tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14334286825100685172024-02-29T19:21:34.037-05:00Possible WorldsExploring issues in Christian philosophy, theology, apologetics, and life in general.Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.comBlogger518125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-8318007883832382872021-09-28T15:29:00.000-04:002021-09-28T15:29:09.947-04:00Eye for an Eye<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” This
statement, or something pretty close to it, is attributed to Gandhi. Most people
solemnly nod and agree with this. But it seems to me this isn’t correct, at
least as applied to the biblical principle.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The biblical principle is to limit retaliatory justice
so as to not let things get out of hand. But more to the point, an eye for an
eye, when taken biblically, does not result in the whole world going blind. It
results in one eye for one eye. It would not necessitate the original offending
party responding, and the second party again in kind, until everyone was blind.
Justice is served in the eye-for-eye swap. It would be an act of injustice for
the original offending party to again bring harm to the individual.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is not to say that Jesus’ commentary on the issue
is mistaken. Matthew 5:38-39 have Jesus discussing the great contrasts of the
understanding of the day vs. the heart issues in the Sermon on the Mount. My
only point for the day is sometimes conventional wisdom can arrive at similar
points to Jesus but for bad reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-3393516023585975472021-09-15T13:35:00.004-04:002021-09-15T13:35:39.767-04:00Vaccine Mandate and Moral ObligationThere is an argument that says that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is morally obligatory for all who can do so safely. This is because, amongst other things, already-stressed hospitals may become overtaxed, and people who need emergency care may not be able to receive it due to unvaccinated individuals taking up the available beds. <div><br /></div><div>One solution is to suggest, well, having more beds. Obviously, though, the beds are what they are—and even if there were more beds, healthcare workers are not in great supply right now (indeed, in normal times there are fewer than would be liked). </div><div><br /></div><div>The principle seems to be something like the following: if your action (or refusal to undertake an action)<i> a</i> results in hospitals being relevantly overtaxed, then <i>a </i>(or the refusal to undertake <i>a</i>) is prohibited; or, if <i>a </i>would successfully combat this situation, then <i>a</i> is obligatory. </div><div><br /></div><div>Set aside for now analogical, hypothetical counterexamples from other areas. I think we have an interesting scenario taking place now: the federal vaccine mandate. </div><div><br /></div><div>How so? Let us assume for the moment that everyone who supports a federal vaccine mandate also supports that getting vaccinated is morally obligatory, at least for the reason noted above. While most healthcare workers are already vaccinated, some are not—and some oppose mandates enough that they will quit or be fired over it if the time comes. This will result in a not insignificant reduction in the workforce in healthcare. Even if only 10% leave, that is decimating that worker population. Will hospitals be relevantly overtaxed if 10% of nurses quit or are fired? It seems so. What about 5%? Imagine 1 in 20 healthcare providers/workers left their jobs over the next three months. Healthcare would be worse, not better, for it. </div><div><br /></div><div>So then it violates the moral principle above, and as a result, a federal mandate for the COVID-19 vaccine should be morally prohibited, and hence opposed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s one potential objection: the nurses and other healthcare workers ought to receive the vaccine, and in so refusing will themselves be violating the moral principle above. Therefore, they ought to receive the vaccine. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s my basic line of thought as a reply: first, in the moral principle, we’re not dealing with how we ought to respond to what people <i>ought to do</i>, we’re dealing with the response to what they <i>have in fact done</i>. In other words, it doesn’t matter why anyone is in the hospital (maybe the cut themselves in gross negligence, or were drunk driving, etc.): it only matters that <i>they are in fact in the hospital</i>. So it is here: it doesn’t matter why their leaving results in people being in the hospital (for evaluating whether vaccine mandates should take place): it only matters that <i>they are in fact in the hospital</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Second, two wrongs don’t make a right. On a strict, non-nuanced version of the principle articulated above, the healthcare workers may indeed be violating their moral obligations by not receiving the vaccine, and hence being removed from their jobs. But that won’t excuse those who pass a federal vaccine mandate from their violation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, it is consistent to hold both that someone has a moral obligation to get the COVID-19 vaccine and that the government (and other actors) have a moral obligation to refrain from mandates. These are my main points: vaccine mandates are not as morally clear-cut as some would like; and given the stated logic, one cannot support <i>both </i>a vaccine mandate and the moral reasoning that is supposed to motivate it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Standard disclaimer: I got the vaccine, and I am not opposed to everyone else getting it.
</div>Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-42103559910762502222021-08-04T08:58:00.004-04:002021-08-04T09:00:30.557-04:00Mario and Universalism<p> This is the second in the series of me playing a video game and then trying to explain a philosophical or theological concept at the same time. Tell me what you think!</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/505402250" width="590" height="350" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-69766490985638222532021-08-03T15:21:00.002-04:002021-08-03T15:21:15.139-04:00Mario and the Incarnation<p> Below is a brief video I did for fun, where I try to explain a philosophical or theological concept within the time it takes me to pass a level from <i>Super Mario World</i>. Enjoy!</p><p><br /></p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/505418490" width="590" height="350" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/505418490">Mario Incarnation</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user46532652">Randy Everist</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-91734141241046012782021-07-03T16:00:00.011-04:002021-07-03T16:02:40.552-04:00Intuitions, Language, and Identity<p> <span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 31, 30); color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I know I haven’t posted in a very long time. But here’s something interesting to think about:</span></p><div class="x_WordSection1" style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(32, 31, 30); color: #201f1e; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Much is made of our intuitions in the personal identity game of bodies and souls. We can think of scenarios where we could exist outside of our bodies, or in a different body, and on that basis (<a data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0" href="https://www.randyeverist.com/2016/01/my-basic-position-on-nature-of-man.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; color: #0563c1; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">and through some modal reasoning) arrive at the conclusion that we are souls that have bodies</a>. Or we might think that, for example, when you strike my hand, you have hit <i>me</i>, thus revealing that I have an intuition that <i>I am my body</i>. What to do with these competing intuitions?</p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">One possibility is to think of our language use. Suppose my son Rowan approaches me and says, “Who are you?” I may look at him and say simply, “I am Daddy.” Did I make a predicate statement? While I could have said, “I am <i>a</i>daddy,” that is not what I meant. Did I make an identity claim? Sort of. For while I am identical to the person my sons call “Daddy,” this isn’t quite what I meant, either.<a data-linkindex="1" href="https://outlook.office.com/mail/?version=20210621003.06#x__ftn1" name="x__ftnref1" style="border: 0px; color: #0563c1; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title=""><span class="x_MsoFootnoteReference" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;"><span class="x_MsoFootnoteReference" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;"><span style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">[1]</span></span></span></a></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Instead, I mean something like “I am your father, the person you call your father—your Daddy.” What’s the upshot? When I say, “Ow, you hit me!” as your hand strikes mine, I do not intend to communicate that I have an intuition that I am my hand. Nor am I even trying to say that you hit part of me, and hence communicate that I have an intuition that I am my body (I know this since I find being identical to my body quite <i>counterintuitive</i>). Instead, I am trying to say something like “Ow, you hit <i>my</i> hand, which belongs to me.” Indeed, if asked to explain, I would further elaborate: “This hand is deeply connected to me.” I find all this far more plausible for my own thinking than thinking that I intended to communicate, “Ow, you hit my personal self!”</p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Finally, lest the reader find all this terribly unlikely, note we have a serious parallel in language about emotional states: “When she said that, it really hurt me.” As far as I know no one means something like “When she said that, particular neurons fired such that particular brain states came about such that my body, which is identified with me, was emotionally hurt” or anything like that. Instead she simply means “When she said that, it really hurt my <i>feelings</i>.” And no one should thereby think that the person saying this is identical with her feelings.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Just a fun return to philosophizing, finally writing down things that come to mind while I’m doing something else (instead of forgetting later in the day, as has happened countless times since COVID). Feel free to comment below!</p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p></div><div style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(32, 31, 30); color: #201f1e; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="x_ftn1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="x_MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a data-linkindex="5" href="https://outlook.office.com/mail/?version=20210621003.06#x__ftnref1" name="x__ftn1" style="border: 0px; color: #0563c1; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title=""><span class="x_MsoFootnoteReference" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;"><span class="x_MsoFootnoteReference" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: super;"><span style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-size: 10pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">[1]</span></span></span></a> A related but separate issue could arise in the fact that I could simply argue I existed as the person I was prior to ever having sons, or even prior to becoming mature through puberty, and thus identity may not be what I should go for, anyway.</p></div></div>Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-51761496545786456162020-01-16T21:55:00.000-05:002020-01-16T21:55:29.331-05:00Brokenness and Our ResponseIn our culture there seems to be about four ways to respond to the idea of brokenness in our lives. They are, in no exact order:<br />
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1. Deny brokenness.<br />
2. Celebrate brokenness.<br />
3. Wallow in brokenness.<br />
4. Acknowledge and Repent of brokenness.<br />
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Only (4) is the proper response. While much of the world, especially here in America, has used (1) as a tactic, it's become very "in" to take on (2). We celebrate it as "authentic" and demand others do also. (3) is an admission of brokenness, but it's not a godly sorrow--it's a sorrow that leads to death (cf. 2 Cor. 7:10). I have engaged in (1-3) all too often in my life, and I go through periods even today of (2) and (3) (how silly--to celebrate my deficiencies in character only then to be defeated by them!).<br />
