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Believe the Right Things for the Right Reasons

One of my favorite passages in Plato’s Republic is in Book II immediately after Thrasymachus’ argument with Socrates concerning justice. Thrasymachus argues that justice is only the advantage of the stronger, and Socrates breaks down Thrasymachus’ argument. However, Glaucon, one of Socrates’ friends is unsatisfied with Socrates’ response and he says to him “Socrates, do you want to seem to have persuaded us that it is better in every way to be just than unjust or do you want to truly convince us of this?”  Socrates says, “I want truly to convince you if I can.” Glaucon then renews the argument of Thrasmymachus, not because he thinks it is true, (in fact he thinks it is untrue) but rather he wants the argument to receive the strongest response. Glaucon says, “It isn’t Socrates that I believe any of this myself. I’m perplexed, indeed, and my ears are deafened listening to Thrasymachus and countless others. But I’ve yet to hear anyone defend justice in the way I want, proving that it is better than injustice. I want to hear it praised by itself, and I think that I’m mostly likely to hear this from you.” He wants to put forward the strongest possible version of the argument so he can hear how Socrates might take it down.

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“Post-Evangelical” Evangelicals

For a long time there has been a trend among North American evangelicals who grow up in conservative evangelical culture, and then at some point leave “traditional” evangelicalism for some flavor of progressive Christianity. On the popular level,  I’m thinking here of people like Rachel Held Evans or Rob Bell. Usually, these “post-evangelicals/ex-evangelicals” claim to have cut ties with evangelicalism and they no longer identify as evangelical; they disavow evangelicalism.

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Christianity Among the Religions of the World (Guest Post by Jeff Hubbard)

It will be a surprise to some, but as a Pentecostal preacher I have a love of studying other religions. I have a fascination with how religion works in society, individual lives, cultures, politics, but most of all I am interested in what religion tells us about Ultimate Reality. You see, the more I learn about religion and world religions the more I learn about the God of the Bible and the more convinced I become that He is the true God of gods.

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The Powers that Be

A friend of mine recently pointed something out that I think Christians (especially in the West) are good to remember. And that is when we are speaking out against false ideas and wicked practices, we aren’t just getting into an intellectual engagement. We are confronting spiritual forces of darkness. We would be naive to think we are simply trying to convince stubborn people. There exists a very real and serious spiritual opposition to the kingdom of God. Jesus confronted it in his time, and we should expect to confront it in ours (Luke 11:20).I remember when I was a student at Princeton seminary, the idea that Satan was a real person, or that demons were at work in the world wasn’t just considered incorrect, it was so laughable by professors to not even be seriously considered. And yet, for the vast majority of the world, and for the vast history of the world, the fact that there exist supernatural forces was not a point a contention. It was a given fact about reality. In the West, demons may not employ the same methods they do… Read More »The Powers that Be

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Richard Swinburne and the Society of Christian Philosophers

Something strange happened last week within the Society of Christian Philosophers. If you don’t know, the Society of Christian Philosophers is simply a formally organized group of philosophical scholars who identify as Christians. It is (as far as I know) the broadest and largest academic organized group of Christian philosophers. Like other academic groups, they come together throughout the year to present lectures, discuss ideas, and keep up with the latest news in Christian philosophical discussions. The group was founded in 1978 and some of its past presidents have included esteemed thinkers like Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Eleonore Stump. The current president of the SCP is Michael Rea who also teaches philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Read More »Richard Swinburne and the Society of Christian Philosophers

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3 Things I Love about Evangelicals

Evangelicals often get a lot of flak…including from fellow evangelicals. And sometimes deservedly so. I don’t care to defend the stupid things evangelical Christians do. It’s safe to say they can be easy target.   Yet in spite of their problems, here are three things I love about evangelicals: 1. Evangelicals are all about the Bible. I want the sacred text of the Old and New Testaments to be the primary governing and shaping element in my life. So, I love that evangelical Christians are committed to the authority and truth of the Bible. They have it on their phones, attend home Bible studies, open it up on Sunday mornings, highlight its pages, get multiple translations, read it early in the mornings, put verses on their walls, etc. Evangelicals are uncompromising on their priority of Bible. 2. Evangelicals get that it’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus. In a religious world that can often be about empty rituals, endless doctrinal checklists, or emotional excitement, the mantra of evangelicalism that ultimately “it’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus” holds true. Evangelicals despise legalism and speak… Read More »3 Things I Love about Evangelicals

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