"15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however much they feared God, they…
Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? Philosophical vs. Biblical Syllogisms
The headlines have been filled in recent days with a big story coming out of Wheaton College. A professor at this prestigious evangelical institution—the alma mater of evangelical notables such as Billy Graham—created quite a stir when she announced that she would be wearing a hijab over the advent season, and also that Muslims and Christians "worship…
In this edition of “Guess Who Wrote It?”…
(1) The literal sense of the biblical texts comprises (i) verbal meaning, (ii) illocutionary and perlocutionary force, and (iii) the relation to the centre. As communicative actions, the texts seek to convey a meaning in order to evoke a particular response. To concern oneself with the literal sense is therefore to reflect on 'application' as well as…
Pro-Creation vs. Re-Production
Consider the views of life and the world reflected in the following different expressions to describe the process of generating new life. Ancient Israel, impressed with the phenomenon of transmission of life from father to son, used a word we translate as ‘begetting’ or ‘siring.’ The Greeks, impressed with the springing forth of new life…
Adam and Eve after the Pill
No single event since Eve took the apple has been as consequential for relations between the sexes as the arrival of modern contraception… By rendering fertile women infertile with nearly 100 percent accuracy, the Pill and related devices have transformed the lives and families of the great majority of people born after their invention. Modern…
Lewis on the Purpose of the State and Socialism
It is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects—military, political, economic, and what not. But in a way things are much simpler than that. The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband chatting over a fire, a couple of…
Neopragmatism and My Public Education
For a PhD seminar I am currently enrolled in, George Knight's Philosophy & Education is required reading. It certainly has been an eye-opener how important our philosophical presuppositions are to every aspect of life—especially education. One thing I have realized reading this book is that I have Richard Rorty to thank for my experience in public school…
Teach the Children to Fish!
Taken by and large, the great difference of emphasis between the two conceptions holds good: modern education focuses on teaching subjects, leaving the method of thinking, arguing and expressing one's conclusions to be picked up by the scholar as he goes along; medieval education concentrated on first forging and learning to handle the tools of learning, using whatever subject…
Gender, Sexuality, and Complementarianism in Brazil
Recently, I had the privilege to travel to Brazil to teach a week-long, seminary-level class to Brazilian pastors and seminarians. Apart from the fact that I had to leave my family for a week, I had the time of my life. I got to eat at a true Brazilian churrascaria where I had—hands down—the best steak I have ever…
These Letters are Red, Too
Recently, it came to my attention that Red Letter Christianity is still a thing that (astonishingly) a lot of people subscribe to. But I think Red Letter Christianity is a misnomer, and that it should instead be labeled something like "Parts of the Sermon on the Mount Christianity." Why do I think this? Because the…
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