Randal Rauser's Blog, page 24
January 23, 2022
Why It is OK for a Christian Apologist to have Doubts: A Response to James White
James White recently criticized apologist Mike Licona for saying he was 80% certain that Christianity was true. White went on to suggest that you shouldn’t be an apologist unless you are certain. In this video, I offer a reply. ?
The post Why It is OK for a Christian Apologist to have Doubts: A Response to James White appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 21, 2022
Hell: A Christian and Atheist Discuss the Doctrine of Divine Judgment
In this video, Ben Watkins of Real Atheology presents some of his thoughts on the problem of hell and I offer a response as a Christian theologian. We agree about some things, disagree about others. But through it all we seek to model irenic and rigorous conversation and a search for mutual understanding.
The post Hell: A Christian and Atheist Discuss the Doctrine of Divine Judgment appeared first on Randal Rauser.
Your Moral Character Resides Not Simply In What You’ve Done But In Who You Are
As the saying goes, “there but for the grace of God go I.” People typically evaluate their moral standing based on what they’ve done. But that is a faulty measure because your standing rests ultimately not only on what you’ve done but on who you are. For example, you may never have betrayed a friend, […]
The post Your Moral Character Resides Not Simply In What You’ve Done But In Who You Are appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 18, 2022
Seven Things I Wish Every Christian Knew About the Bible: A Review
Michael Bird. Seven Things I Wish Every Christian Knew About the Bible. Zondervan, 2021. Seven Things is an introduction to the Bible written by Anglican priest and New Testament scholar Michael Bird. The book is written in seven chapters addressing origins (chapter 1), inspiration and inerrancy (chapter 2), authority (chapter 3), the cultural distance between the biblical […]
The post Seven Things I Wish Every Christian Knew About the Bible: A Review appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 13, 2022
William Lane Craig’s Homophobia
In this article, I’m going to respond to an article by William Lane Craig titled “A Christian Perspective on Homosexuality.” The article uses a range of terms that are generally rejected in current discourse including “homosexual,” “practicing homosexual,” and “homosexual lifestyle.” Any good apologist should know that good apologetics begins by avoiding causing unnecessary offense […]
The post William Lane Craig’s Homophobia appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 11, 2022
The Faith Today Review of Jesus Loves Canaanites: A Response
Canada’s equivalent to Christianity Today is a magazine called Faith Today and they just published a review of Jesus Loves Canaanites in their Jan/Feb issue. The brief print review includes two outright falsehoods about the book and a strawman summary of the argument. Faith Today has since posted a slightly longer review. That review is slightly […]
The post The Faith Today Review of Jesus Loves Canaanites: A Response appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 7, 2022
My Debate With Aron Ra
My debate with Aron Ra is now available for your viewing pleasure. It was a cracking exchange that ranged widely over concepts like worldview, epistemology, the ethics of discourse, and yes, biblical violence. ?
The post My Debate With Aron Ra appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 6, 2022
Grace is Not Unique to Christianity, Even if a C.S. Lewis Anecdote Claims that It Is.
Philip Yancey begins chapter four of his most popular book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? with this famous anecdote about C.S. Lewis: “During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of […]
The post Grace is Not Unique to Christianity, Even if a C.S. Lewis Anecdote Claims that It Is. appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 5, 2022
You Can’t Save Biblical Inerrancy By Limiting it to Faith and Morals
Many biblical inerrantists limit the term to “faith and morals”: that is, the biblical authors made no errors in terms of their communication on theological and ethical topics. But that more modest inerrancy still fails. For example, multiple biblical authors endorse severe corporal punishment of children, actions we would consider abusive and immoral today. They […]
The post You Can’t Save Biblical Inerrancy By Limiting it to Faith and Morals appeared first on Randal Rauser.
January 4, 2022
Franklin Graham’s Disinformation is Costing Lives. Does Samaritan’s Purse Care?
Vaccines save lives. Even Donald Trump is now promoting the vaccines, much to the chagrin of right-wing “pundits” like Candace Owens. But it is the following tweet from Franklin Graham, son of Billy and president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse which is ostensibly a humanitarian aid organization, that truly took my breath away: Christians around […]
The post Franklin Graham’s Disinformation is Costing Lives. Does Samaritan’s Purse Care? appeared first on Randal Rauser.
