Moving Notice...

I've started the long process of moving to my new home...

United 3 - AC Milan 2

Room to Read

Saw this on Oprah, yesterday and I think it's worth highlghting...

"Our mission is to ensure that every child receives the lifelong gift of education. With the help of the "Oprah Winfrey Show"® we can dream big and reach our goal of establishing 20,000 bilingual libraries by the year 2020."

Donate here...

Ravi Zacharias responds to the Virginia Tech shootings

"On April 16, 2007, when Cho Seung-Hui opened fire on his victims, shooting with deadly force and at random, another dark and painful chapter was written in our shared lives as human beings, and as Americans in particular. So much is unknown and so much spadework is being done to figure it all out. There is, however, in the midst of it all one powerful clue that gives us the only hint of an answer...."

I Love This Game!

The real NBA season now begins. The Spurs have the Nuggets first up, the same team they had in the first round when they last won the championship. Wishful thinking though. I just hope the have a good showing in the post-season.

Advice to Christian Apologists

Dr. Craig shares some tips for budding Christian apologists (a category in which I have been placed)...

Reasonable Faith

Got this link from over at Bewteen Two Worlds. William Lane Craig has a new website for "...providing an articulate, intelligent voice in defense of biblical Christianity in the public square." Check it out...

Did Christianity Arise Out of the Mystery Religions?

By Dr John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon

Virginia Tech Campus Shootings

"Virginia Tech Rampage" (@ CNN)

The blame game

It’s easy to play the blame game. Some communities would lead you to believe all their problems are due to “external forces” and that they are in their current condition solely due to these outside influences. We blame the Willie Lynch letter (which is a myth), the “white” man, the government, Babylon system and on and on. It’s always somebody else’s fault. Now we are demanding our pound of flesh in the form of reparations. Will reparations mean we won’t portray ourselves like idiots in the mindless “music” videos on BET? We are so impressed with someone kneeling down next to an overpriced car, pointing at equally overpriced and oversized rims. But of course it’s probably the “white” supremacist record executives who portray us in that way. It’s always somebody else’s fault. That’s the problem.

Death of the Willie Lynch Speech

Part 1

Part 2

Why Philosophy?

J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig put their case in Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview:

“For centuries, people have recognized the importance of philosophy. In particular, throughout the history of Christianity, philosophy has played an important role in the life of the church and the spread and defense of the gospel of Christ.”

…

“Unfortunately, today things are different. Theologian R.C. Sproul has called this the most anti-intellectual period in the history of the church, and former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Christian statesman Charles Malik warns that the greatest danger facing modern evangelicalism is a lack of cultivation of the mind, especially as it relates to philosophy.”

“But is philosophy really that important for the life, health and witness of the church? Are God’s people not warned in Scripture itself to avoid philosophy and worldly wisdom?”
…

“There is a general perception among many believers that philosophy is intrinsically hostile to the Christian faith and should not be of concern to believers. There are at least four reasons frequently cited for such an attitude:

The claim is made that human depravity has made the mind so darkened that the noetic effects of sin, that is, sin’s effect on the mind, render the human intellect incapable of knowing truth. However, this claim is an exaggeration. The Fall brought about the perversion of human faculties, but it did not destroy those faculties. Human reasoning abilities are affected but not eliminated.

It is sometimes claimed that faith and reason are hostile to each other, and whatever is of reason cannot be of faith. But this represents [a] misunderstanding of the biblical concept of faith. The biblical notion of faith includes three components: notitia (understanding the content of the Christian faith), fiducia (trust) and assensus (the assent of the intellect to the truth of some proposition). Trust is based on understanding, knowledge and the intellect’s assent to truth. Belief in rests on belief that. One is called to trust in what he or she has reason to give intellectual assent (assensus) to. In Scripture, faith involves placing trust in what you have reason to believe is true. Faith is not a blind, irrational leap into the dark. So faith and reason cooperate on a biblical view of faith. They are not intrinsically hostile.

Some cite Colossians 2:8 as evidence against philosophy: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (NIV). However, on an investigation of the structure of the verse, it becomes clear that philosophy in general was not the focus. Rather, the Greek grammar indicates that “hollow and deceptive” go together with “philosophy”, that is, vain and hostile philosophy is the subject of discussion, not philosophy per se. In the context of Colossians, Paul was warning the church not to form and base its doctrinal views according to a philosophical system hostile to orthodoxy. His remarks were a simple warning not to embrace heresy. They were not meant in context to represent the apostle’s views of philosophy as a discipline of study. Those views are not relevant to the context and do not square with the grammar of the passage.”

