What is Christianity? Part 17: Worldviews as “Master Stories”?
James Sire comes from an Evangelical Christian point of view, so for him the miracle stories in the Gospels are crucial to the Christian worldview, especially the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection of Jesus. Belief in such miracles are indeed part of ancient Christian Creeds that are still used in most Protestant and Catholic worship … What is Christianity? Part 17: Worldviews as “Master Stories”?
Debate: The Evidence for Jesus from the Talmud – Wrap-Up Comments
I summarized Joe Hinman’s argument from the external evidence of the Talmud this way: 1. There are MANY references to Jesus in the Talmud that were censored but that were preserved in some texts. 2. There are A FEW references to Jesus in the Talmud that were not censored. 3. ALL of the references to Jesus … Debate: The Evidence for Jesus from the Talmud – Wrap-Up Comments
Worldviews as Problem-Solving Proposals
Can a worldview be true (or false)? I have been thinking of a worldview as a set of basic assumptions that contitute a philosophy of life, or a logical structure that approximates a philosophy of life. On this conception of a worldview, it seems that a worldview is the kind of thing that could be … Worldviews as Problem-Solving Proposals
Is Christianity True?
As indicated in a previous post, for the next four or five years I plan to focus on the question: Is Christianity true? I plan to do most of my Christianity-centered posts on my old Cross Examination blog site, where I have set up the initial logical structure of interconnected blog posts (including a number that … Is Christianity True?
The VICTIMs of Christian Apologetics
My latest video, “The VICTIMs of Christian Apologetics: The Things Apologists Falsely Say Depend on God, But, if God Exists, God Depends on Them,” is now available on YouTube. It is a narration of some of the many hundreds of PowerPoint slides I created in preparation for my recent debate with Frank Turek on naturalism vs. … The VICTIMs of Christian Apologetics
One Christianity or Many Christianities?
I know this is a controversial topic for the people who frequently comment on blog posts here at The Secular Outpost, and my view seems to be the minority view. Perhaps I am the only person in this crowd who thinks that there is some hope of being able to define “Christianity” in a way … One Christianity or Many Christianities?
My Twelve-Year Plan
In October of 2013, I came up with the idea of a Ten-Year plan to write a four-volume critique of Christianity: Plan for a Multi-Volume Critique of Christianity Some of my posts here at the Secular Outpost have been closely related to the Ten-Year plan and the topics it will cover. In January of this … My Twelve-Year Plan
Skepticism and Conjunctions
Belief in God and belief in the Christian faith are both vulnerable to skepticism in view of the fact that both beliefs consist in conjuctions. Some of the key divine attributes are: In order for God to exist, there must be one and only one person who has all five of these divine attributes. If … Skepticism and Conjunctions
Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Wrapping up the Debate
Josh McDowell and various life events have distracted me from the debate with Joe Hinman about the external evidence for the existence of Jesus. (Sorry for the delay, Joe.) I wrote an introductory post about the debate: Introduction to the Debate Hinman presented five arguments for the existence of Jesus based on external (non-biblical) evidence: … Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Wrapping up the Debate
Repost: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence (ECREE), Part 2: Is ECREE False? A Reply to William Lane Craig
(This article was originally published on this blog on June 21, 2012. I am reposting because William Lane Craig recently tweeted a link to a video in which he objects to ECREE.) In my last post, I offered a Bayesian interpretation of the principle, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” (ECREE). William Lane Craig, however, disagrees with … Repost: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence (ECREE), Part 2: Is ECREE False? A Reply to William Lane Craig