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Category Archives: Deep Social Change

Plantinga: There’s No Good Argument For Design, But Who Needs One?

Book Review There are heavyweights in Christian philosophy, and there is Alvin Plantinga, whose name virtually never comes up without the descriptor, “most influential Christian philosopher of our generation.” In his latest book, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism, he comes to a surprising conclusion about Intelligent Design. To put it perhaps …

November 27, 2011 – 7:22 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Intellectual Engagement, Origins and Science, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Behe, Book Review, Christian, Dawkins, Epistemology, Fine-Tuning, Intelligent Design, Naturalism, Philosophy, Plantinga, Religion, Science | Comments (114)

The Electronic Student: Bible Study (Black Friday Edition)

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series The Electronic Student

The Internet is the best and worst thing that could have happened to serious study, I wrote last time in this series. The benefit is in the sheer quantity of information available. The chief problem is distraction. There are other risks, including that of becoming a Google scholar. Studying the Bible on computer is another …

November 25, 2011 – 8:55 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Bible, Intellectual Engagement, The Faith, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Accordance, Bible, Bible Study, Black Friday, Computer, Logos, Sword Project | Comments (1)

The Argumentum ad Smarterum

I’m a firm believer in speaking the truth with love (Eph. 4:15) and letting my speech be gracious, “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6). Usually this means practicing great patience and gentleness. There is one frequent form of skeptic/atheist argument, though, for which love demands a firm and intense rebuttal. I’m referring to the argumentum ad …

November 21, 2011 – 1:33 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Intellectual Engagement, New Atheism | Tagged Argument, Atheism, Christ, Evidence, Humility, logic, Love, Pride, Reason | Comments (28)

The Electronic Student, Part 1

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series The Electronic Student

If learning is the key to human flourishing, then the age of electronics ought to be our long-awaited golden age of social renewal; for when in history have we had so much knowledge right at our fingertips? You’re not buying that, I can tell. Here I am kicking off a multi-part series on learning in …

November 18, 2011 – 1:34 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Intellectual Engagement, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Distraction, Focus, Freedom, Internet, Nook, Reading, Study | Comments (0)

Stephen Law Responds

Dr. Stephen Law commented here today, saying that he had anticipated the kind of objection I raised in “Stephen Law’s Incoherent ‘Evil God.’” In his comment he directed us to notes he had prepared for his debate with William Lane Craig. Blake Anderson added considerably to my argument later in the day, and other commenters …

November 5, 2011 – 8:54 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Intellectual Engagement | Tagged "Evil God", Stephen Law, William Lane Craig | Comments Off

On Thinking Christians, Thinking Atheists, and What Really Matters

When the Thinking Atheist mentioned my blog at his Facebook page, his commenters responded with a long series of smirks and harmless taunts directed my way, mostly to the tune of “There’s no such thing as a thinking Christian.” A couple dozen people said “thinking Christian” is an oxymoron. Oh, well. Such is life. Apparently …

November 4, 2011 – 9:34 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Intellectual Engagement, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Atheism, Christianity, Love, Thinking, Virtue | Comments (14)

“Argument and the Woman Apologist – Apologetics 315″

Dr. Holly Ordway: I believe that there are different modes of intellectual engagement, and that we often fail to appreciate the way that these modes function. What we often take as a tension between the intellectual life and femininity may really be the product of a mismatch between an individual woman and the mode of …

November 2, 2011 – 9:54 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Intellectual Engagement | Tagged Apologists, feminity, Holly Ordway, intellectual life, Women | Comments Off

Is It Rational to Believe in Spiritual Battle? (Part 2)

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Spiritual Battle

Polls consistently show that most Americans believe in the existence of a devil. (Though I haven’t checked, I expect that number would be lower in other Western countries.) Belief in a devil is less frequent than belief in a God, and less respectable in many quarters. It’s controversial when a politician attributes some good event …

October 18, 2011 – 2:23 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science, Prayer, Religions | Tagged Anti-Science Beliefs, Blame-shifting, Christ, demons, Irrationality, Prayer, rationality, Revelation, Satan, Scientism, Spiritual Battle | Comments (1)

“A Movement Has Begun”

From Chuck Colson, speaking about the September 24 “Doing the Right Thing” Simulcast, which I attended along with my pastor: Francis Schaeffer once said Americans have to learn to act as missionaries in their own culture. If you’re a missionary, you learn the language of the people in the mission field. Many of us spend …

October 4, 2011 – 10:50 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Ethics, Intellectual Engagement | Tagged Chuck Colson, Culture, Del Tackett, Doing the Right Thing, Eric Metaxas, Ethics, John Stonestreet, Mike Miller, Robert George, Worldview | Comments Off

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