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The proper response is to become more like Jesus, and to die to myself <i>each and every day</i>. The italicized portion is vital to the Christian walk, because I'm a box-checker. It feels good to get something off the list and never worry about it again. But in life, with spiritual things, if you check it off not to think of it again, you'll quickly find you've been losing the battle for some time. But rather than deny you have any problems, wallow in sorrow, or celebrate yourself for your failures, instead simply repent and ask God to help you. Every single day. We're all getting there--care to tell part of your story?Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-69167968814431579532019-06-21T12:57:00.000-04:002019-06-21T12:58:14.140-04:00What are the 'Works of God' in John 9?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the story of the man born blind in John 9, the disciples asked Jesus whether he had sinned or his parents to cause him to be born blind. If you ask the average evangelical Christian to read the first few verses of John 9 and then ask them the question, “Why was the man born blind?,” in many, if not most, cases they will respond, “For God’s glory.” Indeed, if you had asked, “According to this passage of Scripture, why was this man born blind?” they would have the same answer.<br /><br />Now I have no doubt God’s glory is involved in the lives of those afflicted with various things, and in the life of this man born blind. However, the words “God’s glory” (or any directly relevant variant) just isn’t in the text. In fact, John 9:3 states in part, “that the works of God should be made manifest in him,” (KJV) “that the works of God might be displayed in him” (NIV, ESV, NASB).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So a relevant question for understanding what’s going on in this text is “what are the works of God in the book of John?” I will suggest the works of God, for John, can be found in the theme of John and in a passage (really, more than one) of John. The theme of the Gospel of John is “believe.” John basically tells us this near the very end of his work, when he says he has written these things so that his audience might believe on the name of Jesus (a theme he repeats in his epistles, specifically 1 John). With this in mind, check out John 6:28-29: “… ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">These are obviously non-meritorious works (that is, it’s not a belief that earns you salvation), but rather the belief (faith and trust) in the Son of God for eternal life. Following Christ is what John is all about. So what are the works of God in John 9 that this blind man was meant to display? Faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Savior, the Son of God and God the Son (see John 9:38 for the resolution).<br /><br />What difference does it make? The main difference is one’s theology of suffering. While belief in Jesus obviously redounds to God’s glory, if you think God has people endure pain and suffering merely for his glory, God simply uses people to attain ends. This devalues God’s creation and, ironically, God himself. Instead, we ought to recognize God does things for his glory, and for our good—and not just instrumentally. Jesus’ purpose in this story is to show his mission—to seek and save that which was lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-82473239535138247582019-06-15T14:14:00.000-04:002019-06-15T14:14:08.265-04:00Do We Really Want All to be Saved?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #111111;">Evangelical Christians sometimes claim that we are “hopeful universalists.” This term can have a couple of different meanings. One is that we aren’t sure whether or not universalism is true, but we hope for the best. Another is that while we think universalism is not true, we wished it were. This is more or less not “hopeful” universalism as “wishful” universalists, but more people are familiar with the former term, so I’m co-opting it. I have said that I fall into this camp of people who think universalism is false, but wishes it were true. I began wondering, though, if I really <i>did</i>wish it to be true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #111111;">On the surface, this seems like a crazy question. Of course I want everyone to go to Heaven! But wanting everyone to go to Heaven as a collective group isn’t the same thing as wanting each individual person to go to Heaven. For one, I don’t know each individual person on Earth. But for another, there may be times where, though saddened, it’s appropriate to be satisfied with the result of eternal separation from God (indeed, I’ll argue briefly there are some cases where it would be inappropriate not to). I used the term “satisfied” in the previous sentence, and while it’s not quite right, I hope to explain where I am coming from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #111111;">Suppose someone engages in Hitler-like eugenics and genocide. Suppose they further do not repent, growing even stronger in their evil the more they are challenged. Suppose finally this person explicitly wants nothing to do with God and Jesus, and openly mocks them, claiming they hate God. While I am convinced God is—and we should be—grieved that one of his creations has made that choice, I think we intuitively perceive that this is just, and even a <i>right</i>result. It’s not the way things were meant to be, but it’s the right result: a defeat of evil, cast away from God and his redeemed creation.<br /><br />If this is right, then universalists must maintain that there is a conversion for every such person; otherwise we have a situation which is fundamentally wrong. This is something, no doubt, most Christian universalists are happy to do. But it’s worth pointing out that even for those of us who wished universalism were true, there are some times where the only appropriate response is eternal separation from God. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-67959608946111568572019-01-15T15:00:00.000-05:002019-01-15T15:00:12.608-05:00Video on Resurrection with Mike LiconaHey all, yesterday I posted a video of me and William James Herath (<a href="http://www.readysetquestion.com/" target="_blank">and his awesome ministry to seekers, Ready...Set...Question!</a>) talking about the problem of divine hiddenness. Today, I'm posting a video of a few of us at a Red Robin in Denver from the same event--only this time, Mike Licona (New Testament scholar at Houston Baptist University) is sketching out (literally) a case for the Resurrection. Check it out!<br />
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<br />Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-33786348670621279412019-01-14T15:08:00.001-05:002019-01-14T15:08:33.114-05:00Video on Hiddenness of GodHello, long time no see! Below is a video I did with William James Herath, <a href="http://www.readysetquestion.com/" target="_blank">who has a wonderful ministry called "Ready... Set... Question!"</a> We met at the recent annual meeting of Evangelical Theological Society in Denver, CO, and we decided to do a brief video on the problem of Divine Hiddenness. Please check out his ministry, and I hope you enjoy!<br />
