Pastor – Coach – Reader – Cook
The Christian faith has a lot in common with other religions. We find story after story of dying and rising gods in ancient literature. Isn't the story of Jesus just another mythical story? Well, yes. And no. CS Lewis writes in his essay "Myth Became Fact" (found in the book God in the Dock): Now…
Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot is the story of how vampires destroy a small town. In the midst of this, some characters figure out what is going on and try to rouse the town to fight back. They run into many obstacles, such as skepticism. At one point a priest, Father Callahan, is trying to…
Continue reading ➞ Stephen King, CS Lewis and Believing Fantastic Things
Honestly, I did not expect much from The Grand Paradox by Ken Wytsma. I had never heard of the author but I picked it up when I saw a few people recommend it on Twitter...and it was free for a few days. After reading some challenging books this summer, from philosophers who hurt my brain…
You may have heard that there is a conflict between science and religion. Promoting such a war has enabled many on both sides, fundamentalist creationists and fundamentalist atheists, to sell a lot of books. Even for those not on the extreme, there is a feeling and a fear that somehow faith in God is at…
Continue reading ➞ Where the Conflict Really Lies – Alvin Plantinga (Review)
I've seen a bunch of news stories on a new Pew Research Center study that shows a decline in the percentage of Americans who identify as Christians as well as growth, especially among those born since 1980, of those who identify as non-religious. This group includes atheists, agnostics and those who may believe in God…
Continue reading ➞ Another Day, Another Study Shows Shrinking Affiliation to Christianity
Last night at CSF we continued our study of what I am calling secondary characters in the Bible, the sort of people who may not get top billing but who play an important part in the story. We moved into the minor prophets last evening, looking at Habakkuk. Originally I was going to do Habakkuk…
Continue reading ➞ Habbakuk’s Conversation with God (Weekly Word)
Last night at CSF we took some time to read and discuss the story of Hannah from the 1 Samuel. Hannah was one of two wives of Elkanah, a Levite (his being a Levite ought to have us on edge after last week's lesson, but he's a good guy). Elkanah appears to be wealthy, able…
Continue reading ➞ The Story of Hannah and Samuel (Weekly Word)
At the end of last week I noticed an article that stated actress Julianne Moore no longer believes in God. Here's the story: But Moore said that while she’s experienced success in her career, including four previous Academy Award nominations, she has at times felt adrift. Her mother’s unexpected passing from septic shock in 2009…
Continue reading ➞ A Poor Reason for Not Believing in God, IMO
This past November CSF hosted a Question and Answer night, which is always a lot of fun. As the questions come up, I try to set the tone for the discussion, directing it towards certain things and away from others. Inevitably questions about science, evolution, faith and God come up. On this night, I prefaced…
I first heard of this book when the author was a guest on the radio show Unbelievable. In that episode he debated an atheist on the merits of his updated version of Pascal's wager. I was not impressed. Being a Christian myself, it was somewhat uncomfortable to find myself agreeing with the atheist. At times…
