Category Archives: People

Has science eliminated God?

Walking With Giants Posted on by

The best short summary and discussion that I have seen of Richard Dawkins’ view that science has ‘eliminated’ God is that of Alister McGrath in an article published the journal Science and Christian Belief.

Although published in 2005, and not interacting directly with Dawkins’ The God Delusion, the article nevertheless takes account of the opinions of Dawkins as they have developed from 1977 (The Selfish Gene) onwards.

McGrath expresses admiration for Dawkins’ scientific writing, but notes that when he touches on the subject of God, evidence-based reasoning seems to have been left behind, to be replaced by over-simplification and, not infrequently, misrepresentation.…

Do atheists exist?

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Self-confessed atheists are likely to be infuriated by the suggestion that there is really no such thing as atheism.  But the idea that everyone, at heart, believes in God is a soundly biblical one.

To be sure, we should offer unbelievers sound reasons for the existence of God.  But we should resist the idea that their professed unbelief is as deep-seated as they might have us suppose.

As has often been pointed out, the Bible never tries the prove the existence of God. …

Flavel on guidance

Walking With Giants Posted on by

John Flavel (1628-1691) offers much in very few words:-

If therefore, in doubtful cases, you would discover God’s will, govern yourselves in your search after it by these rules:

1. Get the true fear of God upon your hearts; be really afraid of offending him.

2. Study the Word more, and the concerns and interests of the world less.

3. Reduce what you know into practice, and you shall know what is your duty to practice.…

Love for Christ

Walking With Giants Posted on by

The love that a Christian has for Christ is a practical, as well as an emotional thing.  It has its own distinguishing marks.

J.C. Ryle expressed it very well, I think:-

1.  If we love a person, we like to think about him. We do not need to be reminded of him. We do not forget his name or his appearance or his character or his opinions or his tastes or his position or his occupation.…

Carson on open theism

Walking With Giants Posted on by

I’m going to summarise a helpful review of open theism given by D.A. Carson in the following lecture:-

Openness of God Theology

1.  Definitions and key people

Leading figures in this movement include Clark Pinnock, Greg Boyd, and John Sanders.

According to Sanders, there are no-risk and risk views of divine providence.  The no-risk (or classical) view is that God ordains everything.  But this would mean that God ordains evil, including suffering and death.  Open theism takes a ‘risk’ view of providence.…

Motivational appeal in evangelistic preaching

Walking With Giants Posted on by

In an recent edition of Themelios, D.A. Carson suggests that there are a number of possible motivations that preachers might appeal to, especially when addressing unbelievers.  I summarise:-

1.  Fear.  Although the gospel promises deliverance from fear (Heb 2:14-18), Christ and the apostles did not shrink from warning people of the consequences of unbelief (Mt 10:38; 13:30; 16:26; 22:10-13).  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:31).…

A major publishing event in reformed theology

Walking With Giants Posted on by

‘The Theology of B.B. Warfield: a systematic survey‘, by Fred G. Zaspel, IVP/Apollos, 2010.

I acquired most of B. B. Warfield’s writings (in their Presbyterian & Reformed editions) over thirty years ago. ‘The Person and Work of Christ’, for example, was given to me by my fiancee (soon after to become my wife) in 1977; ‘Calvin and Augustine’ was snaffled up while on holiday in Lochgilphead, Scotland, in 1979.

I have always been impressed by Warfield’s lucidity, versatility, spiritual warmth, and biblical faithfulness.…

Is God the Ultimate Boeing 747?

Walking With Giants Posted on by

In chapter 4 of The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins attempts to demonstrate that the existence of God is extremely improbable.  He gives pride of place to his ‘Ultimate Boeing 747 gambit’.  This argument, he says, is ‘the big one’.

The starting-point is the comment attributed to Fred Hoyle that the probability of life originating on earth by chance is no greater that a tornado in a junk-yard asembling a fully-functioning Boeing 747.  Theists often like to say that that the universe is so complex that only God could have brought it into being.…

The fight

Walking With Giants Posted on by

In his celebrated book, Holiness, J.C. Ryle writes with his customary vigour about the Christian fight.  He takes as his text 1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of faith.”

What follows is a summary.

Many are fascinated by warfare and fighting.  But there is a warfare that is as real as any human battle, and of far greater importance.  It is waged by every Christian man and woman who ever entered the world.…

Eternal torment

Walking With Giants Posted on by

This is a hard post to write.  If there is one aspect of revealed truth that both saints and sinners wish was not there, it would be the doctrine of the eternal punishment of the wicked.  Christians – including evangelical Christians – have become almost completely silent on this point, sometimes from misplaced humility (‘Who am I to speak of such things?’), sometimes from fear of what unbelievers will think (‘Non-Christians have a low enough opinion of Christianity, without alienating them even more with this talk of hell and judgment’), and sometimes from actual doubt as to whether Scripture does actually teach which it appears to teach.…