“some Christians… think of faith as the opposite of reason, as a blind leap of faith. But most Christians throughout history, as well as the New Testament, have maintained that faith is simply trusting something on the basis of good reasons and evidence.” - Adam Lloyd Johnson
C. S. Lewis, the New Atheists, and the Failure to Disprove God with Alister McGrath
Former atheist “McGrath sees how much desire determines what we believe about the universe. He says, ‘The human desire for unaccountability leads to the metaphysical conclusion that there should not be a God.’” - TGC
Worldview vs. Social Imaginary
“ ‘Imagination’ is simply the mental faculty that we have of conjuring up mental images in our minds. ….Thus, the social imaginary includes not just intellectual beliefs but what we picture in our minds (memories, feelings, desires, fantasies, our constructions, and what we take as real).” - Gene Veith
Who Can Believe Anything Anymore?
“Post-modernism is built on earlier deconstructionism that—while not always denying that truth exists–did deny that it was attainable with any certainty. But with AI and social media, the level of doubt and denial has hit a new level.” - P&D
“Science and religion are neither the same thing, nor are they enemies.”
“…‘science’ is not some kind of monolithic system of proved and perfect knowledge. Science is a method of observing the world and drawing conclusions about natural phenomena.” - David de Bruyn
Epistemology Has Consequences: Is ‘Knowledge’ Determined by Identity Markers Only?
“This shift has landed us in what can be called ‘standpoint epistemology.’ … the view that everything we think and know, and even what we consider knowledge to be, is determined solely by our race, ’gender,’ sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and other identity categories.” - Breakpoint
Best of The Point: Jordan Peterson Tells Dawkins “I Told You So!”
“Without God and all that His existence implies, there is no solid ground for saying that any knowledge is true for everyone.” - Breakpoint
The Limits of Science: A Review of ‘Christianity and Science’ by Herman Bavinck
Bavinck: “No science can be imagined without accepting beforehand, quietly and without criticism, the reliability of the senses, the objective existence of the world, the truth of the laws of thinking, and the logical, ideal content of perceptible phenomena” - TGC
Why Truth Matters
“In recent years, many Christians have either abandoned or deprioritized the notion of truth, elevating personal experience over what God has revealed about Himself and His world. …Christians must not give up on the idea of truth nor downplay its importance, even in an attempt to gain a wider hearing. Christianity matters precisely because it is true. If it isn’t true, it doesn’t matter.” - Breakpoint
How Do You Decide Who’s Right?
One of the ways the Greek rhetors of old used to classify arguments was under the headings of ethos, pathos, and logos.1 Ethos referred to character and credibility: arguments appealing to one’s reputation, standing, experience, expertise, and trustworthiness. 2 Pathos referred to longings, drives, appetites—and what we today call emotions. Logos had to do mainly with facts and reasoning.