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<br />Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-47277396641570358432018-11-03T11:48:00.002-04:002018-11-03T11:48:51.420-04:00Hypocrisy vs. Openly Bad Acting<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In our culture, as well as in the biblical record, there is something especially wrong with being a hypocrite. Saying one thing and doing another, or presenting yourself as one way (usually favorable) while acting privately another way (usually less favorable) is typically considered to be especially bad. This is, I think, correct (since I am a Christian, and a Bible-believing one, no less!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In fact, we often hear complaints about other people tempered with addendums like, “Well, at least she isn’t lying about who she is,” or “He may be a total jerk, but at least he never pretends to like anyone,” etc. In fact, virtually no matter how poorly a person may act, lacking hypocrisy seems to count as some kind of virtue, even for these bad actors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Yet, intuitively, and definitely biblically, there is something wrong about a total lack of shame. That is, there is something wrong with one who would openly do evil and not care about the consequences. Here there almost seems to be an inconsistency on the surface; on the one hand, we should not be hypocrites, because hypocrisy is an especially bad sin. On the other, we have biblical texts condemning evildoers for openly oppressing the poor, disregarding God’s law, etc. In fact, it is their <i>openness</i>in evildoing that seems to be cause for an extra portion of condemnation. So which is it? Should we not be hypocrites or hide our evil?<br /><br />The quick answer is, of course, we should simply avoid evil altogether. That would ease the tension quite easily. Of course, the result here is evildoers aren’t exactly exempted when they lack hypocrisy. There is another route we could take, and I hinted at it earlier: <i>shame</i>. Or rather, in this case, <i>shamelessness</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">People in our culture are often shameless when it comes to traditional or biblical morality.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a>This shamelessness means they do not have a sensitive enough conscience or sense of moral guilt such that they know their deeds are evil. Or, in another sense: they know; they just don’t care. One can think of someone who thinks God exists, but simply shakes his fist at God and exclaims, “I hate you!” Such a person is not to be commended for not having hypocrisy, but instead should be reprimanded for such shameless behavior before a holy and good God. Acting “with shame” would be a moral recognition of the wrongness of the action, as opposed to pretending one is good (though obviously acting with shame can easily lead to hypocrisy). Our culture tends to extol shamelessness (to a certain extent—shame is the tactic used for addressing certain cultural taboos, both in older times as well as contemporary ones).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So we can see the tension can be resolved: being a hypocrite is bad, and so is shamelessness. It is not a virtue to avoid being a hypocrite by being shameless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">By “often” I simply mean that it is not uncommon.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-53494749617140567722018-07-05T16:43:00.000-04:002018-07-05T16:50:25.357-04:00How Should Christians Address Transgenderism?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the last post, <a href="https://www.randyeverist.com/2018/06/rightly-ordered-vs-wrongly-ordered.html" style="color: purple;">we saw that it can be problematic to refer to some people as “Christian homosexuals.”</a>In this post, the continuation, I’d like to discuss the idea of Christian LGBT—specifically the “T.” I’d read a blog post where a well-meaning person suggested it would be a good step for the Southern Baptist Convention to seek to hear from members of the LGBT Community. There’s a charitable way to interpret this suggestion, but it got me thinking about this issue. In the acronym LGBT, one of these things is not like the other. The “T,” specifically, does not relate to sexual orientation. In fact, it trades on the supposed distinction between gender and sex, and so differs greatly. A trans man is one who was born a female in sex, but identifies as a man in gender. This identification may or may not coincide with sex re-assignment (now called “gender confirmation”) surgery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Can the Christian Church recognize so-called Christian transgender? In order to answer this, one must answer what his anthropology and philosophy of gender/sex are. On the Christian view, we are persons made in the image of God, created as male and female. The intention is for the two to be separate, and thus, along with the last post I made, we can conclude there is something wrongly ordered about the mixing together of the two in one human being in some way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">However, we must ask ourselves the questions: are gender and sex two separate things, or identical? Are there really such things as gender roles or gender distinctives? Our society has been of incoherent mind about each of these questions, but Christians cannot afford to be. To the first: if gender and sex coincide (or are identical), then there really isn’t such a thing as transgender as outlined above. Whatever sex you are “assigned”<span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span>is what your gender is, and hence what you really are. If gender and sex are not identical or do not coincide, we have to ask if we think God assigns a gender and allows it to be distinct from the sex. If we think that God does assign a gender, then we must answer the second question in the affirmative. We must think there are gender distinctions, and that includes at least functional roles of some kind or other. Additionally, if we answer the first question by saying gender/sex are identical or at least coincide, we must answer the second question in the affirmative. Only in the case that we say sex and gender do not necessarily coincide and God does not assign a gender to a person can we answer the second question in the negative (and even here, answering “no” does not necessarily follow). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">If there are no gender roles or distinctions, it makes little sense to say there is a true gender beyond the sex one is (at least currently). So this means, essentially, there are gender roles and distinctions. As Christians, we ought to think about gender and sex in terms of what God intends, in a rightly-ordered fashion. God intends that some of us are male and some are female, not switching or intermingling the two. I further think it’s problematic to say there are no gender roles or distinctions, given the Christian view. Thus, while we can debate about the functions of the roles and the kinds and extent of the distinction, Christians should not debate that there <i>are</i>such roles and distinctions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">As such, recognizing “Christian transgender” as a category is unhelpful from a Christian standpoint. As with the LGB post earlier, it’s important for us to recognize these people are made in the image of God. We ought to find ways to love them and come alongside them in support of who they are or can be in Christ. And we ought to recognize there is a rightly ordered way—a way humans were meant to be—and move forward with any proposals with a distinctly biblical and Christian way of viewing this issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB">A somewhat silly concept, as what sex one is typically is a matter of objective, empirical fact, not subject to arguments from the humanities.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-62844302620830153712018-06-16T13:45:00.000-04:002018-06-16T13:45:25.298-04:00Rightly-Ordered vs. Wrongly-Ordered Desires<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">This post came from a few different conversations I have had over the past few days. Something that American evangelical Christianity is largely not talking about is whether and to what degree we will accept the idea of those who identify as both Christian and LGBT+. Now, strictly speaking, we <i>are</i>having this conversation. But we’re missing one or more key points of discussion, and it is to these that we now turn (over two separate posts).