"Rampant Reds rout Roma"

"Having first invoked history, Manchester United then made it in thrilling fashion. After the acrimony at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma were battered at Old Trafford in United's latest great European recovery." Read full story at Soccernet.com...

Scientism

I couldn’t help but agreeing with Gil Grissom from CSI when he quipped, “Most people assume that scientists are ethical. The truth is, a lot of them are no better than politicians.” Science is often portrayed as a discipline that is the most serious, most authoritative and most valuable. But is this really so? Is every other intellectual activity inferior to science and does science have no limits? Strong scientism would say yes, and it would be very wrong. In fact, it is actually self-refuting. According to J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, “Strong scientism is not itself a proposition of science, but a second-order proposition of philosophy about science which asters that only scientific propositions are true and/or rational to believe.” No amount of progress in science will have the slightest effect in making strong scientism true.

Nicholas in The Limits of Science sums it up nicely: “The theorist who maintains that science is the be-all and end-all – that what is not in science textbooks is not worth knowing – is an ideologist with a peculiar and distorted doctrine of his own. For him, science is no longer a sector of the cognitive enterprise but an all-inclusive world-view. This is the doctrine not of science but scientism. To take this stance is not to celebrate science but to distort it.”

7 Up!

Manchester United stormed into the UEFA Champions League semis by trashing Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford. uefa.com match report...

Isaac Newton [Mathematical Principles]

"He [God] is eternal and infinite; ... that is, his duration reaches from eternity to eternity; his presence from infinity to infinity ... He is not eternity and infinity, but eternal and infinite; he is not duration or space, but he endures and is present. He endures forever, and is everywhere present, and, by existing always and everywhere, he constitutes duration and space. Since every particle of space is always, and every indivisible moment of duration is everywhere, certainly the Maker and Lord of all things cannot be never and nowhere."

Fishers of men

Here is an excerpt from Charles Spurgeon's, The Soulwinner: "The fisherman is a daring man. He tempts the boisterous sea. A little brine in his face does not hurt him. He has been wet through a thousand times; it is nothing to him. He never expected to sleep in the lap of ease when he became a deep-sea fisherman. In the same way, the true minister of Christ, who fishes for souls, will never mind a little risk. He will be bound to do or say many things that are very unpopular. Some Christians may even judge his words to be too severe. He must do and say that which is for the good of souls. It is not his to entertain a question as to what others will think of his doctrine or him."

The Lamb is Christ

Another exceptional Slice from RZIM. Here is the opening paragraph:

"Ralph Wood, professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, once asked a group of seminary students to compare two individuals: an astute collegian who tells you insistently that sin and the fall of man are fallacies invented by the superstitious, and a young pagan in a remote village whom you find in the woods sacrificing a chicken on a makeshift altar. "Which man is farther from the truth?" he asked. The students hemmed and hawed but hesitantly agreed that the pagan boy, however primitively, understood something the other did not. There is a need in our lives for atonement. There is a need for blood." Read full slice...

Any Old God Won't Do

From Stand to Reason:

"Most people believe in God. But the word G-O-D won't get them very far. The real question is, "How does one know if his particular view of God is true or not?" The old adage "All roads lead to Rome" is misleading and false.

In this practical tape Greg tells why. He outlines three different questions used to test a religion for truth. He then shows why belief in Christianity as the one true religion is reasonable.

Worshipping God your own way is not as important as worshipping God His way. This teaching helps you to know the difference."

The presumption of atheism

Here is J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig's take on the presumption of atheism. This excerpt is taken directly from their outstanding book, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview:

“This is the claim that in the absence of evidence of God, we should presume that God does not exist. Atheism is a sort of default position, and the theist bears the weight of burden of proof with regard to his belief that God exists.

The assertion “God does not exist” is just as much a claim to knowledge as the assertion “God exists” and therefore the former requires justification just as the latter does. It is the agnostic who makes no knowledge claim at all with respect to God’s existence, confessing that he does not know whether God exists or does not exist, and so who requires no justification.

But its protagonists are using it in a nonstandard way, synonymous with nontheist, which would encompass agnostics and traditional atheists.

Flew confesses: “the word “atheist” has in the present context (presumption of atheism position) to be construed in an unusual way. Nowadays, it is normally taken to mean someone who explicitly denies the existence … of God … But here it has to be understood not positively but negatively, with the originally Greek prefix “a-“ being read in this same way in “atheist” as it customarily is in … words as “amoral” … In this interpretation an atheist becomes not someone who positively asserts the non-existence of God, but someone who is simply not a theist.”

