the doctrine of hell. Here’s…
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A great answer to an age old question given by D A Carson.How do I know God exists? from A Passion for Life on Vimeo.
