Monthly Archives: September 2008

A New Earth, an Old Deception

Book Review Richard Abanes takes a thorough and critical look at Eckhart Tolle’s latest book, in his 2008 Bethany House book, A New Earth, An Old Deception: Awakening to the Dangers of Eckhart Tolle’s #1 Bestseller. It’s a study primarily aimed (through most of its length) toward Christian believers, drawing on Christians’ shared trust in …

September 30, 2008 – 9:00 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age | Tagged , | Comments (4)

“Scientism – Refuge of Atheism and Other Foolish Ideas”

Holopupenko has uncovered a gem! It’s John Cleese on what Holopupenko has titled, Scientism – Refuge of Atheism and Other Foolish Ideas See it at Reasoning Repaired

September 30, 2008 – 4:38 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science | Tagged , | Comments (17)

A World of Stone, A “New Earth,” or Something Better?

There’s a growing realization that materialism and the rational, empirical worldview that comes with it has reached its expiration date. So says Daniel Pinchbeck, in a NY Times Magazine article entitled “The Final Days” by Benjamin Anastas. Pinchbeck wrote an “alternative-culture bestselle4,” 2012, The Return of Quetzalcoatl. He is part of a movement that looks …

September 24, 2008 – 8:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age | Tagged | Comments Off

Civil Discussion

There is someone who in the past has commented on this blog, but in more recent private email correspondence said to me, “You’ve succeeded in making me angry, congratulations.” From that auspicious start, that email went on to say that what I had written on a certain post was an “abomination…. BS [repeated twice]…. malicious …

September 24, 2008 – 6:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Unfiled | Comments Off

What Is Christianity? Worship

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series What Is Christianity?

At the core of Christianity—at the core of everything—there is God, uniquely revealed in Jesus Christ. From the earth-bound, human perspective, Christianity is primarily about being in a right relationship with God through Christ. This is a many-faceted relationship involving reconciliation with God, experiencing his forgiveness and intimate love, learning his character and living consistently …

September 22, 2008 – 6:08 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in The Faith | Tagged , | Comments (3)

If We Don’t Live Up To Our Beliefs…

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Living Up To Our Beliefs

I’m still thinking about Bradley Monton’s questions, linked from here, about Christians not living up to our beliefs. His observations certainly call for a prophetic response: Christians, wake up! It makes a difference how we live! There is more to it than that, though. Our inconstancy of practice raises two questions: what does it signify …

September 20, 2008 – 10:54 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in The Faith | Tagged , | Comments (4)

“Look Who’s Irrational Now”

From the Wall Street Journal: “What Americans Really Believe,” a comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows that traditional Christian religion greatly decreases belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of astrology. It also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from …

September 19, 2008 – 3:02 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Atheism, Thinking Christianly | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Monton Responds

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Living Up To Our Beliefs

Bradley Monton has answered my response to his earlier blog entry, including this: For these people, their behavior is deeply at odds with their professed beliefs, and it makes me wonder if they really believe what they say they believe. He is especially on the mark when he points to the pattern of Christians’ lives: …

September 18, 2008 – 9:08 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Just For Fun, The Faith | Tagged | Comments (5)

Do We Really Believe in God?

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Living Up To Our Beliefs

Do people really believe in God? That’s the question Bradley Monton asked in a blog entry today. He’s a philosophy professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, an atheist, and yet somewhat sympathetic toward Intelligent Design. He begins today’s article, I’ve recently read a couple different pieces arguing that belief in God is less …

September 17, 2008 – 10:00 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in The Faith | Tagged , | Comments (6)

The Case for a Creator: Naturalism and Materialism

I’m team-teaching Lee Strobel’s The Case for a Creator at church along with a college biology instructor and an engineer, each of us taking the chapters relating to our own areas of specialty. Chapter Two asks, “Is science—especially evolutionary science—opposed to God? Do we really need God if we can explain the world through science?” …

September 13, 2008 – 4:00 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science | Comments (41)