Randal Rauser's Blog, page 128

Rauser v. Schieber-The 2017 Debate

On Friday, March 10th I met Justin Bieber Schieber for our second public debate. (The first one unfolded exactly two years ago on the campus of the University of Alberta. You can watch that match-up here.)

This second debate occurred at Stencel Hall on the campus of Taylor Seminary in Edmonton. It also differed from our first encounter in that it was a semi-formal exchange. There was no precisely articulated debate resolution, anal time-keeper, or formally timed rebuttals and closing statements. Instead, we went from opening statements of approximately fifteen minutes where we each presented arguments for our respective views (theism; atheism). Then we went immediately to a half hour of informal cross-examination. And finally we turned to audience questions.

Schieber doing his opening statement. (Psst, I’m that handsome guy sitting in the front row underneath the cross.)

Personally, I much prefer this approach. If the full-on formal debate is a pinched three piece suit, this semi-formal approach is a blazer and a relaxed button-down shirt: no tie required.

I have included the full audio for the debate below. Schieber included PowerPoint which, as you can probably guess, is unfortunately not visible in audio form. That’s why I included the picture above so that you can get a good sense of his PowerPoint presentation.

An Atheist and a Christian in Church

Is it just me or do Justin Schieber and I look like a couple actors?

On March 11th, Justin Schieber and I had the privilege of taking over the Saturday evening service at Sherwood Park Alliance Church (SPAC) in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Some large suburban churches can feel a bit cold, but SPAC had a beautifully welcoming vibe.

For an hour Pastor Greg Hochhalter fielded questions from the audience (via phone texts) and lobbed them to us like a major league pitcher. It was a fascinating exchange. There were dozens and dozens of questions from the audience of hundreds and it’s clear we could only scratch the surface. All in all, the evening embodied the vision I outlined at the end of my book Is the Atheist My Neighbor? in which I advocate for Christians extending hospitality to atheists by inviting them into their space for genuine dialogue. I think you’ll agree that this evening achieved that much.

The video (with high production values) is available at SPAC’s website here. And for those on the go I have also ripped an audio version which is available for listening/download below. So check it out and let’s keep the conversation going!

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Should people have the freedom not to have medical coverage?

Yesterday in an interview on Face the Nation Paul Ryan was asked how many people will lose coverage if the American Health Care Act is passed. His non-answer answer: “I can’t answer that question.” Ryan continued: “It’s up to the people.” He then went on to explain: “Here’s the premise of your question. Are you going to stop mandating people buy health insurance? People are going to do what they want to do with their lives because we believe in individual freedom in this country.”

Here’s the premise of Ryan’s answer: people should be able to refuse to be covered by medical services. Because … freedom!!!

But if that’s what “freedom” requires, then why stop at medical coverage? At present people across the United States don’t have a choice but to be covered by fire and police services. If the Smith house catches fire, the fire service is deployed to put it out, period. If there is a shooting at the Wang house, the police service is deployed to intervene. Neither the Smiths nor the Wangs have a choice that they will receive the fire and police service.

The tyranny continues when you get in your car. We’re forced to pay for collision insurance. What if I prefer to roll the dice and forgo such insurance? Nope, the tyrannical government still forces me to purchase insurance.

Even worse, the government requires property owners who own property in areas deemed high risk for flooding to purchase flood insurance.

When will the tyranny end?

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“That’s Not Biblical”: Three Scary Words for any Evangelical to Hear

So here’s the scene. You just finished reading a fascinating new book. It’s got you thinking about God in novel and exciting ways. You’re not sure how to process your thoughts, but you want to share it with somebody. And so you tell your friend from church. Then comes the reply: “That’s not biblical.”

Three simple words. But they can strike terror into the heart of an evangelical. In a moment you are placed on the defensive. Your theological wisdom is called into question. Your reading choices are suspect. And so you suddenly feel obliged to defend your choice of reading material. Immediately you start back-peddling, qualifying, distancing yourself from the offending book.

All because of those three simple words.

But what does it mean to say that something — a book, a film, a practice, an event — is not biblical? The fact is that it is far more difficult to define and defend that three word judgment than it is to utter it in the first place.

Scratch beneath the surface and you often find the real meaning is something like this:

That’s not what I was taught growing up.

That’s not how I read the Bible.