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">First, consider rightly-ordered and wrongly-ordered desires. To illustrate this, we’ll initially look at another kind of right order. Suppose a war veteran has lost a limb (say an arm). This war veteran lost his arm through no fault of his own; he is not culpable for his state of having lost that limb (he lost it in battle and not through negligence or self-harm). Yet there is something wrongly ordered with his body (not “wrong” in a moral sense, but in an intended sense); something is not the way it was <i>supposed</i>to be. It doesn’t make them any less of a person, nor is the veteran blameworthy in any way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Something similar can go on with desires. Let’s pick a desire that most everyone would say is unhealthy or wrongly-ordered: pedophilia. Let’s suppose someone came to you and said he identified as a “Christian pedophile,” albeit a non-practicing one. We would recognize, even if he had done nothing to cultivate this desire, that this was wrongly-ordered; it isn’t the way things were meant to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In the same way, when someone says they are a non-practicing Christian homosexual, we should recognize that even if this person’s desires are not directly chosen, or even indirectly chosen (say, cultivated by watching pornography or something), these desires are wrongly ordered; they are not the way God created us to be. This doesn’t mean the person is culpable for their desires, nor does it make them any less of a person made in the image of God. But it does mean we ought to be careful in celebrating or even “normalizing” a kind of “Christian homosexuality.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In C.S. Lewis’ argument from desire (check it out via Google), the idea is that basic desires have a fulfilment in the natural world. I would expand this (and I think this was Lewis’ intention anyway) to rightly-ordered desires. If there is a rightly-ordered desire, there is a right way to fulfil it in the natural world. The rightly-ordered desire for sexual union can be fulfilled in the right context of marriage between a woman and a man. If we do not distinguish between rightly and wrongly-ordered desires in the cases of Christian homosexuals, we will be only a half-step away from arguing for same-sex marriages (albeit monogamous ones).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">We must love our brothers and sisters who have these desires. And we (who do not have this struggle) must be willing to admit we cannot understand their experiences and temptations specifically. And we must find a way to have these people be full members of the body of Christ, just as every believer, wherever they find themselves, should be—with fully biblical and orthodox views, as this is the way life was intended to be. We must also have an eschatological view, as Jesus Christ’s return and kingdom is what will set everything right. In the end—after the kingdom, resurrection, judgment, and all—all of our tears will be wiped away. All of our longings and experiences will be fulfilled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. May he truly come quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-7670450675901748912018-04-07T14:56:00.000-04:002018-04-07T15:07:34.754-04:00Technology and the Objectifying of People<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I’ve been wondering about the role of technology in our everyday lives. I’ve heard a claim that a study suggested we naturally view others online (such as in social media platforms) as objects. Objects are there for us to be used, and when they don’t conform to the usage we require (or when they fail to meet our needs or wants in some other way), we become frustrated with them. That frustration is likely due to a lack of control over the object that we should have (or think we should have). So when the TV remote fails to work, or when our phone’s battery inexplicably starts draining toward zero in the middle of an activity, we get upset.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Sometimes that frustration translates to outward words and actions, such as throwing the remote down in disgust, yelling at the “stupid” phone, etc. But what does this have to do with social media and technology? With Facebook (or Twitter, especially), we are or can be isolated from any other humans while communicating online. This communication often occurs with little context beforehand, often allowing us to communicate both with loved ones as well as complete strangers. When we view people online as objects, we fail to view them as human beings. That may sound simplistic, but it’s worth ruminating on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Perhaps the best analogue may be video games. I grew up with the Super Nintendo, and played a little of xbox (the original, kids!) in college. Whenever you played by yourself (or maybe with someone else who was in the same room), you would play against the “computer,” or, as we say now, the “AI.” The AI could be easy to defeat. In these cases, you don’t mind much the AI, because it poses virtually no real challenge; it presents an obstacle to your success almost in name only. Consider the very first walking mushroom bad-guy thingy on Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo. You only die off there if you’ve never played before, there’s a malfunction, or you got way too cocky to pay attention at all. Even though the AI is an object (or objects), you don’t mind—you may even be pleased—because it’s pretty much doing what you want it to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">But the AI, especially in today’s gaming world, can often be maddeningly difficult to overcome. In these cases, it’s a very different story—one that often involves some colorful language, and perhaps the violent throwing of an unsuspecting fellow object. The more the object fails to perform in the way we would like or expect—the more we are prevented from achieving our goal or goals—the more frustrated, and abusive, we become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So it is with our fellow humans on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Perhaps our goal is to convince someone of our political position, or just to express approval for the “best” kind of dog. But then these goals are not always realized, because someone disagreed, or someone wasn’t even talking to you but posted something we thought was clearly wrong. We may be viewing people on the Internet as AI. Inasmuch as the AI online are doing what we want, we approve. When the AI does not or impedes us in some way, we become frustrated, and unleash all the abuse and vitriol that goes along with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">“Now wait a minute,” you might say. “I don’t do that!” And perhaps you do not. Not everyone does. But nearly always this person is intentional about it, or has cultivated the kind of character that shows kindness to people, as creations made in the image of God. Our default, without this cultivation and intentionality, is to treat people online as AI. And this is not necessarily limited to strangers. To the degree we are prevented from realizing our goals we are also frustrated by the AI. So in a situation where we care greatly about the outcome (say a political or theological debate), even our loved ones may suffer online in a way they may not were we to