Editor’s Note: This is the second post from John Mark Reynolds, Provost of Houston Baptist University and frequent social commentator, who is now a contributing writer to this blog. I will continue to note his posts for a week or two, until people get the idea that it can no longer be assumed that every post is from me, Timothy Dalrymple. I am now the lead writer but no longer the sole writer at Philosophical Fragments. If you’re new to... Read more
Even before the Louie Giglio imbroglio brought evangelical anti-human-trafficking efforts back into the limelight, I asked my friend Erik Campano to conduct a series of interviews on evangelical (as well as non-evangelical and even non-Christian) efforts to bring an end to human trafficking. My wife and I got involved in anti-trafficking and anti-slavery efforts many years ago, and some of the most profound stories of compassion and deliverance I’ve heard in recent years have centered on ending the trafficking of... Read more
One of our bloggers, and one of the world’s foremost New Testament scholars, Ben Witherington, lost his daughter a year ago. It’s hard to read this as a father to a daughter, or as a father at all. But it’s good to remember how we should treasure the fleeting years we have with our children: Emily Dickinson put it well… My life closed twice before its close— It yet remains to see If Immortality unveil A third event... Read more
A recent Prudential study showed that gays and lesbians are considerably more wealthy, on average, than their heterosexual counterparts. As the Prudential press release explains: The study found that the LGBT community is in relatively good financial health with a median household income of $61,500, above the median U.S. household income of $50,000. Although gay men report earning more than lesbians individually ($49,000 vs. $43,500 median personal income), when it comes to household income, lesbians, who are more likely to... Read more
Editor’s Note: I am thrilled to welcome John Mark Reynolds on board as a contributing writer to Philosophical Fragments. Dr Reynolds is founder and director of the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, where he taught philosophy. Recently he became Provost at Houston Baptist University. He has authored and co-authored many books, and his essays on faith, culture, politics and various dimensions of geekery have been found at Washington Post “On Faith” as well as his own blog, Eidos. We... Read more
Some powerful words from Peter Enns: A lot of people have heard of “the parable of the prodigal (i.e., wasteful) son.” Some translations call it “the parable of the lost son,” which is better but not quite there. I prefer “the parable of the jerk loser son.” When the son was still a far way off, rather than going back into his tent to play it cool (“Oh…You’re back. I hadn’t noticed. How have you been?”), rather than doing what... Read more
The variety of intelligent things being said, representing a variety of positions on the issues, is a part of what I love about the Evangelical Channel at Patheos: Joel J. Miller: When it comes to the question of social justice, there is more at play than the needs of the poor. Charity requires not only a recipient but also a giver, and that increases the issue’s moral complexity. Unfortunately, however, compulsion is almost always assumed in the public discussions around... Read more
Recent comments in the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, from the likes of Mike Huckabee and James Dobson, among others, have evoked an impassioned conversation on the public representation of evangelicals and how evangelicals best engage the culture. A few pieces offered here on this blog have addressed that conversation — and here is another fantastic entry, this one from Rob Schwarzwalder of the Family Research Council. This is a bit longer than the typical blog post,... Read more
A guest post from my sainted father, Galen C. Dalrymple: * Born Javert, Reborn Valjean By Galen C. Dalrymple Much has been written, by people far wiser than I, about the characters and story of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. I just want to tell you my story and how it relates to Javert and Valjean. I was born into a God-fearing family. They were God-fearing because they were raised in literal fear of God. The midwestern church we attended belonged... Read more
Recently I posted Part One of an interview with Nik Ripken, author of a provocative book called The Insanity of God. Nik — a remarkable character who follows his faith all over the world, into some of the most dangerous places to profess Christian faith — was interviewed by my friend Erik Campano, who poses some tough questions. Below is Part Two of the interview: * What would you do then, with a modern example of overt persecution on the... Read more
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