Rick Mattson's Blog

Pilgrim on the Prairie Part 1

When I was a boy of seven or eight years old, my dad told me a story that I never forgot. He recounted the frightening day of April 2, 1957, when his wife, “Tudy” Mattson, delivered a nine-pound baby at a hospital in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, where Dad was stationed in the army. Tudy was […]

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Speaking Back to the University Part 3: Starting Points

— Part 2 of this series is here Many people in the University start their thinking with something like this: 1. Truth is dependent on perspective. There’s no absolute truth, only the perspectives of everyone at the table. Or: 2. Truth is dependent on scientific verification. The only reliable truth is that which can be […]

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Humiliated as a Christian

____ Recently, I felt the sting of public humiliation. I was criticized and mischaracterized in a public venue by another party. This felt very unfair. Rather than writing about that incident, I wish to ask the question, As Christians, how do we respond when we experience persecution, even the mild (relatively speaking) kind I faced […]

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Speaking Back to the University Part 2: Is Christianity “Anti-Science”?

The prevailing dismissal of Christianity in the university world includes the accusation that faith is “anti-science” in its rejection of evolution and its acceptance of miracles and Intelligent Design (I.D.). Yet, there are several ways to think about the relation of science and faith. Ian Barbour, science and religion professor at Carleton College from 1955-86, […]

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Accusation: Christianity is Anti-Science. A Response

The prevailing dismissal of Christianity in the university world includes the accusation that faith is “anti-science” in its rejection of evolution and its acceptance of miracles and Intelligent Design (I.D.). Yet, there are several ways to think about the relation of science and faith. Ian Barbour, science and religion professor at Carleton College from 1955-86, […]

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Speaking Back to the University, Part 1

Last school year, InterVarsity students at the University of Montana invited me to help them respond to the university world’s critique of Christianity. According to the secular university, Christianity is racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-science, hostile toward other religions, wedded to conservative politics, anti-intellectual, power-hungry, and oppressive of gender nonconforming persons. Upon arrival in Missoula, MT, […]

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Speaking Back to the University

Last school year, InterVarsity students at the University of Montana invited me to help them respond to the university world’s critique of Christianity. According to the secular university, Christianity is racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-science, hostile toward other religions, wedded to conservative politics, anti-intellectual, power-hungry, and oppressive of gender nonconforming persons. Upon arrival in Missoula, MT, […]

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I’m Writing a Book With An Atheist

My whole life I’ve hung out with atheists. Now I’m writing a book with an atheist friend, Tom Jump. Tom is a successful YouTuber with over 30k followers. It’s there on his YouTube channel that he debates Christians and other theists. The book we’re writing together is about ethics, entitled, Objective Morality Without God? A […]

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Apologetics for Kids Part 4 of 4: Old Testament Violence

Part 3 in this series is here In the world of higher education where I work, it’s common for Christian students to lose their faith. Why? One reason (among many) is that they lack rationale for their beliefs. Many youth pastors know this. One approached me recently to ask if I could help with the […]

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A Rift in the Modern Church, Part 3 of 3: Three Suggestions

In the prior post I mentioned that evangelicals and liberals* tend to have differing starting points: Scripture as interpreted historically, going back to the creeds (evangelicals); and science along with the best of contemporary culture and learning (liberal theologians). With such disparate starting points, it’s hard to achieve productive dialogue between the two sides. Thus, […]

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