CNN report on the UK atheist bus campaign
January 8, 2009
Humanists attempt to remove “so help me God” from US inaugural pledge
January 2, 2009
CNN Politics (HT: Sharper Iron)
‘Ten for the History Books from 2008′
January 1, 2009
Christopher Hitchens’ god is not Great
January 1, 2009
Review by Aaron at twoorthree.net
‘101 Christian Quotes on Faith, Reason, Unbelief, and Atheism’
December 17, 2008
A list by Daniel G. at two or three dot net, compiled in response to this list of 101 Atheist Quotes.
“13. In all unbelief there are these two things; a good opinion of one’s self, and a bad opinion of God. Horatius Bonar
14. With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 - 1799)
15. God is not hostile to sinners, but only to unbelievers. Martin Luther”
Audio: Dinesh D’Souza vs. Dan Barker
December 10, 2008
Audio from a Harvard debate between Christian apologist D’Souza and atheist Barker can be heard here.
Daniel at two or three . net has a summary.
Soon to be released: The Atheist Bible
December 9, 2008
No joke: Way of the Master is publishing The Atheist Bible, which will feature
- ‘Contradictions’ in the Bible
- Questions atheists can’t definitively answer
- When famous atheists met their Maker
- Commentary written especially for atheists
- Arguments for atheism
- The ten most common mistakes atheists make
- How to know God exists
“Old Apostates”
December 1, 2008
Ian Clary talks about two friends who helped lead him to Christ, then left the faith themselves:
“I can only think of two people that I used to hang out with that are still Christians. Out of a group of over twenty. Thank God that he persevered in my life - who knows where I’d be?”
Nietzsche and conscience
December 1, 2008
At The Scriptorium, Fred Sanders discusses the contempt that philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche poured upon Christianity and the pangs of conscience:
“Raised as a Christian, he embraced the faith at first, but then rejected it about as thoroughly as anybody ever did. He began by writing love poems to Jesus and ended by calling for the coming of the Antichrist. He lived abstemiously but identified himself with the ancient god of drunken revelry, Dionysus. His life ended with a descent into madness and over a decade of vegetative stupor, and everybody from Hitler to Leopold and Loeb claimed they got their big ideas from his bombastic writings. This is strong stuff!”
Thanksgiving/Weekend Walkabout, Nov. 27, 2008
November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
26 posts from the week that escaped mention (almost!):
Advent on your iPhone - Father Z
“Those of you who have an iPhone may want to know about a fun application for Advent for $0.99.”
The Blind Spot of the Spiritual Formation Movement - Craig Brian Larson
“Read books on spiritual formation and you will be hard pressed to find anyone who lists listening to the preaching of God’s Word as a first-order spiritual discipline.”
Check out free downloads from Christian music artist Josh Garrels - Joanne Brokaw
“Like other indie acts with a blatant faith message but an unconventional delivery … Garrels doesn’t quite fit the typical Christian music mold.”
The Day I Schmoozed - Amy Scott:
“Just tell her what she wants to hear.”
Evangelicals Adopting Advent - Cathy Lynn Grossman (HT: SharperIron)
“They’re giving a new, personalized spin to the prayers, candles and calendars to track the building excitement, and set a spiritual tone day by day.”
Faith and Politics - Doug Pagitt
“I was asked by the folks at Conservative Reformed Mafia blog to discuss my thoughts on faith and politics in light of my interest in running for the Minnesota State Legislature. I responded to questions with a video …”
Gordon Brown sells the nation’s soul to Satan - Cranmer
“As Gordon Brown has already sold the nation’s soul to the EU, all further treaties with the Devil are subject to EU scrutiny.”
Helpful Books on Justification - Mark Driscoll
It’s Time to Rethink the Issue of Homosexuality - Ken Silva
“Yes, you read that right; I do believe the time has come to rethink how we’re handling the issue of homosexuality in the Body of Christ. But maybe not like you think.”
The Jelly Bellies of Christendom - Prodigal Jon
“Super Sweaty Pastor – usually wrapped in a monogrammed handkerchief, these beans are slightly salty and super sticky from perspiration, taste like licking a Thompson Chain Reference and smell like a locker room”
Kids and Philanthropy: Teaching Your Children To Be Charitable - Beth Kanter
Logos360 Announced - The Wait Begins - ChurchCrunch
“It is, without question, simply a matter of time before we see what’ll it’ll really do to the digital landscape for Church Management Software.”
Meditations on Thanks and Giving - Carolyn McCulley
“As I prepare for Thanksgiving, one image is burned into my mind …”
National Geographic on Qeiyafa - Todd Bolen
“Much of the story reports what has been covered elsewhere, but there are some problems with the article.”
Of Crusaders and the West - Joshua Claybourn
“Our understanding of society and the individual certainly has its roots in the Crusaders.”
Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day October 3, 1863 - Abe Lincoln/Worship.com
“In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict …”
Q 2009 - Greg Atkinson
“Q is a gathering where church leaders and cultural influencers from the fields of business, politics, media, education, entertainment and the arts are exposed to the future of culture and the church’s responsibility to advance the common good in society.”
Recessions Are Good? - Rob Moll
“Recessions, before the Great Depression, were often viewed as good things.”
Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints (review) - Rebecca Writes
“I’ve reached the age where I think more and more about getting old, and I’ll let you in on a secret if you promise not to tell …”
Twilight (Book Review) - Tim Challies
“Admittedly, this is my first foray into fiction written for teen girls.”
An Unwanted Detour - Suzanne Hadley:
“A week later I sat in a doctor’s office trying to hold back tears.”
Video Interviews with John Lennox - Justin Taylor
“Creator or the Multiverse?”
What is the Church Year? - Mark Daniels
“The Church Year is a human invention. Observing it won’t make us better than anybody else. Nor does keeping it ’save’ a person from sin and death. But …”
50 eXcellent Blog Footer Designs - Hongkiat.com (sorry, had to reach for this one)
“In the eye of a visitor, the footer is perhaps one of the most unnoticeable section but to a designer who knows how important user experience, navigation and designs, they are treated the same.”
You May Be a Hyper-Calvinist If … - Phil Johnson
“Within the militantly Arminian sector of the Southern Baptist Convention, it seems there are still those who insist that ‘by the definition of Phil Johnson,’ James White is a hyper-Calvinist …”
Zane Hodges (1933–2008) - Dan Wallace (I mentioned Hodges’ passing, but it means much more coming from an accomplished Greek scholar):
“Zane taught Greek and New Testament courses at Dallas Seminary from 1960 to 1987. I took him for more courses than from any other NT prof, and learned a great deal from him. His skills with the Greek text were breathtaking. I never knew a professor who could sight-read as well as Hodges (except for Johnson). And he thought through his positions well. I didn’t agree with him on everything; in fact, I would say that I disagreed with him on most of his positions. I was always a bit nervous coming into his class because I wasn’t sure what he would say that hour that might rock my world. But I enjoyed immensely how he structured the courses, how he argued his positions, and how charismatic he was in the classroom. He was a superb preacher and very persuasive. His electives always had the highest enrollment by far of any NT electives at DTS. … Zane Hodges will be dearly missed. But he now knows the joys of his Savior and is finally home.”
Secularism or supernaturalism?
November 21, 2008
Which is the bigger threat to Christianity today? Dan Edelen thinks it’s the supernatural:
“Though atheists and dim-bulb “brights” claim antisupernaturalism is on the rise, that is anything but the case. Witness the mass euphoria over the so-called Lakeland revival. The supposed supernatural displays on center stage had people transfixed …”
Read Edelen’s full post at Cerulean Sanctum: “The Coming Religion.”
Revival Lakeland website.
The ‘New Atheism’ revolution myth
November 7, 2008
Paul Copan discusses it at Parchment and Pen:
“The percentage of atheists in America revealed by, say, Gallup polls and the Baylor Survey, shows a tenacious consistency over the years: 1944: 4%; 1947: 6%; 1964: 3%; 1994: 3%; 2005: 4%; 2007: 4%. … Why all the hype about a surge of atheism? Well, what appears to be a rising tide of atheism in America is simply the result of an overrepresentation of New Atheism by the media.”
Trailer for Douglas Wilson and Christopher Hitchens debate
November 3, 2008
(HT: Ian Clary)
Hitchens/Wilson sneak peak from LEVEL4 on Vimeo.
Books reviewed …
October 29, 2008
At First Things, Franklin Freeman reflects on George Orwell’s strange agnostic righteousness, as described in David Lebedoff’s The Same Man: George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh in Love and War:
“As I read David Lebedoff’s latest book … I began to think of George Orwell as a real-life Dr. Rieux, the hero of Camus’ The Plague, whose heroism suggests that it is possible to be a saint without believing in God.”
Michael Dewalt looks at a scholarly tome: James Dennison’s Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation: 1523-1552:
“This book is the first of a 3-volume set that James T. Dennison will be working on for the next two years, which sets forth a translation of a number of the Reformed Confessions that have never been in English until today. Some may wonder how this project differs from that of what Phillip Schaff has done in his 3-volume Creeds of Christendom. The answer to that is …”
Trevin Wax reviews The New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging, and Podcasting for Christ:
“The blogosphere is changing the world. Am I exaggerating? Maybe. After all, there are plenty of people who have never seen a blog. Many people give you a blank stare if you ask them what a “blogger” is. But there is no doubt that the way we obtain information in this Internet age is changing, and the blogosphere is a big part of that information revolution.”
Two friends of Scot McKnight, Brittany Bennett and Nick Johnson, share their thoughts on Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: Prayer for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove:
“Here’s the question: Does prayer imply action to work with God for the answer to that prayer? (As long as it is something we can do.) Put directly, does prayer for justice imply a commitment to work for justice?”
And the Irish Calvinist discusses Mark Driscoll’s Death by Love:
“My ears perk up when I hear that a fellow pastor is writing a book that is going to deal with various counseling scenarios that he has encountered over the years and how he dealt with them from the foot of the cross.”
Atheist PR
October 24, 2008
According to a recent BBC story (HT: Charles Lehardy), outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins is supporting a new ad campaign underwritten by the British Humanist Association, which will place large banners with the message, There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life. on many London buses. Says Dawkins:
“Even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side. … This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion.”
On a related note, see the following two posts by James Anderson (a soon-to-be faculty at RTS) detailing Dawkins’ logical incompetence:
