One of the most interesting books of the Bible is unquestionably the book of Ecclesiastes. It is part of the wisdom literature and is very philosophical. Though many scholars believe it was written by Solomon, no one knows for sure. In the book of Ecclesiastes there is a verse that I find to be quite significant. In the third chapter, the eleventh verse we are told, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in… Read more
One of the greatest conundrums that religious skeptics have to deal with is how to rationally explain the existence of evil in a godless universe. The celebrated atheist Richard Dawkins acknowledges it is hard to explain. He says it is difficult to admit that there is no good or evil, that our world is simply “callous.” What he is acknowledging is that apart from a transcendent lawgiver, there is no real basis for moral law other than the law of… Read more
The Center recently received a letter from David Freeman, a Boston-based financial services professional. In the letter he said “I found Reflections on the Existence of God to be the most complete, convincing, and well-constructed work of Christian Apologetics I have ever read . . . and I have read many. Your book has the power to change lives and I am sure it will change hundreds, maybe thousands in the years ahead.” If you have not read Reflections on… Read more
In my latest book, Reflections on the Existence of God, I have attempted to demonstrate how atheism is one massive contradiction, and how theism is logical and fits the real world we live in. The evidence is compelling. However, if the evidence points to the existence of a transcendent infinite spiritual force in the universe, this force will remain unknown to us unless it appears and reveals its identity. The human search for God will always be an effort in futility, unless… Read more
One of my favorite authors is philosopher Dallas Willard. He once said that, “meaning is one of the greatest needs of human life, one of the deepest hungers, and perhaps in the final analysis, the most basic need in the realm of human experience.” Human beings are driven by a deep sense of meaning and belonging. The early Greek philosophers taught that all human beings are telic creatures. “Telic” comes from the Greek word “telos” or “telikos,” which means “purpose.”… Read more
Back in 2004, I entered an essay into the John Templeton Foundation Power of Purpose essay contest. Since there were several thousand contestants, it was no surprise that my essay did not place or win an award. However, I did have the opportunity to read the winning essay by August Turak. It was a story of how a powerful encounter with a Trappist monk changed his life. One of the stories he tells reveals a great deal about what is… Read more
If you go out to your yard or to a local park, you will notice dirt, rocks, grass, trees, plants, and maybe water in a pond or creek. Ask yourself, “How did this type of matter, gradually, over time, evolve into beings that are conscious and self-aware of themselves?” Seriously, it is inconceivable that dirt and rocks could become human beings who are “aware” and who can think and reason. In other words, matter, at some point, becomes alive and… Read more
In May of 2018 I wrote a blog on the fine tuning of the universe. Since then I have done more research on this subject and have concluded that in the realm of modern science this is theism’s strongest argument for God. In fact two of the most celebrated atheists to ever live, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins both acknowledged that the fine tuning of the universe is the most troubling argument that atheists have to deal with. What is… Read more
When I was a young boy, I remember seeing a movie on television about a true event that was the first big crime of the century (similar to the O.J. Simpson case). It was called the Leopold–Loeb case and took place in the 1920s. The perfect crime It involved two teenage boys, 18-year-old Richard Loeb, and his best friend, 17-year-old Nathan Leopold. Loeb was a smart young man and was fascinated with crimes and mysteries. His great desire was to… Read more
A number of years ago, Encyclopedia Britannica published a 55-volume series entitled The Great Books of the Western World. This series presented the most important ideas that scholars and intellectuals have considered and investigated over the course of recorded history. The longest essay was on God. When noted philosopher, author, and co-editor of the series, Mortimer Adler, was asked the reason behind this, he replied, “It is because more consequences for life follow from that one issue than from any… Read more
