Doubt

The problem with certainty

I recall being certain that God existed, that he loved me, and that he was embodied in a set of books we call the Bible. I was so certain of this that I would have said, without any question whatsoever, that I even knew these things. Certainty, according to many Christian presuppositional apologists, is the…

Atheism

An Aversion to Labels

I frequently encourage people to define themselves – to state who they are with some sort of adjective that describes their position on any given subject; atheist, theist, Christian, Muslim, Humanist, pro-life, pro-choice, straight, gay, liberal, conservative, ad nauseum. We call these adjectives labels. For reasons that I’m not fully sure I understand many people…

Christianity

An Insurance Policy against Doubt

The Bible and the Qur’an are similar books, I’ve been clear on that before. One of the many similarities is a certain tendency to provide an insurance policy against the likelihood or fruition of doubt. They both do so in the same ways; by ostracizing those unsure of their claims, demonizing them as deceivers, and…

Child Preacher
Christianity

Exploitation: Children in the Pulpit

Child Preachers A few nights ago my wife and I happened upon a National Geographic documentary about child preachers called “Pint-Sized Preachers”. My wife said I shouldn’t watch it because she knew it would elevate my blood pressure. She was right. There are certain things that I consider grounds for engagement and exploitation of children…