Good Ideas From Questionable Christians And Outright Pagans
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Good Ideas from Questionable Christians and Outright Pagans by Steve Wilkens Pdf
Steve Wilkens introduces the study of philosophy by exploring a single issue from each of these well-known philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche and Sartre.
With this introductory text, Steve Wilkens takes a fresh, friendly approach to understanding and evaluating various ethical systems. Beginning each chapter with a "bumper sticker" slogan ("If it feels good, do it"; "God said it, I believe it, that settles it;" "When in Rome..."), he then moves on to examine the complex questions, conclusions and assumptions that lie at its heart. Wilkens acquaints students with the vast array of classic and contemporary approaches to ethics: cultural relativism, emotivism, behaviourism, hedonism, ethical egoism, atheistic existentialism, utilitarianism, categorical imperative, hierarchicalism, situation ethics, theistic existentialism, theological voluntarism, and natural law ethics. For each system, his thorough introduction explores its popular "bumper sticker" expression, its core assumptions and basic elements, the questions that give rise to it, and its strengths and weaknesses. Students, professors and general readers will welcome Wilkens's engaging text which simultaneously offers a well-rounded assessment of ethical systems and shows the relevance and prevalence of ethical ideas in daily life. (Original edition.)
Christian Worldview and the Academic Disciplines by Deane E. D. Downey,Stanley E. Porter Pdf
This book---an edited compilation of twenty-nine essays---focuses on the difference(s) that a Christian worldview makes for the disciplines or subject areas normally tauht in liberal arts colleges and universities. Three initial chapters of introductory material are followed by twenty-six essays, each dealing with the essential elements or issues in the academic discipline involved. These individual essays on each discipline are a unique element of this book. These essays also treat some of the specific differences in perspective or procedure that a biblically informed, Christian perspective brings to each discipline. Christian Worldview and the Academic Disciplines in intended principally as an introductory textbook in Christian worldview courses for Christian college or university students. This volume will aslo be of interest to Christian students in secular post-secondary institutions who may be encountering challenges to their faith---both implicit and explicit---from peers or professors who assume that holding a strong Christian faith and pursuing a rigorous college or university education are essentially incompatible. This book should also be helpful for college and university professors who embrace the Christian faith but whose post-secondary academic background---because of its secular orientation---has left them inadequately prepared to intelligently apply the implications of their faith to their particular academic specialty. Such specialists, be they professors or upper-level graduate students, will find the extensive bibliographies of recent scholarship at the end of the individual chapters particularly helpful. "Downey and Porter present a unique contribution to the perennial question of how faith interacts with the academic disciplines. Numerous factors contribute to this book's significance: the common conviction that one's Christian beliefs ought to shape the contents of one's teaching, the variety of perspectives and opinions, and the wide range of academic disciplines under discussion. The essays---originating among the excellent faculty of Trinity Western University---will deservedly be much used in undergraduate colleges and universities."---Hans Borsma J.I. Packer Professor of Theology, Regent College "Few faculty, Christian or otherwise, understand what their colleagues in other departments are doing or why. This collection of essays is not only an excellent introduction to the whole scope of academic enterprises but to the unique and important relationship between each discipline and the Christian faith. An important book not only for the entire range of faculty but for students yearning to understand both their Christian faith and what is being taught in the classroom."---James W. Sirf author of the Universe Next Door and, with co-author carl Peraino, Deepest Differences A Christian Atheist Dialogue "Christian Worldview and the Academic Disciplines is a book long overdue. It will serve as an outstanding textbook for interdisciplinary courses. But this book is more than that. Christian Worldview and the Academic Disciplines is a book that everyone concerned with Christian thought, especially in the context of the Academy, will want to read. I highly recommend it."---Craig A. Evans Payment Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Acadia Divinity College Nova Scotia
The God You Thought You Knew by Alex McFarland Pdf
Popular Apologist Corrects the Record on What Christianity Is All About The Christianity our culture rejects may not be true Christianity at all. So many people today believe they have to be good to be accepted by God, or that the Bible is just a list of do's and don'ts, or that God is far away and unapproachable. Instead of providing "proofs" about God and the Bible, in this book Alex provides a reason to want to know Jesus. By sharing his own story of the loneliness and alienation of his youth, Alex taps in to universal fears of rejection and loneliness. We all seek acceptance and purpose--and there's only one solution. Learn how to be anchored in the Truth and security that comes through Christ.
The field of Christian ethics is the subject of frequent conversation as Christians seek to understand how to live faithfully within a pluralistic society. The range of ethical systems and moral philosophies available can be confusing to people seeking clarity about what the different theories mean for everyday life. This Spectrum Multiview volume presents a dialogue between four main approaches to ethics in the Christian tradition. Virtue ethics focuses less on the action itself and more on the virtuous character of the moral agent. A divine command approach looks instead at whether an action has been commanded by God, in which case it is morally right. Natural law ethics argues for a universal, objective morality grounded in nature. Finally, prophetic ethics judges what is morally right in light of a biblical understanding of divine justice and shalom. The four views and their proponents are as follows: Brad J. Kallenberg: Virtue Ethics John Hare: Divine Command Ethics Claire Peterson: Natural Law Ethics Peter Heltzel: Prophetic Ethics Christian Ethics: Four Views, edited by noted ethicist Steve Wilkens, presents an accessible introduction to the key positions in Christian ethics today. Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) had a mission. The church had become weak, flabby and inconsequential. Being a Christian was more a cultural heritage than a spiritual reality. His mission—reintroduce the Christian faith to Christians. How could he break through to people who were members of the church and thought they were Christians already? Like an Old Testament prophet, Kiergegaard used a variety of pointed and dramatic ways to shake people from their slumber. He incisively diagnosed the spiritual ailments of his age and offered a fresh take on classic Christian teaching. Mark Tietjen thinks that Kierkegaard's critique of his contemporaries strikes close to home today. We also need to listen to one of the most insightful yet complex Christian thinkers of any era. Through an examination of core Christian doctrines—the person of Jesus Christ, human nature, Christian witness and love—Tietjen helps us hear Kierkegaard's missionary message to a church that often fails to follow Christ with purity of heart.
