If you’ve spent any time at all in reasoned discourse with people, you’ve seen people make “ad hominem” arguments, which are a form of logical fallacy. These are arguments like, “Your point is wrong, because you are high on drugs”. Calling you a drug abuser does nothing to disprove your point, unless of course you …
Chess is typically considered to be a passive activity closely associated with mental pursuits like philosophy and poetry. Most people would never mentally categorize chess alongside wrestling or boxing. And indeed, it is this apparent contrast that makes the sport of “chess boxing” so idiosyncratic. Of course, major chess tournaments are advertised as battles between …
We have an idol of Avolokiteshvara, hand made in Nepal of bronze, sitting on our mantle. I have taught my daughter to pray near the idol, reciting the prayer of Psalm 115:4-8: But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but …
I have Dissidens to thank for making me aware of “Emergence”, a piece of idolatrous performance art posing as an “evolution” of the Church. Even the Emergents themselves aren’t sure what they stand for, but the primary thrust of their message is clear. They argue that a new type of Church is emerging to replace …
Earlier this week, I picked up a copy of “The Shack”, since my pastor is going to preach a sermon this Sunday, explaining which parts of the book he felt contained wrong theology, and which parts right theology. Normally, I would never buy or read a book like this, but I wanted to be …
One of the most common attacks on Calvinism I have seen is the insinuation that “Calvinists are Sneaky” when they evangelize. Since Calvinists claim that God died only for the “elect”, and since they don’t know exactly who the “elect” are, then Calvinists would be dishonest to evangelize the Gospel by saying “Jesus died for …
The more I read about Arminianism, the more I am convinced that I am not an Arminian. However, I am cautious to judge, since I realize that many of the viewpoints I find most objectionable may not be “orthodox” Arminianism. I just ordered a copy of Roger Olson’s “Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities”, apparently the …
James Kwak at Baseline Scenario quotes a New Yorker article about the mega rich money managers in Manhattan who are watching the world come to an end right now. One of the successful money managers, one Colyn Negrych, has a particularly poignant observation: “What constituency is there for pessimism? People believe optimism is necessary, an …
Whoa! Cardinal Ratzinger says (in “The God of Jesus Christ”): Jesus’ working on the Sabbath is not directed against the Sabbath. Rather, he is fighting to preserve its original meaning, preserving it as the day of God’s freedom, so that the hands of the casuists may not pervert it into the opposite, that is, a …
This weekend, I was discussing evolutionary biology with a friend, and she mentioned the surprising research about bimaturism in Orangutans. Roughly 50% of orangutans are the result of rape by males who mask their sexual maturity by repressing secondary sex traits, and the other 50% result from females willingly mating with the dominant male, who …