discuss it in person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Why is this? <i>We were created to be in community</i>. This community is naturally intended to be face-to-face. This can be replicated to some degree online, with Skype and phone conversations (not so much for text). But it is very difficult to do much with e-mail, text, Facebook, etc. To be sure, there are exceptions, but even these seem to have such relationships increase greatly with more “traditional” forms of contact. When we lack this face-to-face community, we suffer social consequences of isolation. This affects us as people. Even if we have a robust social life outside of online interactions, the people we lack real community with are closer to the AI: they are meeting some need or goal (entertaining us, paying us compliments, etc.) or failing to do so (opposing us intellectually, communicating things or in ways we do not approve of, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Perhaps the most frustrating thing about AI is that if they oppose you, you cannot control them. You can only overcome or destroy them. So it is online. With people, you cannot make them change their views or their behavior. So you can only overcome them (e.g., overwhelm them with your arguments, unfriend them, etc.) or destroy them (e.g., berate them until they go away). And the best part? In this scenario, the AI also treats <i>you </i>like you’re AI. So good news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">What do we do? I propose we recognize the Christian doctrine that teaches all humans are made in the image of God. Second, we seek to serve people online, rather than have them serve us (Philippians 2:4). Third, we should be involved in our real-world communities and spheres of influence. I have been guilty of viewing people as objects in the past, and perhaps together, in communities both online and in the real world, we will grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-33898548156780574402018-03-19T21:17:00.000-04:002018-03-19T21:21:12.273-04:00Faithful and Just to Forgive<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I recently heard a song on the radio that
mentioned God “is faithful and just to forgive us.” And I know that’s right—it
is, after all, from 1 John 1:9! However, I immediately realized something. My
entire life I focused on the term “faithful.” For me, 1 John 1:9 was a
testimony to God’s faithfulness in his saving those who would confess their
sins and want to follow him. Surely, this is true. However, I always glossed
over the words “and just.” It is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just</i>
for God to forgive us! What a thought! God doesn’t simply shrug his shoulders
at sin and overlook justice for a tiny microsecond. No, when we receive
salvation, in a sense we’re getting what we deserve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">What? Has Randy gone crazy? No, not at all.
Rather, in this short post I want to point out that we are given Christ’s
righteousness. He is the one who never sinned, and who deserves nothing less
than all of God’s riches and treasure. We are said to be joint-heirs with Jesus
Christ in Romans 8:17. He will get what he deserves; we will be made part of
that! Of course, the fact that we’re made part of it is itself grace; it is an
instance of us getting what we don’t deserve. But it is fundamentally <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">right</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just</i> for God to then forgive us. What a comforting thought!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-53386082052467337812018-02-23T23:12:00.000-05:002018-02-23T23:12:13.231-05:00Review of Craig-Wielenberg Debate on Morality<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">There was a debate held tonight at N.C.
State University in Raleigh, NC, between Christian philosopher William Lane
Craig and Eric Wielenberg, an academic philosopher at DePaul (not 100% sure
about which school). The debate format featured an opening, two responses, and
a closing, followed by a Q-and-A. Two responses felt like a bit much, as the
participants ended up repeating each other somewhat. The question was something
like: What is the most plausible foundation for objective moral values and
duties? Craig offered the theistic solution, while Wielenberg argued for what
he called “godless normative realism.” What follows is my scattered and only
slightly cleaned-up notes, plus some concluding evaluation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Craig
opening</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Godless normative realism is just Moral
Platonism (akin to mathematical Platonism); conceptual reality for most, but
Platonists must say there are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">real</i>
abstract objects. When the right physical situations occur, these abstract
objects supervene on the situations. What this means is that moral duties are
superveniences on physical objects and situations. What Wielenberg needs is a
rationally compelling argument against the presumption against Platonism (or a
knockdown argument for Platonism). No rationally compelling arguments against
the presumption against Platonism exist. Theists do not face such a problem,
since God is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">concrete</i>, not
abstract, object. Supervenience account seems unintelligible. Wielenberg claims
physical objects cause the abstract objects to supervene on physical situations;
Craig says this is super-duper-venience (utterly mysterious). How can this
happen? Wielenberg appeals to theistic causation as an example; this won’t work
due to the difference of concrete objects, as listed above. Another problem is
as-follows: What if these physical objects pick out some other abstract object
instead of the right one? Some are only contingently caused. That is, what if
the physical object, when one is a brain-state like love, picks out the
abstract object of the square root of 4? What accounts for the correct physical-abstract
pairing? Wielenberg appeals to divine concurrence as an example.. This fails
due to God’s being a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">personal</i> agent. Wielenberg
does not have agency here. He postulates decisive moral reasons for acting
constitutes obligations. However, this eliminates supererogation (moral heroes
going above and beyond the call of duty). This also is only for instrumental
actions (or conditional obligation, “If you want to act morally, then do
this”). In other words, godless normative realism can only get you that
such-and-such is moral and that if you want tobe moral, do such-and-such; it
cannot get you the further fact that you ought to do such-and-such. This view
also subverts moral duties by undermining freedom of the will, according to
Craig. Mental supervenes on the physical; you are a machine; machines are not
obligated to do anything. There is no enduring self. Thus no one can be held
accountable for particular acts. Moral knowledge is also impossible, due to
Plantinga’s EAAN. The Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism, in brief,
states that if naturalism and evolution were true, then our cognitive faculties
are aimed at survival, not necessarily truth. If this is the case, then,
probably, we have a defeater for every belief we hold (this is because, for all
we would know, our entire belief set is held for survival purposes only, and
only incidentally gets at the truth rarely, if at all. But if you have a
defeater for every belief, then you have a defeater for evolutionary naturalism.
