Making of an Atheist Blog Tour

Posted by on

In a previous post I mentioned Jim Speigel’s new book, The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief. Now I can post the full schedule of the blog tour for the book. By visiting these blogs you can get a good overview of the book over the next couple of months.

It will be important for us as pastors to help our people in responding the reinvigorated attacks of prominent atheists.  This book will be a great aid.

EPS Blog   February 10-12

Cloud of Witnesses  February 14-16

Apologetics.com  February 22-24

Truthbomb Apologetics February 25-27

Triablogue  March 1-3

Apologetics 315 March 4-6

Mike Austin’s blog March 8-10

The Seventh Sola  March 11-13

EPS Blog  March 15-17

Evangel and TeamPyro

Doug Geivett’s blog   March 22-24

Say Hello to my Little Friend  March 25-27

PleaseConvinceMe.com March 29-31

Just Thinking   April 1-3

Oversight of Souls  April 5-7

Constructive Curmudgeon April 8-10

A-Team Blog  April 12-14

Ortlund on Marriage

Posted by on

Valentine’s Day puts me off because of what is done with it.  The world around us does not know what love is and so many of the attempts are sad and tragic.

However, the love between a husband and wife is a beautiful thing, supposed to mirror the love of Christ for His Church.  Ray Ortlund has spoken powerfully to this in a recent post which I have pasted in here in full.  This is a good word for husbands and wives.  I am blessed to have a wife who does as Ortlund describes and “breathes life into her man.”

“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33

God made Adam first and put him in the Garden with a job to do, a mission to fulfill. In the heart of every fallen man is the self-doubt that wonders, “Am I man enough to climb this mountain God has called me to? Can I fulfill my destiny?” A wise wife will understand that question at the center of her husband’s heart. And she will spend her life answering it, communicating to him in various ways, “Honey, I believe in your call. I know you can do this, by God’s power. Go for it.” In this way, she will breathe life into her man.

God made Eve from Adam, for Adam, to help him follow the call. In the heart of every fallen woman is the self-doubt that wonders, “Do I please you? Am I what you wanted?” A wise husband will understand that question at the center of his wife’s heart. And he will spend his life answering it, communicating to her in various ways, “Darling, you are the one I need. I cherish you. Let me hold you close.” In this way, he will breathe life into his wife.

God King

Posted by on

(Bethlehem Books, 2002), pb., 212 pp
Ages 8-13

Similar to Williamson’s Hittite Warrior (previously commented on), this story follows a fictional non-Israelite character as he eventually comes into a biblical story where God delivers His people. In this case the main character is an Egyptian boy who becomes pharaoh and then sees God’s deliverance of Judah and King Hezekiah from the onslaught of the Assyrians.

It is a good story with intrigue and action. The main character, Taharka (note 2Kings 19:9), is interesting and compelling. You also learn some things about Egyptian life and religion. The characters are more modern in their outlook, so it is not entirely “authentic,” but it is a good, enjoyable read.

The intersection with the biblical narrative only comes late in the story. Taharka sees the power of Israel’s God as he decimates the otherwise unstoppable Assyrian horde. The names of used of the various Assyrian leaders come straight from the Bible. The book suggests the Assyrians died from an outbreak of the plague, as God’s judgment. The Bible simply says the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 of the Assyrians. How God did this is not stated, but there are improbabilities with the way this book suggests it.

In the end, we enjoyed this book and recommend it. It is not overly sophisticated, but it is enjoyable and gives a picture of Ancient Egypt as well as giving background to a biblical story.

Selfishness vs. Courage

Posted by on

I find myself wanting to post a quote from Bob Schultz’s Boyhood and Beyond almost every day as we read through the book (see previous post). There is a wealth of wisdom here, and it stimulates good conversation. Today we read the chapter titled, “Leadership,” where he drew from the story of Ernest Schackleton, a story I have related to the boys before.

