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“same god” controversy round-up

A number of Christian academic bloggers have weighed in on the Wheaton controversy about Dr. Larycia Hawkins, specifically her statement that Christians and Muslims worship the same god. If you haven’t been following the whole thing, blogger Fr. Alvin Kimel summarizes it well in this post at Eclectic Orthodoxy. There, and in a follow-up post, like me he gives an affirmative answer – yes,  Christians… Read More »“same god” controversy round-up

God, Allah, George Washington, and Eric Clapton

My seven year old nephew believes that once upon a time the young George Washington chopped down a cherry tree. For my part, I don’t think that happened. I believe that the cherry-tree story is a myth. Therefore, when my nephew talks about “George Washington” he’s not referring to the same guy I’m referring to when I talk about “George Washington.” Once, this nephew overheard… Read More »God, Allah, George Washington, and Eric Clapton

no, Jesus is not a fictional character

Christmas time! So time to sell magazines (etc.) with sensational, poorly reasoned articles which attempt to be bold and provocative. It’s as predictable as the rising sun. No book is evidence, right? Right. Else we’d be able to prove the reality of Batman by citing a comic book. [Facepalm] This argument kills with 8th-graders. But any adults should be unimpressed. I’ll wager that any adult can think… Read More »no, Jesus is not a fictional character

Are atheists denying the obvious? Koukl vs. Rauser and Feser

Here’s an overview, with a few comments, of an interesting little public disagreement about Romans 1 and atheism. The discussion was kicked off by evangelical apologist Greg Koukl’s “No Duh” video, where he says that according to Romans 1, all atheists are intentionally suppressing their knowledge of God. Randal Rauser then pointed out a hard to accept implication of Koukl’s claim, which seems to require us to re-think just how… Read More »Are atheists denying the obvious? Koukl vs. Rauser and Feser

Dr. Carl Mosser on deification in theology and in the Bible

Here are three more excellent new videos by Notre Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion! (subscribe here): Dr. Carl Mosser on deification. What, you as, is that? And isn’t that just a weird Orthodox idea? OK… but what does it mean? And doesn’t this sort of talk raise a bunch of philosophical issues? But seriously… where is this in the Bible? Want more in depth… Read More »Dr. Carl Mosser on deification in theology and in the Bible

a mini-course on atonement by Dr. Josh Thurow

I’ve received some excellent feedback on my two podcast episodes with Dr. Josh Thurow (University of Texas at San Antonio) on theories of atonement in Christian theology. Now, courtesy of Notre Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion  (subscribe here) you can hear and see him explaining the basic ideas. Here’s your mini-course on atonement. First, watch these: Now, listen to the trinities podcast episodes, which… Read More »a mini-course on atonement by Dr. Josh Thurow

podcast 105 – Dr. James Spiegel on The Making of an Atheist

In his 2010 book The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief, Dr. James Spiegel, professor of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor University, argues that unbelief results more from the will than from the mind. Drawing on the Bible, Plantingian epistemology, and contemporary psychology, in this book he builds a theory of the source of atheistic belief.

a conversation about the differences between God and Jesus

Here, at the Stand to Reason blog. In response to a short video in which a preacher suggests that several shared titles imply “that Jesus is Jehovah” (and he means by this that they are the same self, so numerically one). To the contrary, I point out some ways in which Jesus differs from God, in the portrayals of the New Testament: …only Jesus has… Read More »a conversation about the differences between God and Jesus

Genesis 1 compared to previous origin stories

Here is an epic post by our friend Dr. Dustin Smith, blogger at Dustin Martyr, comparing the opening of Genesis to earlier Near Eastern origin stories. …while the ancient cosmology described in Gen. 1:1-2:3 shares much in common with other creation accounts in the Ancient Near East, it is in the matter which they differ which sets it apart and brings it distinction within Israelite… Read More »Genesis 1 compared to previous origin stories

On the corruption of 1 John 5:7-8, the “Comma Johanneum”

Just recently on Facebook, I’ve been quoted a famous text, verses which for hundreds of years were a favorite trinitarian proof text, seemingly the “smoking gun” verse that was needed – 1 John 5:7-8. Here’s how it reads in the King James Bible: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  And there are… Read More »On the corruption of 1 John 5:7-8, the “Comma Johanneum”

the Maverick Philosopher on some fashionable confusions

Such as, “the question of whether there is one god or many (or none) as a version of the question of whether there is “one truth or many.” Eh? The Maverick Philosopher shines the bright sunlight of clarity on this whole mucky swamp of confusion: The claim that truth is absolute, and cannot be relative to individuals or groups or historical epochs or races, or… Read More »the Maverick Philosopher on some fashionable confusions

podcast 95 – Dr. Winfried Corduan: Are all religions the same?

Dr. Winfried Corduan is emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor University, and has been a blogger since before it was cool. His scholarship is thorough, multi-disciplinary, insightful, and informed by his own travel and conversations. He’s well known among students of apologetics for his informed engagement with members of other religions.

dialogue on God, Jesus, and identity with Alvin Kimel

Thanks to our friend Alvin Kimel for linking my post Jesus, God, and an inconsistent triad. Check out his post and the ensuing discussion here. Unfortunately, the fact that I’m a unitarian seems to distract him from the actual purpose of the post. He says, In this article he hopes to persuade us that the classical trinitarian doctrine is logically absurd. No. That is not… Read More »dialogue on God, Jesus, and identity with Alvin Kimel

Dialogue with the Maverick Philosopher: God is a being, not Being itself – part 7

Here’s where we stand. Bill urges that we should say that God’s essence = God’s existence because this (and only this) explains why God necessarily exists (and this not because of any other being). Me, I don’t grant that it’s even coherent to suppose that something’s essence just is its existence. So last time, I took a shot at a different argument for that conclusion… and… Read More »Dialogue with the Maverick Philosopher: God is a being, not Being itself – part 7