This also applies to knowledge from evolutionary naturalism about morality!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Wielenberg
opening</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: He gives a story about a suffering child
and one’s obligation to save them. He claims that moral features of things are
fundamental features of reality. Craig’s view has all the same problems as his
does, so why should these problems count against Wielenberg? First, the causal
connection problem attends to theistic causal views. Second, what explains why
there is a necessary connection between an act commanded by God and an
obligation to do that thing? Third, how to the possible worlds know how to
generate God? Fourth, dualism posits things not accounted for in physics.
Fifth, no argument by Craig for no self. Sixth, it could be that mental states
and physical states are identical and thus accounted for. Seventh, physical and
immaterial interactions are also problematic. Eighth, as to moral
supererogation, Christianity has the same problem (e.g., love one another). His
view can be tweaked by having exclusionary permission. This is the view that there
is value in performing our own goals for our lives (if they are moral); in
these cases, acting on moral reasons anyway is supererogatory. It is
implausible that God’s commands are what constitute moral obligations, since we
can just see that someone in need ought to be helped, for example. Next, people
must be aware of the commands and of the authority of the one giving the
commandment. Craig’s view makes moral obligations inexplicable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Craig
response</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Frames the issues of Wielenberg’s
responses to Craig: 1. Craig’s view arbitrarily singles out divine commands:
Craig denies this; there can be multiple sources, but commands are the highest
in the order. God issues general commands to all of humanity; in any specific
situation it is up to us to apply that general principle. 2. Craig’s view
implies non-believers have no obligations since they are not aware. On
Christianity, God has written the law on their hearts, so that they do have
such obligations. 3. Craig’s view makes morally wrong acts inexplicable, since
God commands them to do what he knows they won’t do. Didn’t catch fully his
response here. No powerful objections by Wielenberg to first contention. Second:
So’s-your-old-man response. The alleged problem with the view of Wielenberg is
unresolved. Second, if opponent can show any relevant difference, then the
strategy collapses. Next, even given moral Platonism, there are still
formidable objections: first, the account of supervenience seems
unintelligible; Wielenberg says it is also obscure how non-physical entities
can be causally connected to physical entities. It’s not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">as</i> obscure though! We have experience of our own causal connection,
even if we don’t know how it works. Craig can’t know why God’s commanding gives
us a powerful reason to do it, Wielenberg claims. Theists are not naturalists,
so this is not relevant. After all, on Wielenberg’s view, obtaining reasons
that direct one to a moral action is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">naturalistic</i>
one. Craig responds that possible worlds do not instantiate God, so something
of a category error has been committed. Supererogation: the tweak contradicts
his own view; it is no longer godless natural realism accounting for morality,
but this new principle. Freedom of the will: reductionism has been largely
rejected by philosophers of mind. Moral knowledge is impossible: EAAN: needs to
be addressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Wielenberg’s
response</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Craig’s view needs to make sense of
morality as well or better than Wielenberg’s view, and it’s not clear he has.
So the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tu quoque</i> is relevant, says
Wielenberg. He doubles down on lack of theory being the equalizer. Great-making
properties: how do these actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cause</i>
God to be great? Mental states are not brain states according to Craig.
Wielenberg claims this is inaccurate; that philosophers of mind don’t reject
the view as Craig says. We don’t know how souls can possess agency, so there’s
no special problem for Wielenberg. EAAN: unguided evolution has made rational
creatures, so EAAN is doubtful. Be perfect is a Christian obligation to show
there is no supererogation. As for Craig’s intuitive remarks, psychopaths
refute this. Wielenberg discusses, basically, Molinism. Craig’s idea: I deserve
punishment, so God commands me to help; if I can be punished, then command is
not needed; if command is violated, then that can’t be a reason for the command
(deserving of punishment). The million Holocausts objection to God’s presence
needed: if you could lift a finger and prevent a million Holocausts, it is
evident, morally, you should do it, even if you receive no command.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Craig’s
second</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Craig’s view is arbitrary; we do experience
duties, but this doesn’t reveal to us the ultimate source. Psychopaths: if they
don’t know the difference for real, they are not culpable. Craig did not say by
issuing commands God is able to hold those who do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wrong</i> responsible; rather, able to those who do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">evil</i> acts, so no circularity. A problem
with Wielenberg’s account is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kind</i>
of causal connection, not primarily <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i>
it works. Great-making properties: this is a misconceived objection, same as
possible worlds, since great-making properties are just things it’s better for
a perfect being to have than to lack, not things that “generate” God. “Christianity
has no supererogation”: perfect obedience does not entail there are no
supererogatory acts. Freedom of the will: mental states and brain states have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">different</i> properties, meaning mental
states are not reducible. Mental states cannot cause anything not already
determined by brain states. Causal agency is necessary for free will. Physical
states do not have brain states. Wielenberg denies initial premise of EAAN.
