Tag Archive : apologetics

This week we conclude the series with a consideration of homosexuality and transgenderism. This is a highly sensitive subject and for better or worse, LGBTQ issues have consumed most of the oxygen over the last 30 years. Unfortunately, for many conservatives, it has been an exclusive area of focus that distracts from the sexual behavior…

Most battles over human sexuality spanning the last 50 years in the Western world can reasonably be parked under the umbrella of the sexual revolution. Its foundational principles are assumed dogma throughout the educational and entertainment establishments, serve as rallying cries for politicians and activists, and have seduced much of the professing Christian community. But…

As far back as data exists, the universal experience has been that transgenderism was an extraordinarily rare occurrence, especially among females. The past decade, however, witnessed an unprecedented increase in the numbers of young people identifying as transgender and seeking to transition. The surge was particularly striking among young adolescent females who were heavy users…

In last Saturday’s New York Times, Christian columnist Ross Douthat asks, “Can the Meritocracy Find God?” "The secularization of America probably won’t reverse unless the intelligentsia gets religion,” writes Douthat. Nor is he sanguine for the prospects of that occurring. Douthat postulates two primary obstacles. First, “a moral vision that regards emancipated, self-directed choice as…

(Part 5 in a series on sexual apologetics) What is the state of marriage in Western society? How did we get there? What are the implications for the worldwide body of believers? We began this series in June discussing a report from a study committee of the Presbyterian Church in America calling for a Biblically…

The Sexual Devolution After millennia in which universal, heterosexual marriage and childbearing was the normative standard for human sexual activity, a counter-narrative swept the Western world in the mid-20th century. Like Godzilla from the ocean depths, the dragon wrought havoc and mayhem, not on the skyscrapers of Tokyo, but on that fragile social compact governing…

There is a particular narrative, popular among skeptics, that occasionally erupts into the public forum. It happened in 1990 when Ted Turner famously (and clumsily) declared that “Christianity is a religion for losers”. (The muddled nuance of his actual intent was drowned in the ensuing indignation). Or in 1993 when Washington Post writer Michael Weisskopf…

Most of us think we’re smarter than most of us! In a recent large survey, 65% of Americans rated themselves more intelligent than average.[1] [Sounds of unrestrained laughter, barking, and howling – the Spaniel and pals]. Believing we’re very smart, we assume we’re usually right. But is that confidence warranted? “Do you see a man…

In this podcast recorded at Reasons to Believe in May 2019, Philosopher-Theologian Ken Samples and I discuss the nature of belief, pride, humility, and the life of the mind. Topics:-My personal journey from early atheism to Christian faithAre people rational?The role of emotions in belief formationIntellectual pride and humility"The Intelligence Trap" by David Robson"The God…

Late in life, atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell received this challenge: if, after death, he found himself face to face with God, what would he say? Russell replied, “I probably would ask, ‘Sir, why did you not give me better evidence?’”¹ Theists contend that though evidence for God is both present and sufficient, bias can fog…

Most of us think we are better than most of us. As a consequence, we are sometimes tempted to advertise our moral superiority through public expression. This is known as “moral grandstanding”. There’s nothing wrong with issuing public moral pronouncements; it’s not merely a right, but sometimes a duty. The issue here is motive. It…

Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astrayby Sabine Hossenfelder. Basic Books, June 2018. Reviewed by Steven Willing, MD “Physical laws should have mathematical beauty”. Paul Dirac, Nobel Laureate* Way back in 1973, the world of theoretical physics reached a dead end. That year marked the last successful prediction of any elemental particles - the…