HOME > Brilliant and Beautiful Blog

On the Integration of Faith and Scholarship

UnknownChristian scholars, we are told, belong to two distinct communities: the community of scholars and the community of faith. An immediate question that arises is how ought a Christian scholar relate these two communities? Possible answers include: separate, overlap, and integrate.

Happiness is Edenistic, not Hedonistic

UnknownThe world thinks of happiness hedonistically, God thinks of happiness edenistically. This is one of the central ideas of David Naugle’s highly recommended book Reordered Loves, Reordered Lives: Learning the Deep Meaning of Happiness. In a previous post, I discussed the contemporary view of happiness as pleasure. In light of our fatigue and failure to find happiness via pleasure, perhaps its time to consider God’s perspective on happiness and to consider the happiness that He offers.

Is it ever ok to lie? Bonhoeffer on Truth-telling and Deception

images-1Is it ever morally permissible to tell a lie? On one end of the spectrum we find the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who argues that it is never, under any circumstance, permissible to lie. To lie, according to Kant, would be to act in a way that is less than rational (hence, less than human) and to treat others as a means instead of an end. On the other end of the spectrum, the situational ethicist, the relativist, and the ethical egoist, may argue that lying is morally permissible at anytime and in any situation, given the desired outcome.

The (never-ending) Pursuit of Happiness

imagesDo you want to be happy? Chances are, if you’re like most of us, the answer is a resounding yes. We Americans are obsessed with being happy. We pursue it with a sense of fervency and urgency—“if only I could have this experience, or that job, or this relationship, or that thing then…”—which should tip us off to the fact that something has gone amiss. Like a perpetually receding end zone, happiness remains in view but always 10 yards away.

Would Jesus cleanse the temple of Philosophy?

Unknown-1In his introduction to Jesus and Philosophy, Paul Moser asks, “How, then, is Jesus relevant to philosophy as a discipline?”[1] This is a great question. Possible answers include “not at all,” “insignificantly” or “significantly” relevant.

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Next >>