The Aristophrenium

Proclaiming the truth of the gospel and the centrality of Christ in all things

Tuesday

7

May 2013

0

COMMENTS

You’re embarrassing us, Dawkins

Written by , Posted in Atheism, Philosophy

“Secular humanism is recovering from its Dawkinsite phase,” according to Theo Hobson in a special feature at The Spectator, “and beginning a more interesting conversation.” The success of five or six atheist authors, on both sides of the Atlantic, seemed to herald a strong new movement. It seemed that non-believers were tired of all the nuance surrounding religion, hungry for a tidy narrative that put them neatly in the right. Atheism is still with us. But the movement that threatened to form has petered out. Crucially, atheism’s younger advocates are reluctant to compete for the role of Dawkins’s disciple. They are more likely to bemoan the new atheist approach and call for large injections of nuance. Hobson goes on to cite specific examples such as Julian Baggini, Alain de Botton, Zoe Williams, Douglas Murray and others. “All these writers,” he said, “admirably refuse to lapse into a comfortably sweeping ideology [...]

Wednesday

1

May 2013

3

COMMENTS

Ken Ham disavows his dinosaurs with saddles?

Written by , Posted in Creationism

I am sorry but I find this a little bit amusing and just had to share it. It seems that back in January of this year Ken Ham, founder and president of Answers In Genesis–USA, held a Google Plus live chat in which someone had asked him a question about how people were able to saddle dinosaurs and ride them without getting bucked off. “Were the dinosaurs more domesticated and well behaved because there wasn’t as much sin back then?” the person had asked. At first Ham seemed hesitant to answer this question. “I need to get paid overtime for this question,” he responded. “It seems we’ve gone over our time.” But then he continued: I don’t know where people get the idea that people rode dinosaurs. I mean, there’s no evidence in the Bible that that is so. I mean, when Job was looking at Behemoth, the description there, [...]

Friday

26

April 2013

1

COMMENTS

Book Review: What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an, by James R. White

Written by , Posted in Apologetics, Ecumenical Dialogue, Theology

Order your copy of Dr. White’s book here. Also, listen to this interview by the Reformed Forum to hear the author talk about the contents of his book. I have been involved in Christian-Muslim dialogue and debate for about four years at this point. I’ve heard a lot debates, read  a lot of books, listened to a lot of speakers and engaged in a lot of firsthand conversations with Muslims about the issues that divide us, and what the truth really is. The quest for truth leads us to listen ever more closely to what the other side has to say, try to read their literature, understand their language and get into their mindset to see what they really think and how to formulate a proper response to them. With that regard, I think Dr. James White has exemplified how Christians should speak to Muslims in accordance with their respective [...]

Thursday

18

April 2013

2

COMMENTS

Suppressing the Truth in Unrighteousness

Written by , Posted in Creation/Evolution, Geology/Paleontology, Molecular Biology, Origins of Life, Persecution

Back in April 2012, biblical creationist Phil Robinson (occasional speaker for CMI UK) participated in a BBC documentary called “Creationism: Conspiracy Road Trip”. It was sold to him as a documentary that… “focuses on people who doubt the theory of evolution. We want to hear from people who feel that science is unable to explain our existence satisfactorily, whilst religion is able to offer a more convincing explanation. We are offering five people the opportunity to go to the American Deep South for ten days at the end of April [2012]. Whilst there they will be able to put forward their beliefs about evolution and the beginnings of the universe, and engage in a genuine debate at various sites in America where they will meet a wide range of individuals and take part in various experiments which will aim to elucidate and test their beliefs” (emphasis added). What it actually turned out to be was a [...]

Tuesday

2

April 2013

0

COMMENTS

Monday

4

March 2013

2

COMMENTS

Still the West’s most extreme abortion law reform

Written by , Posted in Pro-Life / Abortion

Last October I wrote a piece (“Pro-choice is pro-life” … or so the logic goes) following my involvement in a peaceful march through the Melbourne CBD, protesting the Victorian Abortion Law Reform Act (2008) [1] that legislated perhaps the most permissive laws on abortion in the Western world. The 2008 bill that was voted into law not only decriminalised abortion up to the day of birth, but permits partial-birth abortion and makes no provision for the medical care of infants born alive following unsuccessful abortive procedures – such infants can simply be left to die. Further, the bill denies medical practitioners any right of conscientious objection, mandating by law that all qualified medical practitioners, registered nurses and pharmacists must be complicit in the act of abortion. All proposed amendments to the bill were rejected by the Victorian Parliament. Such proposed amendments included, but were not limited to: 1). mandating medical [...]

Tuesday

19

February 2013

2

COMMENTS

God still justly punishes sinners

Written by , Posted in Soteriology, Theology

A week ago on February 13, Daniel Sinclair had published a blog article that confronted the question of whether or not it is just for God to punish those who had never heard the message of the gospel. If you believe that those who have never heard the gospel are going to face judgment for their sins, he asked, then how can you call God just? It seems unfair that some people have had a chance to hear the gospel and others have not. [1] Now, I do not for a moment think that Sinclair was asking that question for himself, that is, I do not believe he thinks the justice of God is a questionable matter. I believe he merely recognizes that such a question exists and tries to provide what he thinks is a sensible answer—see his “generational justice” toward the end—after first looking at some answers that [...]

Wednesday

13

February 2013

0

COMMENTS

God justly punishes sinners

Written by , Posted in Soteriology, Theology

NOTE: A week later (February 17) Daniel Sinclair substantially altered the text of his original article which I had responded to here; he did not leave the original text as it was and make an addition but instead rewrote it. My response below now may or may not make sense in light of his changes. See here for my new response. Over at his blog Daniel Sinclair posed a question about the justice of God with respect to those who have never heard the gospel, that is, “the unreached.” If you believe that those who have never heard the gospel are going to face judgment for their sins, he asks, then how can you call God just? Isn’t it unfair that some people have had a chance to hear the gospel and others have not? [1] He offers five unique “theodicies for defending the damnation of the unreached” and you [...]

Monday

11

February 2013

0

COMMENTS

Implications of divine revelation

Written by , Posted in Bibliology, Theology

I have been having a discussion today regarding the nature of Scripture and our relationship to it, a discussion sparked by a story about “a young Korean girl [who] claims that Jesus took her to hell, and told her to draw what she saw.” [1] I am sharing this because it strikes me as a rather important issue. (Names have been changed, except mine.) DAVID: Because it is given a religious gloss, the girl will probably not receive the psychological evaluation she possibly needs. Those were some disturbing notions and pictures. STEVEN: Wait, she’s crazy because she believes the Bible? DAVID: Well, let us perhaps first qualify that term. Since she claimed that the one and holy Son of God himself revealed to her these visions of hell, it follows that she must believe in an open canon—to which her vision must now be added, as it is also divine [...]

Monday

11

February 2013

23

COMMENTS

Evolution vs. evolutionism: One of these precludes a Savior.

Written by , Posted in Apologetics, Creation/Evolution, Origins of Life

Back in September of 2012 it was reported that Paul C. Broun, U.S. representative for the 10th congressional district in Georgia, had made a very curious claim during a campaign speech at the 2012 Sportsman’s Banquet in Hartwell, Georgia, a claim which garnered him a great deal of critical attention. “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang theory,” Broun proclaimed, “all that is lies straight from the pit of hell.” And it’s lies to try to keep me, and all the folks who were taught that, from understanding that they need a Savior. You see, there are a lot of scientific data that I’ve found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don’t believe that the Earth’s but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That’s [...]