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Introducing "Faith for Thinkers"
“Make a choice. You can believe the claims of science. Or you can believe the Bible. But you can’t have it both ways.”No matter which side of the wall you’re on, you’ve probably heard those, or similar...
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The View from the Skeptic Tank
Are you a skeptic? Before you answer that, let me tell you that, in my opinion, most people who call themselves skeptics are frauds.You see, a skeptic is someone who doubts, probes and questions....
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Why is the Water Boiling? (A Parable)
Science and faith each claim to be pathways to discovery of ultimate truths. Yet the answers they come up with often seem so different, that one wonders how they can both be observing the same reality....
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But It's Counterintuitive!
I recently had someone tell me that one of their reasons for doubting a certain scientific explanation was that it was “counterintuitive”. That got me to thinking – how reliable is our intuition, and...
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How Many Lutherans Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?
As both a scientist and believer, I’ve always been baffled by the attitude many believers and churches have towards science. For me, discovering something new and unexpected in God’s creation is always...
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Is God Bipolar?
Critics of Christianity often point to, and Christians themselves are often troubled by, the apparent differences between the “Old Testament God” and the “New Testament God”.How did an Old Testament...
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Phil's "Etch A Sketch of Understanding" Proposal
Pianist/comedian Victor Borge used to joke that the first piano ever invented was very boring to listen to, because it only had one large key. It wasn’t a success until somebody finally came along and...
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If You Want to Fish for Men, You Have to Cut Debate
To listen to many American Christians, you would think that the main mission of the church was to fight a culture war. There seems to be an implicit belief that if we can just win that culture war...
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Mind the Gap!
If you've ever ridden the "Tube" in London, you've heard the warning "Mind the gap!" as you step from the train. But the warning to "mind the gap" is one that should also be heeded by those engaging in...
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Maimonides, Monkeys, and Monet
Basic TeleologyThere is a story, attributed to the 12th century Jewish teacher Moses Maimonides, in which he shows his students a beautiful landscape painting, and tells them that the painting was the...
View ArticleAn Evangelical Dialogue on Evolution: Encouraging Critical Thinking in...
I was recently invited to submit a guest post to an online series of articles on "Evangelicals, Evolution, and the Church". My topic was the importance of, and what can be done to promote, critical...
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Random Thoughts
Where did the universe come from? How did life develop? Do we have a purpose?Scientists claim that we are here by pure accident – the result of a series of random events. Theologians claim there is no...
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Inerancy
I’ll admit it. I’m a perfectionist. I hate mistakes. If you want to drive me crazy¹, just show me a sign with an unnecessary apostrophe, use the phrase “between you and I,” or pronounce “poinsettia”...
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One Hump, or Two?
I’ve recently begun participating in the pilot run of a discussion group called “Skepsis”. The goal of Skepsis is to encourage openness and dialogue among atheists, agnostics, and believers, in an...
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Let Me Be More Explicit ... (Part One)
You’ve probably seen the cartoon of two scientists standing at a blackboard full of equations, in the midst of which are the words “then a miracle occurs …” Pointing at these words, one scientist...
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Let Me Be More Explicit ... (Part Two)
"In the pages that follow, we want to shine the spotlight on a remarkable woman who had a remarkable journey toward healing. Was she skeptical about people who claimed to have special powers?...
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Let Me Be More Explicit ... (Part Three): Permanent Goosebumps
At 10pm on June 8, 2003, my wife Vonna experienced what has been described, even to the most dubious of my fellow skeptics, as a genuine, documented, and verified "miracle".From wheelchair dependent...
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