Benedict, Dawkins, and the Fullness of Reason

February 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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That's the title of my latest entry over at The Catholic Thing. Here are some excerpts: Within hours of Pope Benedict’s announcement that he would resign the papacy, confirmation of the truth of those  theological insights [from his Regensberg address] came rushing through cyberspace in a variety of comments issued by the Holy Father’s most hostile critics. It would be a mistake to say that the irony was lost on these pundits, since the irony was never within their grasp to begin … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Philosophy, Pope Benedict XVI, Richard Dawkins Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment

Sandy Hook, Huckabee, and the Inscrutability of Evil

December 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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That's the title of my recent entry over at The Catholic Thing. Here's how it begins: “How could God let this happen?” That was the question asked of the former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, by Fox News host Neil Cavuto in an interview following the horrific slaughter of innocent school children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, replied: "We ask why there’s violence in the schools, but we’ve systematically removed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Mike Huckabee, Newtown Massacre, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Problem of Evil Tagged With: , , , , Leave a Comment

A Fireside Chat with Alvin Plantinga at Baylor

September 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This took place last April when Alvin Plantinga was visiting Baylor as part of our department's philosophy of religion lecture series. In the video, along with Plantinga, are my colleagues Michael Beaty (department char), C. Stephen Evans, and Trent Dougherty … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alvin Plantinga, Baylor, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment

Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff On the Conduct of the Christian Philosopher

July 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Very wise words by two giants in Christian philosophy: (HT: Evangelical Philosophical Society blog). The interviewer is the remarkably talented philosopher, Tom Crisp, of Biola University … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alvin Plantinga, Christianity, Evangelical Philosophical Society, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment

Alvin Plantinga: “Science and Religion – Where the Conflict Really Lies”

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This is a lecture Al Plantinga gave at Biola University about 18 months ago. He gave this lecture while he was working on his recently released book, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism (Oxford University Press, 2012). I am happy to report that Plantinga will be speaking at Baylor next Thursday (April 26) at 3:30 pm in the Foyer of Meditation at the Armstrong Browning Library. Reception to follow from 5:00pm-6:00pm in the Cox Reception Room of the Armstrong Browning … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alvin Plantinga, Baylor, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion Tagged With: , , , , Leave a Comment

Ever Wonder Why Secular Elites Are So Ignorant of Faith and Reason Issues?

April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Short answer: they don't think there are any issues.  The longer answer is found in my latest entry over at The Catholic Thing. Entitled, "Faith, Reason, and Secular Hegemony," here's how it begins: About a year ago I was invited to contribute to a book on the topic of political philosophy and religious beliefs, set to be published next year by a university press. My chapter, tentatively titled, “Fides, Ratio et Juris: How Some Courts and Some Legal Theorists Misrepresent the Rational … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Constitutional Law, faith and reason, Law, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Religious Liberty Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

“Potential Persons” in the “After-Birth Abortion” Article

March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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This is my latest over at The Catholic Thing. Here's how it begins: As readers of The Catholic Thing are well aware, the Journal of Medical Ethics, a periodical to which I have contributed, recently published the controversial article, “After-Birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?”, written by the philosophers Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva. Throughout the article, the authors refer to fetuses and newborns as “potential persons,” which, I am sure, sounds like an odd … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abortion, Culture of Death, Culture of Life, Defending Life, Philosophy, Prolife Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment

HBU starting M.A. in philosophy program

March 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Houston Baptist University is starting an M.A. program in philosophy.  Given the quality of its faculty, and the recent hiring of philosopher John Mark Reynolds as the new HBU provost, this is an exciting development.  Here's what the HBU website says: Program Description The mission of the Master of Arts in Philosophy (MAPhil) is to develop students who are capable of serving their community and the Church successfully in a variety of vocations, including academic, parachurch, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity, Philosophy Tagged With: , Leave a Comment

Transworld Irony (new term)

December 28, 2011 By 4 Comments
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Transworld Irony (or TWI): It is possible that in every possible world there exists at a college named after John Calvin a philosophy professor who offers a free will defense for the problem of evil.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alvin Plantinga, Calvin College, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion Tagged With: , , 4 Comments

2011 Synthese article may be downloaded for free through December 31, 2011

December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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I just found out this afternoon that my 2011 Synthese article, "Or We Can Be Philosophers: A Response to Barbara Forrest," may be downloaded for free until December 31, 2011. Many people, because they did not have a subscription or an academic appointment at an institution that does have a subscription, were not able to download the article without paying a hefty fee.  For those folks still interested in reading the piece, they can do so free of charge until the last day of the year. For … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Philosophy Tagged With: Leave a Comment