John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) wrote, “God is and all is well” (qtd. in Bartlett 528). In a time of terror and tragedy, doom and destruction, our spirits need beckoned to a place above the pain and terror where there is hope in the midst of hopelessness; security in the midst of insecurity. Such a place is found in the knowledge of God (Isaiah 26:3). Even the season of Spring can point us upward to a place of peace, tranquility, and cheer, though the drums of war are beating loudly. Robert Browning wrote:
Read More“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 - NKJV).
The evidence in nature (planets, plants, animals, humans, etc.) that points to a Creator is so clear and consistent that ignoring it is indefensible. In fact, the natural evidence is so clear (Psalm 19:1), it is only the fool that continues to espouse the non-existence of God (Psalm 14:1; Romans 1:22). In light of this evidence, and because God’s existence is often taken for granted, many faithful Christians fail to see the importance of being well-versed in the area of Christian apologetics. Specifically, they often feel as though a study on the existence of God is a waste of time. The thought process at the local congregation is occasionally something like, “We are all convinced that God exists. Why not spend our time studying something more helpful?”
Read MoreAmerica is the only world power which claims to have had its origin in Christian principles. Our national motto is: In God We Trust. But, in both obvious and subtle ways, faith in God and Christian principles of morality and conduct are being undermined in our country. This can be seen from the continual attacks leveled against our national motto with its reference to God, our pledge of allegiance (“one nation under God”), and the wording of prayer in schools, public assemblies, and civic functions. It is not an uncommon thing to see many, if not most, state universities publishing materials which are either atheistic or, at the least, skeptical in their approach to religion in general and toward Christianity in particular. Books attacking the existence of God are commonplace reading in our schools and colleges. Because such criticism of the foundations of the Christian system has gone unanswered, many have given up their faith in God.
Read MoreIn His book, Why Religion Matters, Huston Smith contrasted the worldview that believes God is the ultimate reality with the view of secular materialism that believes there is no reality (no God) beyond the physical universe—the physical laws of nature and the chemical properties of matter. Smith says, “How seriously we should regard the evidence for or against [either view] . . . depends on how much is at stake.” He continues, “How much is at stake! I repeat that phrase because . . . the stakes are high” (40).
Read More“And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful; who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them.” (Romans 1: 28-32, ASV)
Read MoreIf there is creative intelligence in the universe, something which is not under the blind reign of mechanical laws operating in masses of matter, it can direct and control, to some extent, matter and its motions. Creative intelligence would be able to set up goals and to devise ways and means to realize them; goals which would not be established or achieved without the presence of creative intelligence.
Read MoreThey lived in different centuries: George Romanes lived and died during the 19th century. Ernst Mayr was born in 1904 and died in 2005. However, Romanes and Mayr had something major in common—both were devoted students of Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary biology.
Read MoreThe problem of evil in the philosophy of religion can be stated briefly: “[T]here are undesirable states of affairs that provide the basis for an argument that makes it unreasonable for anyone to believe in the existence of God.”[i] The problem of evil is significant because it is, as Thomas B. Warren has noted, “the basic tool of the atheist” in arguing that the biblical doctrine of God involves a logical contradiction.[ii] (For the purposes of this article, “God” refers to the Judeo-Christian God.) “Theodicy” refers to “a defense of the justice or goodness of God in the face of doubts or objections arising from the phenomena of evil in the world.”[iii] Thus, a theodicy is an apologetical attempt to resolve the problem of evil.
Read MoreRecently I saw a cartoon of a preacher. He had an extremely apologetic look as he remarked to each person leaving the church building, “Now I hope that you do not feel that there was anything personal in what I had to say this morning.” I hope to communicate just the opposite reaction with you in this article.
