America remains in the grip of an opiate* epidemic. Over 70,000 Americans died from legal and illegal drug overdose in 2017 alone, more than four times higher than in 1999. The tragic history of this crisis was carefully documented by investigative journalist Sam Quinones in his 2015 work, Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate…

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…

Feeling blue? Tried therapy and medication? Here's a radical thought: try visiting your local church next Sunday. A new study adds further evidence to what we have known for quite some time: going to church is good for your mental health. Last Thursday, the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing issued a press release announcing its…

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…

Many Christians are deeply engaged in the ongoing dispute over the interpretation of Genesis 1 and its concordance with scientific progress of the last 150 years. Participants run the gamut from geologists, astrophysicists, theologians, and scholars of ancient Hebrew to gym coaches and English majors. Arguments for and against various positions simmer endlessly - usually…

Recently, the Spaniel and I sat down for a two-on-one [imaginary] conversation with renowned atheist Prof. Richard Dawkins. The following is a transcript of our conversation.* *The answers come from his essay and the accompanying transcript in The Four Horsemen, Random House, 2019.[1] Of course they’re taken out of context – that’s the nature of…

“Pride is the first sin that ever entered into the universe, and it’s the last that is rooted out. It is God’s most stubborn enemy.” - Jonathan Edwards Traditionally, Christians have been of the persuasion that sins are bad, and some sins are worse than others. What do you think is the worst sin? Murder?…

Oh, wonder!How many goodly creatures are there here!How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,That has such people in ’t                  -(William Shakespeare, The Tempest) We yearn for a day when all disease is eradicated, human power and intelligence transcend our feeble frames, and death is vanquished. The…

The Intelligence Trap: why smart people make dumb mistakes. David Robson, W. W. Norton, 2019 Western society reveres intelligence, or at least pretends to. A leading political figure boasts he's "a very stable genius” - which, presumably, is superior to an unstable one. Yet no one stops to ask, “does it matter?" According to this…

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…

Although it's been out now for 13 years, The God Delusion  by Richard Dawkins still sets the standard for 21st century atheist polemics. Both lionized by atheists and demonized by some believers, he is deserving, I think, of neither. I've followed Dawkins for a while, mostly because of his particular pronouncements on the "improbability" of God.…

The State of the Evangelical Mind Reflections on the Past, Prospects for the Future  Edited by Todd C. Ream, Jerry A. Pattengale, and Christopher J. DeversIntervarsity Press, Dec 11, 2018 Mark Noll's 1994 "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind" addressed his perceived lack of intellectual rigor in the American Evangelical community of the early 1990's.…