Paul the villain

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Preaching recently in Curaçao, Diocese of Venezuela, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori demonstrated just how far she has travelled from anything resembling a biblical and apostolic faith.

Pushing the familiar agenda of inclusion and diversity (changing attitudes and laws about same-sex relationships remind us that different is not the same as wrong), she informs her hearers of a particular blind spot that Paul had in this regard.  Schori refers to the incident involving a slave girl, recorded in Acts 16. …

Hume and the argument from design

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David Hume (1711-76) opposed the argument on the following grounds (a brief response is given in italics):-

1. It begs the question: ‘Who designed the Designer?’

This is a category error.  It is to confuse the Creator with his creation.  It is to assume naturalism, which for no good reason rules out of court any possibility of an uncreated, non-material Creator

2. It does not give us any reason to suppose that a Designer, if the existence of such could be demonstrated, is the God of the Bible. …

The historical reliability of the Gospels

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Of course, for some kinds of literature, historical reliability is irrelevant.  Who cares about the factuality of a fairy story, a piece of science fiction, or even an anecdote about some famous person?  But when we read other kinds of material, including newspaper reports, biographies, and works of history, we have a right to ask, “Did this really happen?”

We certainly ought to ask this question of the four Gospels.  For the Christian faith is not, in the first instance, a call to a certain way of life. …

Grayling and the fine-tuning argument

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Philosopher A.C. Grayling has appeared on radio shows on both sides of the Atlantic recently, in order to promote his latest book The God Argument.

I happen to be a regular listener (via the podcasts) of both shows.

The American show is ‘Point of Enquiry’.  This is associated with The Centre for Enquiry, which describes itself as ‘a think-tank advancing reason, science and secular values in public affairs and at the grass roots’.  Grayling was interviewed Chris Mooney. …

Remedies against Satan’s devices

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William Spurstowe (1605-1666), along with other Puritan writers, catalogued many of Satan’s devices, and indicated the remedies that the Christian should take:-

Device 1 – Satan leads us from lesser sins to greater.

Remedy – ‘Do not give the devil a foothold’ (Eph 4:27).  If you let the serpent’s head into the house, the whole body will soon follow.  Do not trivialise ‘lesser’ sins: ‘the least sin is contrary to the law of God, the nature of God, the being of God, and the glory of God’ (Brooks).…

Is God’s love unconditional?

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It is something of a cliche to say that ‘God loves us unconditionally’.  But what does this mean, and how true is it?

If it means that…

  • God’s love is not manipulative or biassed
  • God’s love is enduring – not giving up when the ‘going gets tough’
  • God’s love is unmerited, undeserved, not based on anything lovable in ourselves
  • God’s love for us is antecedent to our love for God

…then we can enthusiastically agree that God’s love is unconditional.…

April fools?

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April Fool’s Day sets up interesting challenges for readers of newspapers and other media in trying to tell which stories are true and which are pranks.

Which (if any) of the following would you think are true (or at least seriously intended)?

1. Durham University is offering a course on Harry Potter.  The module, entitled Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion includes a section “Welcome to Hogwarts: the commodification of education”.

2. In Sweden, news website The Local reports that workmen digging a rail tunnel under Stockholm have found Mjoelnir, the hammer used in Norse mythology by the thunder god Thor.…

The Parable of the Three Rings

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In his play Nathan the Wise, Gotthold Lessing (1729-1781) re-tells the ancient parable of the three rings.

The story is set in the 12th century, during the Third Crusade.  It incorporates a discussion between the Muslim Sultan, a Jewish sage, and a Christian Knight Templar.

The Muslim Sultan asks the Jewish Sage, “What theological law do you regard as the best?”

Nathan responds by telling his parable.

A man owned an opal ring of great beauty and, reputedly, of magical powers. …

Do we have ‘free will’?

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C.H. Spurgeon had a portrait of John Gill, Baptist preacher and commentator, in his vestry.  The portrait, says Spurgeon, ‘represents him after an interview with an Arminian gentleman, turning up his nose in a most expressive manner, as if he could not endure even the smell of free-will.’ (Commentating and Commentaries, p9)

Spurgeon himself, as a good Calvinist, had a similar distaste for the notion of ‘free will’.  I must say that I sometimes feel that an appeal to free will is used too glibly by preachers in order to explain away some of the tougher points of Christian doctrine and experience.…

What should we do with Christianity’s exclusive truth claims?

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One of the most frequently-heard objections to the Christian faith is this: ‘You Christians are perfectly entitled to belief whatever you want.  But it’s arrogant and narrow-minded of you to suppose that you have an exclusive claim on the truth.  Stop trying to tell us that you are right and that everyone else is wrong.  In a pluralist society it’s too exclusive a way of talking, and in a democratic society it’s too divisive.’

Tim Keller recently addressed this issue in a talk given at the University of Berkeley:-

He began by acknowledging that there is frequently a problem with religious dogmatism. …