Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
The cross of Jesus Christ is a central focal point of Christian faith. Christians believe that Jesus’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection was a fundamentally important event that somehow or other has provided a way for the salvation for humankind. In Christian theology, this is known as the doctrine of the Atonement. Different … Read more
Jesus: Human and Divine Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate. In Jesus, God became one of us, a human being. Jesus is a Divine Person who has taken upon Himself our human nature, such that His Divine nature and His human nature are united in one Person. As classically expressed by the ancient … Read more
According to the doctrine of Divine simplicity, God does not have parts. God is not a being who happens to possess various qualities. Rather, God simply is the Supremely Perfect Being, and His existence is His essence. Strictly speaking, God does not have various distinct properties; rather, the various properties of the Divine nature we … Read more
According to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, there is one God who eternally exists as three Divine “Persons”: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is possibly the Christian doctrine which is most misunderstood and criticized by non-Christians. How can God be both one and three? If God is three People, then it seems that … Read more
Omnipresence Christians believe that God is an omnipresent Spirit. He is not a physical body, and is not confined by the category of space. Instead, His Being is immaterial, and exists everywhere. How, skeptics ask, can Christians reasonably believe in such an invisible God? And even if this immaterial God exists, how can an immaterial … Read more
According to classical theism, God, the Creator of the universe, is the Supremely Perfect Being. This Supremely Perfect Being is simple (not composed of parts), eternal (has always existed and always will exist), omnipotent (unlimited in power), omniscient (knows everything), omnipresent (not spatially limited), perfectly wise, and perfectly Good. According to orthodox Christian Trinitarian theology, … Read more
Anti-Christian skeptics frequently make claims that belief in the supernatural, and Christianity specifically, is fundamentally contrary to science. In this previous post, I have responded to some of these claims, pointing out that the methodological naturalism of science in no way necessitates metaphysical naturalism, the belief that nothing supernatural exists. In this post, I will … Read more
We live in a religiously pluralistic world. Taking into account all human cultures and societies around the world, there are thousands of mutually exclusive religious worldviews and belief systems. Furthermore, most people hold to the religious or metaphysical beliefs which they believe because of how they were raised and the influence of their particular surrounding … Read more
Religious Experience Many Christians believe Christianity is true largely on the basis of their own religious experiences. If a Christian has a powerful, direct experience of God, then this provides good reason for them to believe that the Christian God is real, even in the absence of historical and philosophical reasons for believing in God. … Read more
The Reasonableness of Christian Faith Is it reasonable to believe that Christianity is true? This is a question which everyone, both Christian and non-Christian, should seriously ask themselves at some point in their lives. Billions of people throughout the world, including millions of intelligent, educated people, sincerely believe that Christianity is true. Yet, there are … Read more