Knowledge Unto Relationship by Jeffrey L. Romine, PhD Pdf
We live in a day of advanced technology, but what lies behind it is applied knowledge. Knowledge is a sweeping term, serving as a common denominator undergirding science, philosophy, theology and the list goes on. It speaks to the condition of learnedness as opposed to merely opinion, or its absence, ignorance. Christianity is knowledge based too. Like pursuing a philosophic line of reasoning, this book engages the biblical trajectory that follows from the Tree of Knowledge. Drawing upon the great thinkers, topics such as the great debate over faith and reason, postmodernism, law in the confines of covenant, justice in the context of dominion, and the role of the Holy Spirit are addressed, distilling out key components related to knowledge, showing how the path forward leads into covenant-relationship.
Patrick Downey explores the biblical writings of Genesis and the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, the Greek tragedies, Plato, Aristotle, and political philosophers--such as Rousseau, Hobbes, Nietzsche and René Girard--to seek answers to the profound question, What is the human heart like?
"The unexamined life is not worth living," according to Socrates, but pursuing the examined life strikes many as daunting, unappealing and even unnecessary. Is philosophy important? Why do I need philosophy if I have the Bible? Aren't philosophers simply engaged in meaningless disputes that are irrelevant to everyday life? Mark Foreman addresses these and other questions in this "prelude" to the subject. Unlike a full introduction to philosophy, this book is a preliminary discussion that dispels misunderstandings and explains the rationale for engaging in philosophical reasoning. In the first half of the book, Foreman defines the task of philosophy, compares it to other disciplines and demonstrates its practical value to Christians interested in developing a more thoughtful faith. The second half introduces the reader to logic and argumentation, the essential tools of a philosopher. Concise and straightforward, Prelude to Philosophy is a guide for those looking to embark on the "examined life."
If you don't believe God has a sense of humor, just look in the mirror. Humor is a truly human phenomenon—crossing history, culture, and every stage of life. Jokes often touch on the biggest topics of our existence. And although it may seem simple on the surface, humor depends on the use of our highest faculties: language, intelligence, sympathy, sociability. To the philosopher Steve Wilkens, these facts about humor are evidence that God just has to be in there somewhere. Yet many Christians, scholars and laypeople alike, haven't taken humor seriously. In What’s So Funny About God? Wilkens launches an exploration of the connections between humor and many of the central topics of Christian theology. He argues that viewing Scripture and theology through the lens of humor brings fresh insight to our understanding of the gospel, helps us avoid the pitfalls of both naturalism and gnosticism, and facilitates a humble, honest, and appealing approach to faith. Wilkens turns this lens on the paradoxes of human nature, the Christian calendar, church life, and new readings of well-known biblical texts, including the book of Esther, the nativity narratives, and Jesus' own teachings. Taking into account the problems of suffering and the need for timely lament, he portrays the Christian story as one that ultimately ends in cosmic comedy. Full of wit and thoughtful jokes throughout, it's enough fun that you may not realize you're reading theology.
Hidden Worldviews by Steve Wilkens,Mark L. Sanford Pdf
Why do we buy what we buy, vote the way we vote, eat what we eat and say what we say? Why do we have the friends we have, and work and play as we do? It's our choice? Yes, but there are forces, often unseen, that shape every decision we make and every action we take. These hidden, life-shaping values and ideas are not promoted through organized religions or rival philosophies but fostered by cultural habits, lifestyles and the institutional structures of society. Steve Wilkens and Mark Sanford shine a spotlight on the profound challenges to Christianity and faithful Christian living that come from worldviews that comprise the cultural soup we swim in. The authors show how to detect the individualism, consumerism, nationalism, moral relativism, scientific naturalism, New Age thinking, postmodern tribalism and salvation as therapy that fly under our radar. Building on the work of worldview thinkers like James Sire, this book helps those committed to the gospel story recognize those rival cultural stories that compete for our hearts and minds.
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) had a mission—reintroduce the Christian faith to Christians. Mark Tietjen thinks that Kierkegaard's critique of his contemporaries strikes close to home today. Through an examination of core Christian doctrines, he helps us hear Kierkegaard's missionary message to a church that often fails to follow Christ with purity of heart.
Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult by Garrett J. DeWeese,J. P. Moreland Pdf
From time to time we all face life's big questions . . . What is real? How do we know what we know? What is right? Who or what am I? How should we view science and its claims? And as we wrestle with these issues, we may even find ourselves thinking, Perhaps what I need is a good dose of philosophy. It's a shame philosophy is so difficult. Garrett DeWeese and J. P. Moreland understand this frustration and in this book offer help to make philosophy at least slightly less difficult. In straightforward language with everyday examples, they explain the basics needed to understand philosophical concepts and thus bring clarity to discussions of life's big questions. Students, pastors, campus workers and ordinary Christians will all benefit from this user-friendly guide.