Is contemporary philosophy and theology primarily about evil/theodicy (theories of evil and morality in the universe) or epistemology (theories of knowing)? Many will argue that epistemology is the focus; however, some maintain that theodicy is the focus.[1] Susan Neiman argues that for many philosophers in the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment eras, evil threatens human reason; it does not make sense. While some Moderns claimed that we must make evil intelligible, others argued that we must not make it intelligible; explanations only... Read more

America’s Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. Every September, our country honors this event that signifies the birth of our nation as a government of, for and by the people. Americans are encouraged to commemorate the day through learning exercises and parades, among other activities that involve “demonstrations of our Love for the United State of America and the Blessings of Freedom Our Founding Fathers secured for us.” http://www.constitutionday.com/ How does one demonstrate love for our... Read more

I spoke recently with Kiwa Fukushima, Chief Priest, Genshoin, at Zenkoji, in Nagano, Japan. Fukushima-sensei is a priest of the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism. He is also a scientist by trade, having received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Later, he worked as a researcher in chemical engineering at Yokohama National University until his father, a Buddhist priest, retired and he was entrusted with serving in his father’s position. I studied Buddhism with Fukushima-sensei... Read more

My wife, daughter and I met for dinner recently with a Buddhist scholar Prof. Shizuka Sasaki and his wife (a fellow scholar and colleague at Hanazono University) in Kyoto, Japan. I first met Prof. Shizuka Sasaki two years ago as a result of a Templeton science grant initiative on faith and science in the Japanese context. I was struck by his keen commitment to the historical Buddha’s teaching on enlightenment, including the emphasis on non-grasping and non-being. According to Prof.... Read more

Many American Christians speak of the rise of religious persecution in our country. Certainly, religious and cultural pluralism is increasing, and Christian privileges are decreasing. Could it be that Christians sometimes confuse the decrease in privileges with the rise of religious persecution?[1] Do we sometimes betray signs of a persecution complex? What might such a complex mean if it is the case that wounded people wound others? An important article in The Atlantic by Alan Noble encourages fellow Evangelicals to... Read more

We hear a lot about the conflict between faith and science, but have you heard of how science might serve to reduce conflicts between faiths? I discussed this possibility with Prof. Katsuhiro Kohara, Professor of Systematic Theology at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. It is a subject to which he has given a great deal of attention in his various academic pursuits. Prof. Kohara has focused much of his scholarly energies on the relationship between the Abrahamic faith traditions and... Read more

There is an old Protestant Reformation doctrine associated with Martin Luther “Simul Justus et Peccator” (simultaneously wholly righteous and sinful)[1]. Apart from our union with Christ, we are completely unjust, unrighteousness. However, those who respond in faith to the good news of God’s grace through Jesus Christ are completely just and righteous in total dependent relation to him. This dialectical reality remains constant throughout the Christian’s life, highlighting total dependence on God’s mercy. Does the same kind of dialectical reality... Read more