Here’s an obvious but important asymmetry that occurred to me when I was reading Mary C. Neal’s 7 Lessons from Heaven about her near-death experience. In the book, she discusses not only her own visit to Heaven, where she met Jesus, and the effect it had on her life, but also the similar experiences of many other people. … [Read more…]
The topic of this post is the extent to which a Christian, in addition to having faith, needs to worry about performing good works. Sure, maybe it’s presumptuous for me to opine on such a profound issue, but let me start by noting that it would be a mistake to agonize over reaching the right … [Read more…]
This is another topic where it’s rather presumptuous for a nontheologian to weigh in at all, but let me reassure the reader that in my humble opinion this is also another issue where it’s a mistake to agonize over reaching a definitive resolution: Clearly there will never be such a resolution, and since we might … [Read more…]
There can be both selfish and unselfish reasons for wanting to be good and wanting to be godly. They are not inconsistent and may not even be that distinct. *** Faith and love can both be cultivated. Whether we’re considering when they’re beginning or when they’re already extant, it’s romantic but foolish to think otherwise. … [Read more…]
The book is short (121 pages), and rather quirky. Taking the temple at Bassae (in the rural mountains of the Peloponnese) as the touchstone, the authors riff on the different ways the classics have influenced and are influencing us. It’s an enjoyable read, but nothing much here that’s directly bearing on Christianity.
This was a very informative book, and the point I found most interesting was that the Muslims accept the proposition that one verse of the Koran can abrogate another part of it (the author likens it to a constitutional amendment). The book is objective. It points out some problems with old texts and so forth, … [Read more…]
Some interesting echoes of Genesis: a worldwide flood, with one family and animals surviving in a big boat, and a raven sent out twice to find land; a snake who keeps man from having perpetual youth; and a woman who causes the loss of innocence in a noble savage. But there are many gods, of … [Read more…]
I made just a few Bible-related notes on these lectures: “Moses” means “birth” in Egyptian. “Watch the stones” refers to the Egyptian birth procedure (they sat on rocks). The place names fit in. The son of Rameses the Great dies at about the right time.
I picked this book just for the history, and it turns out the author is quite Christian-sympathetic and -oriented. Here are some notes: Augustus (27 B.C. to A.D. 14) pushed for returned devotion to the traditional gods, restored old temples, was named “Pontius Maximus” (high priest), and so forth. Caligula (A.D. 37-41) had many anti-Jewish, … [Read more…]
It seems to me that Pascal’s Wager is greatly underutilized and ought to be used more aggressively in evangelism. Brief review: Pascal’s Wager argues that, because the costs of incorrectly choosing not to believe in God if He turns out to exist (namely, eternal damnation instead of eternal and joyful life) are so much greater … [Read more…]