Is Christianity the Best Possible Story?

I’m currently reading Alvin Plantinga’s excellent book Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, & Naturalism, when in offering a possible reason for sin and suffering, Plantinga suggests that Christianity is not only the greatest story ever told, but the greatest possible story ever told.

Your God Is Too Small, Or: The Greatness of God, Pt. 2

In my last post I considered how God reveals His greatness through the universe. In this post, I will consider how God reveals His greatness through His Son.

Your God is Too Small, or: The Greatness of God, Pt. 1

In this trivial pursuit world, a world full of empty selves who live their lives seeking one fleeting satisfaction of desire after another, God becomes a sort of divine therapist— anxiously waiting in heaven to give us whatever it is that we think will satisfy. The result of course will be disappointment with such an inadequate conception of God. As J.B. Phillips points out, “God will inevitably appear to disappoint the man who is attempting to use Him as a convenience, a prop, or a comfort, for his own plans.”[1]

Understanding Genesis 1

The proper interpretation of Genesis 1 fuels a lot of conflict these days in the so-called science vs. religion wars. Genesis 1 is controversial because it forces us to ask important questions with huge implications for how we understand God, our world, and ourselves. Questions typically asked include: Is it true? Does it give us history? How does Genesis related to what geologist tell us? Is it consistent with evolutionary theory and Darwinism? Do we have a right to question Darwinism because of what it says in Genesis?

Does Science disprove God?

It has become commonplace to hear from atheists that science has or will soon disprove God’s existence. ‘The godly hypothesis is not necessary,” we are told. “All of reality can be explained by the deliverances of science.” Examples of this thinking are easy to find:

Talks

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Favorite Books of 2023

January 1, 2024

Fueled by the conviction that stories sustain us because we were made to be nourished on the good, the true, and the beautiful, I determined to read one fiction book a month for this past year. And I read some very good stories! In addition to fiction, I have benefitted greatly this year from some solid works in philosophy, theology, biography, and spiritual formation. Without further ado, here are my favorite books read in 2023. As is custom, in my book log, I record the book title, author, and date completed, along with a one sentence description. This has been my practice since 2009. My book log now includes 635 entries. This year I read 43 books.

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Favorite Books of 2022

January 3, 2023

I love to read. Of course, being a professor helps. I get to read as part of my job. That’s good. But I also love to read for the sheer pleasure of it. When it comes to fiction, I love entering into secondary worlds and journeying along with the characters of the story. Often non-fiction reads like a good story too: life is life, story is story, and often the two kiss (a loose paraphrase of one of my favorite nonfiction stories of the year, All that is Sad is Untrue). (more…)

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Favorite Books of 2021

January 10, 2022

I love to read. It’s partly why I’m an academic today. What could be better than reading, writing, teaching, and learning every day? Reading books awakens me: to truth, goodness, and beauty. I try, each year, to read broadly. This year, I managed to read 47 books. I’ve been recording every book read in a book log for over 10 years now. Whenever I finish a book, I list the date finished, the title, author, and a one sentence summary of the book. As has become my custom, I offer to you my favorite reads of the past year in philosophy, apologetics and theology, fiction, and non-fiction. (more…)

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