My friend UnkleE and I have been having a wide-ranging discussion on several topics related to Christianity that ultimately come down to epistemology, or how Christians know God's will. The discussion began in my last post, which critiqued a doctrine common to more moderate circles within Christianity. UnkleE had more to say on the subject… Continue reading How Do You Navigate Christianity Without a Compass?
Tag: jesus
Which Nativity Story?
Well, it's that time of year again. Regular church attendees are going to have to share their pews with people who have finally decided to make it out for their second service of the year. Their belief that Jesus bled and died so they can gain eternal salvation might be unshakable, but it apparently isn't… Continue reading Which Nativity Story?
Objective Rock Music
My son is 7 years old right now, and he's inherited my love of music. Over the last year or two he's gotten to where he enjoys going to sleep while listening to something. Currently, it's Jimi Hendrix's "Gypsy Eyes" on repeat. But he's also gone through periods where he only wanted "We Will Rock… Continue reading Objective Rock Music
Is It Fair to Expect Inerrancy from the Bible When We Don’t Expect It from Other Sources?
In the comment thread of my last post, some of us mentioned that it's hard for us to understand the point of view of Christians who believe the Bible can be inspired by God, without holding to the doctrine of inerrancy. unkleE left the following comment: How is it that in everything else in life… Continue reading Is It Fair to Expect Inerrancy from the Bible When We Don’t Expect It from Other Sources?
Letter to a Friend
Several months ago, I received a letter from a childhood friend whom I haven't heard from in a very long time. She and I were both raised in the same fundamentalist branch of Christianity (Church of Christ), and our parents are still very close. Her preacher recently did a series of sermons on evidences for… Continue reading Letter to a Friend
Jewish Disciples Wouldn’t Have Created the Idea of the Resurrection, So It Must Have Really Happened… Right?
If you've discussed the resurrection with Christians before, then you're probably familiar with the above argument. Since first century Jews didn't believe in a bodily resurrection like Jesus's, then they're no way the disciples would have believed it without actually witnessing it for themselves. William Lane Craig has used this argument several times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpSEZV2EER8#t=7m49s He… Continue reading Jewish Disciples Wouldn’t Have Created the Idea of the Resurrection, So It Must Have Really Happened… Right?
PolitiFact Misses the Mark on Jesus
I love PolitiFact. I follow them on Facebook, and I always appreciate the fact-checking they do every time a politician makes a claim. Last week, they had an article that caught my eye, titled "Jesus was an 'undocumented immigrant,' ordained minister says." The minister, Ryan Eller, is the executive director of a group that works… Continue reading PolitiFact Misses the Mark on Jesus
My Recent Field Trip
Last night, my friend Matt and I had an opportunity to go to one of the church services that I talked about in my last post. As I mentioned there, this is a series of lessons surrounding the topic "Can We Believe the Bible?" by an evangelist / college professor / apologist that I corresponded… Continue reading My Recent Field Trip
Uber-Gospel: The Resurrection
It's well known that the gospels accounts of the resurrection differ in some details. When I was a Christian, I remember teaching a high school Bible class once that was going through the life of Christ. During this study, we were studying each account side-by-side, and when it came to the resurrection, I really wasn't… Continue reading Uber-Gospel: The Resurrection
Does the Bible Contain True Prophecies?
When I was a Christian, one of the biggest reasons I had for believing the Bible was that it contained actual prophecy -- or so I thought. I mean, if a book gave specific, detailed prophecies that no one could have guessed, and then they came true, wouldn't that be good reason for believing that… Continue reading Does the Bible Contain True Prophecies?
Finding Truth 