Read MorePeter Boghossian has written A Manual For Creating Atheists, a book published in 2013. On the back cover a note from Richard Dawkins says, “PETER BOGHOSSIAN’S TECHNIQUES OF FRIENDLY PERSUASION ARE NOT MINE, AND MAYBE I’D BE MORE EFFECTIVE IF THEY WERE. THEY ARE UNDOUBTEDLY VERY PERSUASIVE—AND VERY MUCH NEEDED.” And on the same back cover as well as on the final page of the book we are informed that “Dr. Peter Boghossian is a full-time faculty member in Portland State University’s philosophy department. He was thrown out of the doctoral program in the University of New Mexico’s philosophy department.” The publisher and Boghossian evidently do not mind the readers knowing about his dismissal and, in fact, it looks like that they actually want the news circulated to the credit of Boghossian and to the discredit of the University of New Mexico. Given the title of the book, I would think that Boghossian and those who endorse his book actually fail to see where credit and discredit may belong.
Read MoreThe Bible plainly teaches that the evidence for the existence of God is so plain and available that a man is a fool who reaches the conclusion that God does not exist (Psalm 19:1-4; Acts 14:17; Psalm 14:1; 53:1). Whether or not this man ever expresses his conviction to anyone else is irrelevant to his own miserable condition. If he says to himself that God does not exist, then the God who wrote the Bible declares this man a fool.
Read MoreThe doctrine of evolution is regarded today as an established fact of science. In 1938 H. G. Wells wrote “no rational mind can question the invincible nature of the evolutionary case.” About the same time others wrote “. . . at the present time, no unprejudiced student can possibly reject what the authors of THE SCIENCE OF LIFE have termed ‘the incontrovertible fact of evolution,’ and no responsible scientist does reject it.” For at least four decades evolution has been widely regarded as a fact of science. At least many so regard it.
Read MoreDr. Herberg is graduate Professor of Philosophy and Culture at Drew University. In answer to the question: “What keeps modern man from religion?” he replied. First, although not indicting technology, he replied that the triumph of the technological spirit in less than two centuries “has engendered in modern Western man a monstrous sense of technological arrogance. Man, collective man, has come to see himself replacing God as ‘Maker and Master of all’; and, most ironically, he has come to see himself not only as Creator and Maker, but also as his own destroyer! The same technological spirit has promoted in Western culture a pervasive technological climate with a mechanistic bias toward depersonalization and ‘thingification.’ Everything about man—body, mind, and spirit—tends to be mechanized.”
Read MoreThe news has come from Great Britain that the Girl Guides and Brownies organizations, forerunners to Girl Scouts of America, are making what has been called one of the biggest changes in their 103 years of history. The change involves removing all references to God in the traditional Girl Guides pledge and replacing it with “a more individualistic pledge to ‘be true to myself.’” Stephen Evans, campaign’s manager of the National Secular Society of Great Britain said: “By omitting any explicit mention of God or religion the Guide Association has grasped the opportunity to make itself truly inclusive and relevant to the reality of 21st century Britain” (qtd. in Bingham, Guides)
Read MoreNovember 22, 2013, marks the 50th anniversary of the death of one of America’s most popular presidents. On this day in 1963, young and dynamic President John F. Kennedy, was in a motorcade in downtown Dallas, TX. Three shots rang out, and young Jack Kennedy was dead. It was 11:30 a.m. in Dallas.
Read MoreTwo Books
Etched in stone in one of the most visible places on the campus of Yale University is the slogan—“For God, For Country, and for Yale.” Students walk past these words every day. In a different sense, Yale’s progressive faculty and administrators began to “walk past” the deep meaning of these words many years ago. One wonders if they have now gone so far that they are at the point of no return.
Read MoreWARREN/FLEW DEBATE ON THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
PART #3 - CONCLUSION
RADIO SCRIPT #260
The Warren/Flew Debate on the Existence of God
Part #2 – An Interview with Dr. Warren
Radio Script #259
June 17, 1963 – It was the day when what has been called “the most tragic decision in the history of the United States” was announced by the highest Court of the land (Moore, One Nation Under God 362). The response of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia was: “Somebody is tampering with America’s soul. . . .” By an overwhelming eight-to-one ruling, the Supreme Court drove a final stake into the heart of Bible reading and prayer in America’s public schools. Our nation’s public educational system has never recovered from the decision announced 50 years ago.
Read MoreThe Warren/Flew Debate on the Existence of God
Part #1 – An Interview with Dr. Flew
Radio Script #258 (1976)