That’s not the way I think about God.

That’s not how the Christians in my church behave.

In other words, “That’s not biblical” should be the start of a conversation, not the end.

So the next time somebody tells you “That’s not biblical,” ask them to explain what they mean. And then ask them why they think that.

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C.A.N.C.E.R.

RIP Tom Searle

I love discovering new bands: some are new new; others are just new-to-me. This weekend I discovered Architects, a new-to-me UK metalcore band that remind me a lot of Underoath (an American metalcore band which is one of my favorites).

Now before I go further with this whole metalcore thing, let me point out that I also love listening to everything from bossa nova (Astrud Gilberto) to pop (Whitney Houston) to classic rock (Electric Light Orchestra) to country (via small doses of Garth Brooks). But sometimes metalcore is just the thing, and Architects do it as well as any band I’ve heard: excellent musicianship, tight time changes, complex, layered rhythms, and profound lyrics.

As I read up about the band this weekend I learned that their guitarist Tom Searle passed away from cancer a few months ago at the age of 28. Their 2014 album Lost Forever /Lost Together includes the song “C.A.N.C.E.R” which poignantly describes both Searle’s battle with cancer as well as the universal struggle with this damnable disease, and indeed with mortality itself.  It reminds me that despite how varied the musical expressions of the human experience, there is a common shared experience of joy and pain that underlies it all:

“C.A.N.C.E.R”
No one knows permanence quite like you.

There’s a ruthlessness in all that you do.

This is not about what we deserve.

There’s no bias in the misery served.
C.A.N.C.E.R

So watch the sun sink into the sea.

There is a perfect peace, but don’t wait up for me.
And when we all fade away,

And this world can’t bare another day,

There will be no fight in broken bliss.

Respected will we be at the end of this.
I feel it now more than ever.

A reaper’s watch. My life is ready to sever.

Your name carries more than disease.

A symbol of man brought to his knees.

This is not about what we deserve.

There’s no bias in the misery served.

C.A.N.C.E.R

And when we all fade away,

And this world can’t bare another day,

There will be no fight in broken bliss.

Find a…

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An Atheist and a Christian Debate and then Walk into Two Churches This Weekend!

Here’s all the info for my three public events with Justin Schieber this weekend in promotion of our book An Atheist and a Christian Walk into a Bar.

Friday, March 10th, 7:00-8:30 pm
Saturday, March 11th, 10:00-11:30 am

Saturday, March 11th, 7:00-8:15 pm

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Doing right because … it feels good?

Today I came across this tweet in my Twitter feed (please forgive the language):

Be good for goodness sake.#good #empathy #atheism pic.twitter.com/Y5dagao1pY

— PhilosophicalAtheism (@PAtheism) March 5, 2017

I agree that one ought not behave ethically because one expects to be rewarded for doing so. But then, I know of no Christian view of ethics that is predicated simply on reward/punishment.

Interestingly, the individual seeks to counter the reward view with what is presumably a more sophisticated view: “because it feels better….” (emphasis added) But how is this a superior view? The first person acts rightly because he hopes to benefit later (by way of a reward). The second person acts rightly because he hopes to benefit sooner (by way of a feeling).

So the only real difference between the two individuals is when they expect to receive their reward? And yet, the second person believes somehow that he has a superior view of ethics?

Oy vey, the face palm was invented for moments such as this.

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To See or Not to See The Shack Movie: That is the Question

A decade after the book was published, the long-awaited Hollywood adaptation of The Shack has been released in theaters. So should you see it?

Hey, you’ll need to make up your own mind. Don’t expect me to tell you how to spend your movie dollars. All I want to do here is give you the best and worst reasons to see (or not see) it. Confused? Don’t be: all shall be clear soon.

Best Reason Not to See The Shack

Let’s start with the best reason not to see the movie. Here it is: the film is getting terrible reviews from professional critics. At Rotten Tomatoes it currently has an abysmal rating of 17%. That’s good enough reason for me to wait, even as I take into account the general hostility among mainstream critics toward Christian-themed films.

For myself, I also take into account the testimony of trusted friends. One friend of mine attended a Wednesday night preview, and while he enjoyed the book, by contrast, he found the film flat, lifeless, and perfunctory. That’s hardly ringing praise!