Here are two strong excerpts from his application:

“Many boys are said to be shy. Their parents explain why their son did not say thank you or hello with the excuse, ‘Joey is just being shy today.’ The truth is that Joey is just caught up in himself. Joey thinks too much of his own feelings and thoughts to consider someone else. Joey is simply selfish.” (111)

“Do you want to be a man with courage like Shackleton? Your biggest hindrance is selfishness. The selfish are not courageous. You must become a man who thinks of others. It is not waiting for some big chance to save lives that makes a hero; a hero is made by thinking of others in everyday situations.” (113)

The Making of an Atheist

Posted by on

I am pleased to be participating in a blog tour for Jim Speigel’s new book, The Making of an Atheist. Once the tour schedule is completed I will post it. I am not scheduled to post on the book for a while, but the book came yesterday and I have been quite taken with it. First, the subtitle got me: “How Immorality Leads to Unbelief.” Yes! The Bible is clear on this point so I rejoiced in seeing someone willing to state this clearly in a book.

Then his introduction makes this point even more clearly. He is writing in response to the New Atheism, but his goal is not to respond to their various arguments (others have done so and these arguments are nothing new). Instead he states:

“I want to show that atheism is not ultimately about arguments and evidence.” (10)

“Atheism is not at all a consequence of intellectual doubts. Such doubts are mere symptoms of the root cause- moral rebellion. For the atheist, the missing ingredient is not evidence but obedience.” (11)

The New Atheism, Spiegel notes, “is little more than moral rebellion cloaked in academic regalia” (16).

Of course Spiegel is not the first to diagnose this moral cause of unbelief. He stands in an honored line of philosophers and theologians, and it is refreshing to see this truth clearly and boldly stated today.

I am excited to read the rest of the book and invite you to join me.

The Family Table and Wisdom

Posted by on

Patrick Henry Reardon has a great article in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Touchstone titled, “Wisdom from the Family Table.” It is another great resource for parents as he discusses the important life training that takes place as families gather around their tables.

Here are two quotes:

“The quest of wisdom commences with learning how to eat. The most basic steps toward virtue are mastered at the family table. Character begins with etiquette. Teach a child how to dine like a human being, and you have gone wonderfully far in his education.”

“Indeed, I submit that the lessons learned at the family table are more fundamental to the pursuit of wisdom than those learned in the classroom. It is at meals that souls and minds are nourished, as well as bodies. It is largely from eating with the family that helpful information is conveyed and the foundational lines of character are formed.”

Imagination the Basis of Ethics, Worldview

Posted by on

Below is a recent post from my blog on children’s literature, “The Children’s Hour.”  It concerns the role of the imagination in the development of a worldview and in sanctification.  This is a significant pastoral issue both in the pastor’s role of thinking about the training of the children in the church and just in thinking about the way adults think as well.

David Mills’ article, “Enchanting Children: Training Up a Child Requires a Well Formed Imagination” (from Touchstone) is a great resource for parents. He deals with several issues, primarily the importance of the imagination in shaping life. He argues that the imagination shapes life more than the facts we know and that stories are the key factor shaping our imaginations. Therefore we ought to be very diligent in guarding what stories our children take in- e.g. limit television and read them good stories. I agree wholeheartedly!

Here are some quotes.
On the importance of imagination Mills wrote:

We tend to rely, I think, too much on knowledge. Even if Johnny has memorized the Baltimore Catechism or the Westminster Confession, or even hundreds of verses of Scripture, if his imagination has been formed by the wider, secular culture, he will respond to temptations as a secularist, not as a Christian.

He will know that fornication is wrong and that intercourse is a gift reserved for marriage, but he will feel that it is a recreational activity to be enjoyed … When he brings himself to temptation, his feelings are more likely to move him than his thoughts, and of course once he falls, his thoughts will start to change to fit his feelings.
…
Revulsion is a much better protection from the force of the passions than an intellectual understanding by itself. To feel “This is yucky” is not a final protection from sin, but it is better than thinking “This is wrong” but feeling “This is okay.” Lust offers the paradigmatic case (examples come quickly to mind), but this is true of pride, gluttony, envy, and all the rest, even sloth.

He encourages avoiding the warped stories which cascade from the television and developing a family culture more oriented to reading. He admits this will be difficult and will set you apart as odd in comparison with others.

