Category Archives: Religions

Syncretism at Home

My monthly column is up now at BreakPoint: Syncretism (noun): “the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.” I first heard of syncretism in a seminary course on missions that I took many years ago. It plagues missionaries across the world. New peoples in new places come to faith in …

January 17, 2012 – 6:49 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Religions, Worldviews | Tagged , , | Comments (8)

Creation Out of Nothing

God’s work in this world is marked by at least ten crucial turning points, sovereign acts of God that make all the difference for you and for me. The creation of the universe The creation of man and woman in God’s image The Fall God’s calling of a people for himself God’s ongoing self-revelation The …

January 16, 2012 – 3:44 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Bible, Origins and Science, Religions, Worldviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (6)

If Christianity Is Your Religion, Don’t Thank God for the Cross

If Christianity were my religion, I wouldn’t thank God for the Cross. But it’s not my religion, and on Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. tomorrow, I will be giving God all the thanks I can give him for the Cross of Jesus Christ. I know I need to explain that, and I will. First …

November 23, 2011 – 8:13 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices, Postmodernism/ Relativism, Religions, The Faith, Worldviews | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (13)

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 , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Freedom of Religion Watch

On my RSS news reader this morning: Professor Says Vanderbilt Suppressing Christian Student Groups Amid Shutdown Threats Priest barred from saying mass In England, Displaying Bible Verses May Be Against the Law Conscience, Coercion, and Healthcare Preventing Another Attack: International Religious Freedom On a related note: Paying for a Church You Don’t Believe In and …

September 27, 2011 – 10:14 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Bible, Life and Choices, Religions, The Faith | Tagged , , , , | Comments (9)

Gregory S. Paul Again?! Unbelievable!

The infamous Gregory S. Paul study rears its disreputable head once again. When, oh when, oh when will this lousy research die its proper death? But here it is once again, on the Washington Post website, of all places! How often do we hear from religious apologists that lack of religious belief is responsible for …

September 20, 2011 – 12:23 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science, Religions | Tagged , , | Comments (5)

Books in Review: The Truth of the Soul of the Modern World

Dual Book Review The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization by Vishal Mangalwadi Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies by David Bentley Hart     One of the New Atheists’ more childish conceits is that of secularism’s moral superiority over all that has come …

September 20, 2011 – 6:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Arts and Culture, Religions, The Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Earth, Air, Fire, Water—and God

Several years ago my wife and I were hiking in the Anaheim Hills when we heard a drumbeat ahead of us. Our first thought was of a Boy Scout troop, but it turned out instead to be a pagan circle chanting their praises to earth, air, fire, and water. I can’t help thinking about that …

August 27, 2011 – 9:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Atheism, Religions, The Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (25)

Camping’s Crime: Turning Judgment Day Into Entertainment

The great thing about horror movies is that no matter how awful things look, no matter how terrified we feel, we know with absolute 100% certainty that everything will be perfectly fine in the end. I’m not talking about the movie plot: there’s no guarantee on that. I’m talking about ourselves as the viewers. We …

May 21, 2011 – 6:18 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Religions, The Faith | Comments (3)

UN document would give ‘Mother Earth’ same rights as humans

Bolivia is bringing a draft treaty to the U.N. for consideration, granting Mother Earth “the same rights as humans.” It’s modeled on Bolivia’s own recently-enacted domestic law, which speaks of the country’s natural resources as “blessings,” and grants the Earth a series of specific rights that include rights to life, water and clean air; the …

April 13, 2011 – 9:11 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices, Religions, Thinking Christianly | Comments (2)