The word “religion” can have different meanings. At its simplest, it means “belief in and worship of God or gods” (Oxford Dictionary). But more precisely, religion is often seen as a designated set of beliefs and rituals by which people relate to a god. Thus religion (implying dogma and restrictions) is often contrasted to spirituality […]
My (internet) friend Nate has a blog, Finding Truth which I regularly read. We disagree profoundly because Nate is an atheist and former christian, while I still follow Jesus. So we cross swords occasionally, often disagreeing (amicably) with the approach the other takes to questions, evidence and arguments. He is gracious enough to welcome my […]
As a christian, I find neuroscience research fascinating, especially where scientific discoveries seem to give support to my christian faith. This post continues the discussion of science and christian belief in my previous post, If evolution is true, how can consciousness and free will be explained?
Apologetics series Many atheists have alleged that great harm has been done by religion, christianity in particular. Even if they have overstated their case, we can, and must, still learn from their criticisms. And if the analysis is fair, we have all the more reason to listen and repent. Keith Parsons is a US philosopher […]
I had never heard of this book or its author until a friend bought it for me as a present. (Thanks S!) But it proved to be a really worthwhile read.
I remember reading about it a year ago. A christian pastor was going to try living as an atheist for a year, and see what happened. I saw occasional news about the experiment during the year, then as the end of the year got closer, I saw that he was due to make his announcement. […]
Many atheists make strong statements about how the church is in terminal decline, and it’s only a matter of time til it is reduced to an insignificant minority in most western countries, and eventually worldwide. Some christians may be influenced by these claims. I did some research for my other blog to check out the […]
Last post I reviewed the book Faitheist by Chris Steadman, in which he tells how he works to encourage interfaith dialogue, even though he is an atheist. What should we christians think about dialogue with other faiths, and with atheists? Is it a compromise of what we believe?
I have several times posted here and elsewhere about relationships between christians and atheists, and my wish that we do better at this, for example: Listening to atheists The way we treat deserters Atheists vs christians: does it have to be war? Is anybody listening? So when I saw a book in our local library […]
We christians are nearly always talking. Our pastors encourage us to be out there talking about Jesus at every opportunity. Even if no-one is listening. But maybe we should try listening more. Maybe I should try listening more!