Best Reason to See The Shack

Having said that, my friend also noted that by and large the audience of Christians who had been invited to the screening seemed to enjoy the film. And that is borne out by Rotten Tomatoes as well. As of this writing, 5669 people have posted user ratings with an average score of 4.3/5 resulting in the statistic that 87% like the film. (By contrast, the user rating at IMDB is currently a poor 5.7 based on 134 votes. But that will change wildly in the coming days as the film moves into wide release.)

I guess the lesson is this: if you liked the book and you really want to see the movie, there’s a good chance you’ll like it. To put it another way, if you like evangelical Christian films like God’s not Dead and Courageous and War Room, then you’ll probably enjoy The Shack as well.

So there you have the best reason to see and not to see The Shack.

Worst Reason Not to See The Shack

Now let’s turn to the worst reason not to see The Shack. (I’ll skip the worst reason to see the film.) That reason is the one Tim Challies gives for not seeing it: idolatry. In an article titled “Why I Won’t Be Seeing (or Reviewing) The Shack Movie” he writes:

“I am far more sure that watching and reviewing The Shack would be an unwise and even sinful spiritual decision.”

Unwise I get, but sinful? Tim, tell me more! Fortunately, he does:

“My foremost concern with The Shack—the one that will keep me from seeing it even for purposes of review—is its visual representation of God. To watch The Shack is to watch human actors play the roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I take this to be a clear, serious violation of the second commandment: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6). I will not see the film, even to review it, because I will not and cannot watch humans pretend to be God.”

Oh dear, I guess we’ll need to cancel the youth group screening of Bruce Almighty and that classic Simpsons episode where Homer meets God. But what can we show instead?

I know, let’s show The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe! Wait, what’s that? Aslan represents Jesus? Oh darn, so that’s idolatry too?

Fine, how about The Jesus Film? That’s relatively safe, isn’t it? Oh right, that also has Jesus played by actor Brian Deacon … a human “pretending” to be God.

Whatever. Let’s just show Transformers: Age of Extinction. Granted, Transformers is a sin against good taste, but at least that’s better than idolatry: as long as Optimus Prime doesn’t represent God we should be okay.

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An Atheist and a Christian Do a Ten Minute Interview

In case you don’t have a lot of time to listen to long interviews, this one’s for you. A couple days ago An Atheist and a Christian Walk into a Bar was featured on the CHRI weekly show “Bookmark” with Brock Tozer. We manage to summarize almost every chapter in just over ten minutes. In other words, this is the perfect interview to listen to while you’re loading the dishwasher. Check it out here.

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Would you advise an abused wife to divorce her husband?

Today conservative Christian radio host and author Michael Brown posted the following tweet:

If, as a married couple in the Lord, you have the attitude that divorce is not an option, with God's help, you can work through anything.

— Dr. Michael L. Brown (@DrMichaelLBrown) March 1, 2017

That’s fine advice for most couples. Our consumer culture is far too quick to divorce based on the myth that marriage is about self-fulfillment. (It isn’t.)

But what worries me is the lack of nuance in the advice, and the way it could be used as a tool of manipulation for spouses that are victims of systemic and potentially life-threatening abuse. So I posed a question in a tweeted response:

@DrMichaelLBrown Would you ever counsel divorce for reason other than porneia? E.g. if husband threatened to kill the wife?

— Randal Rauser (@RandalRauser) March 1, 2017

By the way, “porneia” (i.e. “marital unfaithfulness”) is the one ground Jesus gives for divorce.

So let’s fill out this picture a bit. Let’s say a husband has repeatedly beat his wife and threatened to kill her if she ever leaves him. The husband has since been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder and most psychiatrists insist that he is untreatable.

Divorce is not an option for the husband, that’s for sure. So should we encourage the wife that if she also agrees to take divorce off the table, that God can help them work through anything?

Let’s acknowledge that God can help them work through anything. God can also heal a man of anti-social personality disorder if he so chooses. But that’s not really the issue. After all, God can also supernaturally protect you from the Ebola virus. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to forgo the newly developed vaccine if you’re headed into an Ebola hotspot. (And if that’s too exotic, just recall the flu shot you took last November, or the seatbelt you buckled this morning.)

The issue is not what God can do. The issue is what we should do based on the best evidence available to us.

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