A mic drop for universalism, whether or not you’re attracted or revolted by the concept, from David Bentley Hart’s That All Shall be Saved: “The position I want to attempt to argue, therefore, to see how well it holds together is far more extreme: to wit, that, if Christianity is in any way true, Christians not doubt the the salvation of all, and that any understanding of what God accomplished in Christ that does not include the assurance of a... Read more
Sagely advice, another classic in the “dichotomy of control” from Marcus Aurelius’ famous Meditations. And after 2020, I couldn’t think of a better quote to ring in the New Year: “Things have no hold on the soul. They stand there unmoving, outside it. Disturbance comes only from within – from our own perceptions” Prior to this sentiment, Marcus writes about our “inward power” and how there is always a choice on how we can respond to adversity “by going within”... Read more
Episode 6 is here! This episode features a conversation with Vance Morgan, a fellow Patheos Progressive Christian neighbor. Vance is a Professor of Philosophy at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island, where he has taught for the past twenty-seven years. He is an award-winning teacher and the author of five books, most recently Freelance Christianity: Philosophy, Faith, and the Real World (Cascade Books, 2017) and Prayer for People Who Don’t Believe in God (Wood Lake Press, 2019). In this podcast,... Read more
The Canaanite slaughter. Whether or not you’re a Christian fundamentalist or a strident atheist (or far from either), if it hasn’t brought a chill down your spine; you haven’t really thought about it deeply enough. Christian apologists like to ask who are you to judge God or give arguments on the greater good beyond a perceived abhorrent command by God (by taking their lives they were sparred from hell, for example). But how does this jive with the idea of a loving... Read more
For those intoxicated by the Why is there something rather than nothing? question, I’m confident they’ll find Jim Holt’s book Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story an outstanding read. Part biographical, part “existential detection story” (book subtitle); it soars on both fronts. In style, it reads very much like Lee Strobel’s Case for Faith, though Holt’s would be more a Case for Agnosticism, but in a good way. Though I differ in his conclusion, the depth of the journey, both... Read more
Latin for “unconquered”, I remember hearing these incredible words for first time in the film Invictus, spoken by Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman). Mandela would reflect upon these words while he was imprisoned. The prose is actually from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley. It’s worth sharing in its entirety: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance... Read more
It’s one of the most famous heavyweight debates in philosophy of all time on the question of God’s existence, Frederick Copleston (classical theism) vs. Bertrand Russel (atheism) in a 1948 BBC broadcast. Copleston opens up with the cosmological argument (expressed specifically with the argument from contingency): “in order to explain existence, we must come to a Being which contains within itself the reason for its own existence, that is to say, which cannot not exist”. Copleston defines God as the Necessary... Read more
As far as movies scenes go, it’s a gem in natural theology vs. religious fundamentalism in Christianity over the topic of slavery: There are some deep philosophical, political, and religious themes at play here; first and foremost, who counts as a human being – the debate actually started with Bass’ insinuation of irony on the concern for his well-being, but not Epps’ laborers. Epps’ position is simply that “they ain’t hired help, they’re my property”. As he bought his slaves, he is endowed... Read more
2020 will go down as an epoch year, one for the history books; two viruses, a new one in the form of COVID 19, and an old one in the form of hatred. The cases of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks have revealed something deeply disturbing about our nation: that a movement on the dignity of a particular color of humanity still needs to be had. And make no mistake, it needs to be had, but not just for these victims,... Read more
Episode 5 is here! This episode features a conversation with Massimo Pigliucci and may very well be my favorite podcast to date. Besides Massimo being a prominent philosopher and writer on many of the big questions, his writing and speaking on Stoicism has had a profound influence on me personally. With that, he was also gracious enough to moderate a discussion between myself and my co-author Adam Lee. Outside all his accomplishments as a scientist, philosopher, author, educator, and communicator,... Read more
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