Such a redefinition of the word atheist trivialized the claim of the presumption of atheism. For in this definition, atheism ceases to be a view, and even babies, who hold no views at all on the matter, count as atheists. One would still require justification in order to know either that God exists or that he does not exist. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

The debate among contemporary philosophers has moved beyond the facile presumption of atheism to the discussion of the so-called hiddenness of God – discussion of the probability or expectation that God if he existed, would leave more evidence of his existence than what we have.

Atheists argue that God, if he existed, would have prevented the world’s unbelief by making his existence starkly apparent (say, by inscribing the label “made by God” on every atom). But why would God want to do such a thing?

On the Christian view it is a matter of relative indifference to God whether people believe that he exists or not. He is interested in building a love relationship with us, not just getting us to believe that he exists. Even demons believe and tremble, for they have no saving relationship with him (James 2:19).

To believe in God, we must believe that God exists. But there is no reason at all to think that if God were to make his existence more manifest, more people would come into a saving relationship with him. Mere showmanship will not bring about a change of heart (Luke 16:30-31).

Interestingly enough, as the Bible describes the history of God’s dealing with mankind, there has been a progressive interiorization of this interaction with an increasing emphasis on the Spirit’s witness to our inner selves (Romans 8:16-17).

In the Old Testament God is described as revealing himself to his people in manifest wonders: plagues in Egypt, pillar of fire and smoke, parting of the Red Sea. But did such wonders produce lasting heart-change in the people? No. Israel fell into apostasy with tiresome repetitiveness. Therefore we have no way of knowing that in a world of free creatures in which God’s existence is as obvious as the nose on your face that more people would come to love him and know his salvation in the actual world.”

The Portrait (Da Vinci Code Snapshots)

This is definitely one my favourite songs from The Faith...

Song Explanation, Resources & Lyrics

Faith & Reason

Here are some key thoughts that jumped out at me from the essay, "The Relationship Between Faith and Reason" by Thomas A. Howe and Richard G. Howe in To Everyone an Answer:

• Too many people think of faith as: believing in something when commonsense tells you not to (accepting something against the evidence.)

• "Our contention is that religion is more than something to give us peace of mind, a purpose for life, and happiness ... We believe that true religion must be grounded in reality, that it must make true claims about reality - who we are as human beings, who God is, and how we relate to God. The religion that cannot answer these questions is false, not because it fails to give one peace of mind, but because it makes false claims about the way things are."

• The Role of Reason - While it it the Holy Spirit who enables someone to believe, he may sometimes use the presentation of evidence for the Christian faith as the means whereby someone can come to see the truth of the gospel. There is conflict between the work of the Holy Spirit and the use of evidence and reason. The evidence and reason as such were never intended to supplant the work of God's Spirit but rather are intended to be the means by which the Holy Spirit brings someone to faith in Christ.

• Biblical Mandate to give reasons: 1 Peter 3:15; Jude 3; Acts 18:24-28; Acts 9:22; Acts 15:2; Acts 17:2-4; Acts 17:17; Acts 18:4; Acts 19:8-10; Acts 28:23-24.

• What is faith? "Faith is a personal trust in someone or something. Saving faith is a personal trust in God, who is true to his Word. Sometimes people will argue that faith is contrary to reason - the notion of believing in something in spite of reason. But this is not accurate. Faith is not contrary to reason or irrational. In fact, trusting God is eminently reasonable. God has demonstrated his faithfulness and trustworthiness again and again. Even in those times when it seems that the promises of God will not be fulfilled, it would in fact be unreasonable not to believe in God. Faith is trusting God to do what he says he will do. Faith is a personal trust."

• "The intellectual aspect of faith is belief. The intellectual aspect of faith is the stable and unchanging commitment that is grounded in truth. This is perhaps what people are talking about when they say believe in spite of reason. Often, circumstancts of life may influence us to question the truth of God's Word. The intellectual aspect of faith, however, is not grounded in the appearances of the moment but in the truths about God and reality. Although I may feel strong in faith, my mind can remain committed to trusting in God because I know to be true about him. This is not mere opinion but is a firm commitment of trust in God based on who he is."

• Faith and Reason - "The best way to understand the relationship between faith and reason is to see that each has its proper role to play and that faith and reason complement each other in their respective roles."

• Reason - believing those things demonstrated by appropriate disciplines e.g. philosophy, science and mathematics.

• Faith - believing those things revaled by God through Christ and Scripture that could not be discovered by reason alone e.g. the Trinity, Human fallenness, The Gospel.

• "Reason does not cause faith, but our faith is not unreasonable."