I’m still planning to get to the Marxism stuff, and I want to clarify some of the relationship between Paul’s authority and the guidance of the Spirit. But, right now, let me try and clarify what I meant about not needing to buy into any particular worldview because it probably makes a huge difference to my Read More…
Author: Joel
I study religion and philosophy, and I author this blog.
On the Holy Spirit
I believe I understand what you mean that the Spirit is a key topic related to everything else we’ve been discussing. It also could very well be the thing about which I am most skeptical — maybe not so much that some sort of Spirit could or does exist that influences people and groups, or Read More…
3 Points of Departure
Jed, Thanks for all your responses and for the post on the resurrection. I think it it’s especially brilliant! You cover a lot in a few words, and I like the way you set it up by addressing each of the alternative hypotheses in turn. So, I guess we could start with that. You have Read More…
5 Objections
The Background This dialogue has its origins in a recent request from my pastor for me to write out my most significant doubts concerning the truth of mainstream Christianity. I came up with the following 5 objections, written in question form, and sent a copy to the pastor. I also sent a copy to my Read More…
Review: Teaching as a Subversive Activity by Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner
In this series, I review what I take to be three of Neil Postman’s most influential works on education. First up (below) is Teaching as a Subversive Activity (1969), to be followed in part 2 by Teaching as a Conserving Activity (1979), and finally part 3 will bring us to The End of Education (1995). Read More…
On Shoes
To walk a mile in another’s shoes is indeed a valuable pursuit, as it no doubt tells us much about the other – but it tells us far more about ourselves. For, to wear the shoes of another properly, we must first remove our own, a task which few of us ever truly accomplish. Our Read More…
Review: Scripture and the Authority of God by N.T. Wright
What It’s About In Scripture and the Authority of God, N.T. Wright explores the concept of the authority of the Bible, focusing not so much on whether or to what extent the Bible is authoritative, but on what “authority” should mean in the first place when it comes to reading, studying, and following the Bible.[1] Read More…
The Reason for Hate
In this series, I have been discussing our tendency to reduce social ethics to a simple dichotomy of love versus hate and the problems such a reductive approach can and often does cause in society. In Part 1, I argued against the seemingly popular view that love is obviously good and hate obviously bad, and Read More…
On Iron
Iron sharpens iron . . . but not always and not by default. Pieces of iron remaining still, side by side, or moving together in the same direction will not increase in sharpness, nor will pieces merely pressed against each other or struck together arbitrarily or without measure. This tends to result in dullness. The Read More…
What is Hate?
In part 1 of this series, I made the observation that in our society we tend to hold love to be a good thing and hold hate a bad thing, and that this seems to be something that many of us consider obvious or self-evident (the love-not-hate ethic). I claimed that such a view is Read More…