Category: Dialogue/Debates
An Exercise on the Problem of Evil
Are you under a stay-at-home order? Consider thinking about the problem of evil (PoE). Here is a brief exercise. Suppose someone says the following to you: “God would never permit COVID-19. So, since there is COVID-19, there is no God.” How would you respond? Notice that this is an example of the PoE. But there … Continue reading An Exercise on the Problem of Evil
The Moral Argument: A Short Dialectic
The Argument There are several versions of the moral argument for theism.[i] One goes like this: If God does not exist, then objective morality does not exist. Objective morality exists. Therefore, God exists. (This argument is deductively valid by modus tollens.) The Dialectic Suppose a friend asks you why he should believe in God. You … Continue reading The Moral Argument: A Short Dialectic
Socratic Dialogue on Postmodernism
Preface As Nicholas Rescher notes in Chapter 3 of Metaphilosophy: Philosophy in Philosophical Perspective, philosophy can be articulated in several ways, including the essay, the medieval scholastic treatise, and the dialogue format. In what follows, I provide a philosophical evaluation of postmodernism using the dialogue format. In honor of the first masters of dialogue – … Continue reading Socratic Dialogue on Postmodernism
A Debate with Andy Regarding the “Ring of Truth”
Regarding my Ring of Truth blog: Andy said, //You’ve not shown that Christianity being true would make [murdering homosexuals] objectively wrong, bad or evil.// I did write the following (you must have missed it): “Is atheism any better? Not really. According to logically consistent atheism, since God does not exist, then humanity was not created … Continue reading A Debate with Andy Regarding the “Ring of Truth”
A “God Problem” in The New York Times
Recently, Peter Atterton, a professor of philosophy at San Diego State University, published an article in The New York Times entitled “A God Problem: Perfect. All-powerful. All-knowing. The idea of the deity most Westerners accept is actually not coherent.” Given the title, I was excited to read what this philosopher was sharing with the masses since … Continue reading A “God Problem” in The New York Times
Debating Determinism with Dillahunty
“Would you be interested in debating Matt Dillahunty?” That was the question I received in July of 2018, from one of the organizers for the Texas Baptist Unapologetics Conference. “Hmm . . . I don’t know,” was all I could say. I’d seen the scathing videos from Matt’s show, The Atheist Experience, and was aware … Continue reading Debating Determinism with Dillahunty
Lydia McGrew on Minimalism & the Resurrection
Since I have turned my research attention to the argument in favour of the resurrection of Jesus (simply called the Resurrection Argument), I face the question as to which is the best (or at least a good) approach to take in arguing for the resurrection. The debate about the different approaches to the argument is … Continue reading Lydia McGrew on Minimalism & the Resurrection
Atheists Opposing Molinism
In my experience, not only do I find myself defending Molinism from the likes of Calvinists and Open Theists, but I am amazed to see the vigor in which atheists also oppose Molina’s doctrine of middle knowledge. After all, why should the atheist care what view a Christian holds of divine sovereignty and human responsibility? It … Continue reading Atheists Opposing Molinism
A Quick History Lesson
Objection: The Bible is a compendium of fire side tales and fables recounted orally for generations by goat herders and primitive tribes from the stone age, until writing was invented, and then again many different sources, transliterations, and versions were written down. There were no grand central universities to organise the many various versions of … Continue reading A Quick History Lesson
Is the Freethinking Argument Question Begging?
Question: Dear Tim, I will try to be as concise and brief as possible. I am a Christian and my question is concerning free will, determinism, Molinism and of course, with respect to your Argument of Freethinking against Naturalism. The Freethinking Argument Against Naturalism is formulated as follows: 1- If naturalism is true, the immaterial … Continue reading Is the Freethinking Argument Question Begging?