Category Archives: The Faith

Is Faith Rational In an Age of Science?

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Faith & Science Podcasts 2012

Is faith rational in an age of science? Doesn’t science disprove Christianity? I gave this talk at a Cru student conference in Albany last Thursday. It’s the second in a series of three science and faith talks I’m posting this week. There is some overlap, maybe 30%, between this talk and the first one in …

January 11, 2012 – 6:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in The Faith | Comments (0)

It Must Be Christmas: I Agree With Jerry Coyne!

I’ve been quite critical of University of Chicago biologist Jerry Coyne on more than one occasion, so I was quite surprised to find myself nodding in agreement with him today on a religion-related topic. He opened up this blog post saying, There’s a pretty dreadful piece by Tim Padgett in the latest online Time Magazine (I’m …

December 23, 2011 – 6:16 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Atheism, Postmodernism/ Relativism, The Faith, Thinking Christianly | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

A Christmas Reflection: Incarnation, Mission, and Worldview

Here’s a completely different kind of Christmas reflection for you: my BreakPoint column, Incarnation, Mission, and Worldview. It begins, It was about a dozen years ago that our church’s pastor came back from a pastors’ conference and told us our denomination was growing rapidly everywhere in the world except North America. We were shrinking here, …

December 22, 2011 – 3:51 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Deep Social Change, Service, The Faith, Thinking Christianly, Worldviews | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

The Electronic Student: Presenting Your Study

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

Serious Scripture study is often sermon preparation, or preparation for some other kind of presentation. Does Bible software have anything to offer as an aid to presentation? The answer is yes. I’ve been studying Ephesians, using both Accordance and Logos Bible software for comparison purposes. I opened Accordance’s PhotoGuide, and I was, honestly, stunned to …

December 12, 2011 – 9:07 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in The Faith, Thinking Christianly | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

“Why Atheism Will Replace Religion” — Psychology Today

Nigel Barber writes: It seems that people turn to religion as a salve for the difficulties and uncertainties of their lives. In social democracies, there is less fear and uncertainty about the future because social welfare programs provide a safety net and better health care means that fewer people expect to die young. In social …

December 3, 2011 – 1:02 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Evidences, The Faith | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (15)

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)

“So You Would Give Me Joy? Then I Refuse”

From Holly Ordway, a sonnet on hell, beginning: Hell is not too small a space for me. You offer more, but I won’t pay the cost. I have what’s mine for all eternity: I have myself, whatever else I’ve lost. So you would give me joy? Then I refuse… [From The Problem of Pain Sonnet …

November 16, 2011 – 8:39 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Arts and Culture, The Faith, Worldviews, Worth Reading | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

A Fiction Book Signed By One of Its Characters

I’ve got something like a couple dozen books signed by their authors, but I never thought I’d own a fiction book signed by one of its characters! Cherri Allen, my parents’ former next-door neighbor and the owner of a marvelous bird-and-garden shop in my hometown of Auburn, Michigan, won an auction to have her name …

October 22, 2011 – 7:21 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in The Faith | Tagged , , | Comments Off