But it is worth the effort. Hearing his father or mother read a good story forces the child to hear and begin to imagine stories he would not necessarily read himself, and it gives you another time to talk with him about the deeper things, without being overtly religious in the way that puts off so many children

He continues:

Good stories read seriously and with enjoyment will help form a child’s imagination, and give it a shape it will never entirely lose, no matter what the child does when he grows older. But we would be foolish to rely on stories to do more than stories can. Wise Christian parents will immerse themselves and their children ever more deeply in the life of the Church, whose worship and teaching and charity and fellowship will be the most profound creator of the Christian imagination.

There they should meet Jesus. The world in which the child knows that Jesus is present is a world he will always live by, even in reaction and even when he convinces himself that it is an illusion. The well-formed imagination is a gift that keeps on giving.
…
As St. James pointed out, even the devils believe, in the sense that they know what the reality is (James 2:19). But they cannot imagine that the reality is good. They may know of God the Father, but to them such Fatherhood feels like domination and oppression, because their imaginations are so completely corrupted. They do not hear “Thus says the Lord” as “Here is the antidote for the poison that is killing you,” but as “Down, vermin slaves.” Think of Uncle Andrew in The Magician’s Nephew, who hears Aslan’s kind words only as a threatening growl.

Imagination the Basis of Ethics, Worldview

Posted by on

David Mills’ article, “Enchanting Children: Training Up a Child Requires a Well Formed Imagination” (from Touchstone) is a great resource for parents. He deals with several issues, primarily the importance of the imagination in shaping life.  He argues that the imagination shapes life more than the facts we know and that stories are the key factor shaping our imaginations.  Therefore we ought to be very diligent in guarding what stories our children take in- e.g. limit television and read them good stories.  I agree wholeheartedly!

Here are some quotes.
On the importance of imagination Mills wrote:

We tend to rely, I think, too much on knowledge. Even if Johnny has memorized the Baltimore Catechism or the Westminster Confession, or even hundreds of verses of Scripture, if his imagination has been formed by the wider, secular culture, he will respond to temptations as a secularist, not as a Christian.

He will know that fornication is wrong and that intercourse is a gift reserved for marriage, but he will feel that it is a recreational activity to be enjoyed … When he brings himself to temptation, his feelings are more likely to move him than his thoughts, and of course once he falls, his thoughts will start to change to fit his feelings.
…
Revulsion is a much better protection from the force of the passions than an intellectual understanding by itself. To feel “This is yucky” is not a final protection from sin, but it is better than thinking “This is wrong” but feeling “This is okay.” Lust offers the paradigmatic case (examples come quickly to mind), but this is true of pride, gluttony, envy, and all the rest, even sloth.

He encourages avoiding the warped stories which cascade from the television and developing a family culture more oriented to reading.  He admits this will be difficult and will set you apart as odd in comparison with others.

But it is worth the effort. Hearing his father or mother read a good story forces the child to hear and begin to imagine stories he would not necessarily read himself, and it gives you another time to talk with him about the deeper things, without being overtly religious in the way that puts off so many children.

He continues:

Good stories read seriously and with enjoyment will help form a child’s imagination, and give it a shape it will never entirely lose, no matter what the child does when he grows older. But we would be foolish to rely on stories to do more than stories can. Wise Christian parents will immerse themselves and their children ever more deeply in the life of the Church, whose worship and teaching and charity and fellowship will be the most profound creator of the Christian imagination.

There they should meet Jesus. The world in which the child knows that Jesus is present is a world he will always live by, even in reaction and even when he convinces himself that it is an illusion. The well-formed imagination is a gift that keeps on giving.

…
As St. James pointed out, even the devils believe, in the sense that they know what the reality is (James 2:19). But they cannot imagine that the reality is good. They may know of God the Father, but to them such Fatherhood feels like domination and oppression, because their imaginations are so completely corrupted. They do not hear “Thus says the Lord” as “Here is the antidote for the poison that is killing you,” but as “Down, vermin slaves.” Think of Uncle Andrew in The Magician’s Nephew, who hears Aslan’s kind words only as a threatening growl.