Wikipedia, the Meaning of Life, and How Philosophy Still Matters
“The unexamined life,” said Socrates, “isn’t worth living.” And apparently, Wikipedia proves that we still agree with his sentiment 2400 years later. The Epicurean Dealmaker performed an interesting experiment to demonstrate the intellectual proximity of philosophy to...
Thoughts on the Creation Evolution Debate Between Ken Ham and Bill Nye
I appreciated that both Ken Ham and Bill Nye were willing to engage in a dialogue, as I think such discussions – including this one – help to clarify and test positions. I personally found the two men enjoyable to listen to, and I thought both presented their cases...
Hopelessness, Drugs, and The Deceptive Promise of the Altered State
I haven’t seen many of his films, but even a small sampling shows Philip Seymour Hoffman to be an extraordinary actor with undeniable skill. Sadly, we learn that Hoffman is gone, apparently falling prey to a drug habit that he couldn’t shake. My deepest condolences to...
“The most effective leadership, management, and efficiency models share traits common with each other, and traits that are ultimately traceable to the pages of the Bible. While these models are often not intentionally rooted in Biblical concepts by those that promote the models, the models illustrate how applying Biblical principles can set a trajectory of success in enterprise and in life. Led By a Lion is designed to introduce some of these leadership, management, and efficiency models, but goes a step further in identifying the Biblical genesis of many of the core traits that fuel the success of these models.”
Answering Richard Dawkins, Part 2
Dawkins Argument #2: There are of course gaps in the fossil record. In the case of the Turbellaria, a large, flourishing and beautiful group of free-living flatworms, the fossil record is one big gap – there are no fossils – and not even a Young Earth Creationist...
Answering Richard Dawkins
I appreciate Dr. Richard Dawkins’ impassioned arguments against creationism, as he challenges his listeners and readers to think through their positions and to offer sound reasons for their conclusions. My focus here is not to argue against his atheism, but is to...
What Was Nietzsche Thinking?
The flow of Nietzsche’s thought is notably distinct from more systematic philosophers (e.g., Kant) in that his perspective on moral value does not advance from previously defined epistemological and metaphysical conceptions. In fact, a reverse progression is evident...
“This approach has the advantage of seeking to view all knowledge through the lens of Scripture, and to subject all knowledge to the authority of Scripture. It encourages science and research within the field of psychology. It offers a Biblical balance of description and prescription. Of course, if the Bible is unreliable, then the refractive power of Scripture is distortive rather than corrective, but the epistemological premise of this approach is that God’s word is authoritative and sufficient for our understanding, for our equipping, and for our practice. There are many extra-biblical resources that we can employ, but in seeking out how and when to do that, we mustn’t lose sight of the one reliable constant that God has provided for us – the Bible.” –Chapter 9
Biblical Wordplay Doesn’t Obfuscate Meaning
Years ago, inaugural Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Coach John McKay was asked, after yet another loss, about his team’s execution. He quipped without hesitation, “I’m all for it.” McKay had the ability to quickly recognize not only the original, intended meaning of a word,...
History of the Problem of Evil, Part 2
The Problem of Evil in Modern Philosophy Calvin (1509-1564) Calvin resolutely disregards human volition as a means of absolving God for evil’s existence, and thus rejects earlier mainstream theodicies. In Ockham, however, Calvin finds an agreeable response to the...
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition: #8 Secondary Verification
Technically only the first seven steps of the exegetical process are truly exegetical. In those steps we aren’t using anything but the text itself (though because of our limitations in connecting with the languages especially it is expected that we will use tools like...
“The Green Tree is an exceptional work…provides a vital tool for every Bible interpreter…Just as the root system is the foundation of a tree and directly impacts the health of a tree, hermeneutic method is at the root of one’s worldview. This illustration demonstrates that the hermeneutic method that an interpreter of the Bible employs will significantly affect the outcome. The tree will either be healthy, or it will not be healthy…The authors provide a unique examination of Revelation, Genesis, and Job that demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is derived from within Scripture, something that other hermeneutical methods fail to demonstrate. This is perhaps the most crucial principle demonstrated in The Green Tree, and it effectively demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is also the Biblical hermeneutic.” – Andrew Friend (Amazon Review)
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #7: Identify Theological Context
In Step #6, we considered Biblical context, examining contexts on the basis of immediate and near textual proximity. In Step #7, our concern is theological context – a contextual consideration of theologically (topically) similar passages. The goal here is not to...
Coniah’s Judgment: Did The Grinch Steal Christmas?
In order to fulfill Biblical prophecy, the Messiah had to come from the seed of David. He had to be of the tribe of Judah, in the line of Solomon, yet he could not be of the seed of Coniah, whom (because of a litany of evils) God essentially removed from the royal...
Why I Said “No” to Ghostwriting
Once upon a time, early on in my academic and writing career, I was invited to ghostwrite for a best-selling author (who shall remain anonymous). I recall my initial shock at the request, because in my naïveté I had no idea that there was any such thing as a...
The Hermeneutic Roots of Our Soteriological Crisis
What is the root cause of soteriological controversy? Hermeneutics and theological method are major factors.
Amos Overview
A downloadable synthetic overview of the Book of Amos.
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #6: Identify Biblical Context
After completing the detailed grammatical, syntactical and lexical analysis, we need to step back and refocus to the bird’s eye perspective and so some synthesizing. First, we need to identify the overall theme of the book, but by completing the first steps in the...
Bill Nye, Creationism, and Philosophy of Science
Bill Nye commented in a recent video that creationism was inappropriate for children. He asserts that “evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science,” and cites dinosaur bones, radioactivity, distant stars and deep time as things explained exclusively by...
11 Simple Theological Terms We All Need To Know
Deriving from two Greek words, theos (God) and logos (word or discourse), the term theology simply refers to the study of or discourse about God. For students of the Bible, theology is the product of Bible study. In other words, it is not something we should read into...
NEW EBOOK ALERT: Lewis Sperry Chafer’s The Biblical Doctrine of Satan
Chafer’s classic and first published book was originally published in 1909 and given the simple title, "Satan." This current edition, edited and annotated by Christopher Cone (President, Tyndale Theological Seminary), is as much an in-depth consideration of the...
NEW BOOK ALERT A Concise Bible Survey: Tracing the Promises of God
A Concise Bible Survey: Tracing the Promises of God surveys the entire Bible with a chronological focus and visual learning style in mind. Studying the books of the Bible in chronological order helps readers see and understand how God is working throughout...