Tag: reason

Why “One Fewer God” is a Terrible Argument for Atheism

If you’ve spent any time reading Christian-atheist dialogues and debates, chances are you’ve come across the “one fewer god” argument (sometimes less grammatically called the “one less god” argument). The most famous articulation of it is from the late historian Stephen Henry Roberts, who said: I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe… Continue reading Why “One Fewer God” is a Terrible Argument for Atheism

Burden-Shifting Protestants and Atheists

Protestants and atheists are dissimilar in most regards, and I suspect both sides would be happy with my making this observation. But there is one area in which the two groups behave all too similarly: a fallacious sort of burden-shifting argument. For purposes of this post, we’ll call it “the Norseman and the Atheist.”

God & Hell: Our Infinite Hunger

Traditionally, the four Sundays of Advent were preached on the “Four Last Things” (death, judgment, heaven, and hell), so it’s a good time to ask: Is the idea of hell – an eternity of suffering apart from God – compatible with the idea of an all-good and loving God? I think that this is one of the strongest arguments against traditional Christian doctrine. I would argue that it is, but that to see this we need to see something about ourselves, and about God in relation to us, before we can see why. That’s what I’ll be exploring over the next four days. I’ll be making four major points:

1. We have an infinite craving for the good. Everything we do is in pursuit of the good; 
2. Because no earthly goods are capable of satisfying our hearts, life is cruel… unless there is a good capable of satisfying the infinite longings of our hearts.
3. God, as infinite and perfect good, is the only one who can fill our hearts. 
4. Eternity without God would necessarily be hellacious.

Let’s start with the first of these points…

What it Means to be Pro-Family

Carl d´Unker, Gipsy Family in Prison (1864)

What does it mean to be “pro-family,” or to say that a child has a right to her mother and father? And what are the implications for the ongoing debates about immigration… as well as gay marriage, no-fault divorce, IVF, and the war on drugs?

Perseverance of the Saints: An Illogical Doctrine

Protestants who believe in the doctrine of “perseverance of the Saints” (that the saved can never lose their salvation) often point to 1 John 2:9 as support. There, St. John speaks of those who “went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” Here’s why it’s irrational to base belief in perseverance of the Saints on that verse.

Just What Are Men and Women, Anyway?

John William Godward, The Old, Old Story (1903)

Sometimes, the most important questions are the basic ones. Back in 2011, I argued that the most important question in the gay-marriage debate was “What is marriage?” The next year, Robert George, Ryan Anderson, and Sherif Girgis published a book exploring just that question: What Is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense. But in the face of contemporary questions of transgenderism and gender identity, it turns out that we need to ask a yet more-basic question: what are men and women, and what makes them different?

Can We Be Americans AND Christians?

A recent Facebook commenter claimed that “To be a Christian American, you must believe in the separation of Church and State. The Will of God has no place in superseding a rule of law. By living a Christian Life and not judging others, we show our ability to follow in the footsteps of Christ.” Here are five reasons that’s a dangerous position to hold as either a Christian or an American.