Walter Wagner Reviews Christianity at the Crossroads
Over the last year or so, I’ve been encouraged by the many different reviews of (and interactions with) my book, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church. For a list of some of those reviews, see prior post here.
One of the reasons I wrote this book is because of the enormous gap in scholarship on the study of second-century Christianity. There just hasn’t been much done on this “Cinderella Century” (to use the phrase of Larry Hurtado).
But, of course, there are exceptions to that pattern of neglect. One is the fine book by Walter Wagner, After the Apostles: Christianity … Continue reading...
How Dangerous is Money? A Great New Resource for Avoiding the Pitfalls
Ok, so we all know the main Bible verse about money: “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” (1 Tim 6:10). In fact, we know it so well that we rarely let it sink in.
If we ponder it for just a brief moment, we would realize that money, though it can be a blessing, can also be one of the most dangerous things in the world. If a person is not careful, it can shipwreck your life.
For this reason, I am very thankful for Jim Newheiser’s recent volume, Money: Seeking God’s Wisdom (P&R, 2019). Jim is director of the biblical counseling program here … Continue reading...
Looking at Miracles Again: A Great New Book on David Hume
In my most recent post, “Are Miracles Improbable? Rethinking What Makes Something ‘Likely’ to Happen,” I analyzed (and critiqued) the main arguments against miracles. And, like any discussion of miracles, I felt required to mention the work of Scottish philosopher David Hume.
I can still remember walking by David Hume’s statue almost every day when I was studying at the University of Edinburgh years ago (see main photo). He always seemed to stare at me as I passed by. I could hear his hypothetical question in my head, “Why do you believe in miracles if you’ve never seen one?”
For those who want to dive deeper into Hume … Continue reading...
Are Miracles Improbable? Rethinking What Makes Something “Likely” to Happen
Our world’s skepticism over miracles is nothing new. Ever since David Hume, philosophers and scholars have been making the case against the possibility of miracles.
But, now things have shifted. Hume has been roundly (and decisively) rebutted and philosophers now realize that one cannot prove miracles are impossible. But, not to worry, now there’s a new argument. Now the argument is that miracles are simply improbable.
So improbable, in fact, that we should never prefer a miraculous explanation over a naturalistic one. Given how unlikely miracles are, it is always more likely that a miracle did not occur. Thus, it is argued, historians would have no reason to ever … Continue reading...
Here Are 5 Tips for Conversations in Our Tense Cultural Moment
OK, so conversations with non-Christians aren’t what they used to be. In years gone by, it seems you could just disagree with someone and everyone was fine with that. You could just shake hands and move on.
But now, in our tense cultural situation, disagreement is regarded as a personal attack. To disagree with someone is to be hateful and unloving toward them.
This is why it can sometime seems like conversations with non-Christians can quickly escalate to DEFCON 1. Before you know it, somehow it’s nuclear war.
As a result, I think Christians have struggled with how to talk with non-Christians in our current culture. Some have decided the … Continue reading...