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Category Archives: Thinking Christianly

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 Accordance, Graphics, Illustrations, Logos, PowerPoint, Presentation, Quotations, Sermon | Comments (1)

The Electronic Student and the Bible: Learning In Community

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series The Electronic Student

A college dormitory floormate of mine named Dan took part in all of our dorm Bible studies and prayer times. One day in a Bible study our group’s leader was explaining the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs. Their first problem, he said, is that they don’t believe Christ was God. Dan spoke up and said, “He wasn’t.” …

December 10, 2011 – 6:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Bible, Intellectual Engagement, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Accordance, Bible, Commentaries, Doctrine, History, Logos, Study, The Way International | Comments (0)

The Electronic Student and Bible Study: Focus

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series The Electronic Student

Why study the Bible on computer? I’ve written previously about significant negatives associated with electronic study, especially Bible study. I don’t find it especially conducive to prayer and worship; it doesn’t draw me quickly into a sense of fellowship with God. Now I’m about to turn around and explain why that’s not so true after …

December 9, 2011 – 6:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Bible, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Accordance, Bible, Focus, Greek, Hebrew, Logos, Study | Comments (5)

A Taste of New Mystery: Take 2

A couple of days ago I wrote A Taste of New Mystery: Thomism and Intelligent Design. I had thought that some discussion on the topic of the blog post might ensue, but it didn’t. I suppose it could be that the reductio approach I offered is completely uninteresting to everyone. It may be that the …

December 3, 2011 – 11:04 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Intellectual Engagement, Origins and Science, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Behe, Dembski, Discovery Institute, Edward Feser, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Mechanism, Philosophy, Reductio ad Absurdum, Science, Strategy, Thomas Aquinas, Thomists | Comments (21)

A Taste of New Mystery: Thomism and Intelligent Design

My post on Plantinga raised an old question again: is Intelligent Design poor theology, poor metaphysics, as certain Thomist theologians/philosophers think it is? Specifically, does it “give the game away” to naturalists/materialists by conceiving of the world in a mechanistic sense, making God a tinkerer in his creation? Does it misconceive who God is in …

November 30, 2011 – 10:32 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science, Thinking Christianly | Tagged Behe, Dembski, Discovery Institute, Edward Feser, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Mechanism, Philosophy, Reductio ad Absurdum, Science, Strategy, Thomas Aquinas, Thomists | Comments (41)

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 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)

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)

The Primitive Belief in Satan and Demons

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Spiritual Battle

I’ve been talking about Satan, demons and other primitive, pre-scientific sorts of things here. The topic has reminded me how odd it is that labeling ancient ideas that way—”primitive,” “outdated,” and the like—tilts us toward counting them as wrong or worthless. Usually that has to do with their having preceded the Dawn of Science, which …

October 20, 2011 – 12:56 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science, Thinking Christianly, Worldviews | Tagged Ancient Thinkers, Angels, Dawkins, demons, Krauss, Primitive Thinking, progress, Satan, Science | Comments (99)

Thinking Christian

Category Archives: Thinking Christianly

The Electronic Student: Presenting Your Study

The Electronic Student and the Bible: Learning In Community

The Electronic Student and Bible Study: Focus

A Taste of New Mystery: Take 2

A Taste of New Mystery: Thomism and Intelligent Design

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

The Electronic Student: Bible Study (Black Friday Edition)

The Electronic Student, Part 1

On Thinking Christians, Thinking Atheists, and What Really Matters

The Primitive Belief in Satan and Demons

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