This is question-begging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Wielenberg
second</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Craig’s great-making God must just be so,
which is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tu quoque</i>. Supererogation:
Craig didn’t address this. Craig’s phil of mind claims are controversial. Craig
appealed to Plantinga’s EAAN, which solves nothing. Consider that the lighter
is reliable. In the same way, unguided evolution produces mostly true beliefs.
The million Holocausts objection again. Craig says an order is needed.
Reiterating evil act circularity objection. Psychopaths objection pressed
again. Combined with Craig’s evil/wrong distinction, so that psychopaths should
be punished, but if they don’t perceive the wrong, they shouldn’t be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Craig
closing</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: First, theism provides sound foundation of
objective moral values (God as concrete object). Second, it provides for
objective moral duties. Objections have been morphing throughout, not
consistent. Several powerful objections to godless normative realism.
Correction on EAAN.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Wielenberg
closing</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Million Holocausts again. Craig’s view
predicts no morally wrong actions. Now introduces pointless evil; evildoing
merits punishment. Psychopaths are plausible exceptions to what Craig says,
which means they don’t have obligations; however they are evildoers; Craig’s
view requires that psychopaths then do have moral obligations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Evaluation:
</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">I will try to keep this brief. I thought Wielenberg
did well; better, in fact, than the average Craig opponent. However, I thought
his criticisms of Craig were more often than not based on misunderstandings,
and what was perhaps his best critique of Craig wasn’t fully articulated until
the closing statement, which was unfortunate. Craig seemed to get the best of
Wielenberg several times—especially with respect to the EAAN. I will say,
before going back to earlier points in the debate, Wielenberg’s handling of the
EAAN was his poorest aspect. In response to the EAAN, Wielenberg claims we can
just look around at the kind of things naturalism has produced, to see if they
have regularly true beliefs. This is both question-begging and circular!
Question-begging because he assumes naturalism is true—which is the very thing
under question! The whole point of the EAAN is to figure out if it’s true—you
can’t very well respond to an argument for its falsehood by saying, “Well,
since naturalism is true, we know that evolution and naturalism do yield true
beliefs on a good enough scale!” It’s circular because it turns out that one would
have to be using his cognitive faculties to know that the cognitive faculties
around him were functioning toward truth, in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It seems to me Craig was pretty right on in
his critique of Wielenberg’s account. Additionally, he did fairly well against
Wielenberg’s critiques. I wanted to address a couple. First, Wielenberg didn’t
seem to appreciate fully the distinction between objective moral <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">values</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">duties</i>. If you do evil (value), you should be punished. But God’s
commands constitute your duties, so God gives a command (duty). Thus, evildoers
are punished. But what about non-believers? These people do not recognize God’s
authority and do not know about God’s commands. Craig’s intended meaning
becomes clear: he means normally functioning people do receive God’s commands
in the form of general moral knowledge on the heart. So what about psychopaths?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The psychopath objection ultimately was
Wielenberg’s best, in my opinion. Eventually, the idea is this: Craig says that
evildoers have commands by God that give them an obligation that they
flout—otherwise, they would get away with murder. Psychopaths do evil, so on
Craig’s view, they get a command and now have an obligation not to do it. But,
plausibly, psychopaths do not know the difference between right and wrong and
so, on Craig’s view, do not have an obligation. So now psychopaths both do and
do not have an obligation, and anything that generates a contradiction is
absurd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The answer to this for Craig came out in
the Q-and-A: Craig means this as a normally functioning thing. He doesn’t mean
this for the mentally disabled, or infants, or psychopaths (if indeed they
truly do not perceive right and wrong <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at
all</i>). Thus they simply have no moral obligation, and no contradiction is
generated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">As for the “Million Holocaust” objection, I
think this is answered by asking a single question. Recall the objection is
that if you could stop a million Holocausts by raising a single finger, you
would have an obligation to do so, even in the absence of a command by God.
Since God’s commands are what constitute moral obligation, there must be
something wrong with Craig’s view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It seems to me the answer is clear: ask the
question, “Why?” Why is it we would be obligated to help? Suppose Wielenberg
answers, “Because if you can help prevent people from dying then, all things
being equal, you should,” then Craig can plausibly claim this just is what is
meant by general commands from God. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Preserve
life</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love people</i>. These two
general commands clearly find application here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">What about, finally, Wielenberg’s claim
that in order to be obligated by an authority one must recognize that
authority? Craig quite accurately pointed out this isn’t true. He appealed to
an example by Matt Flannagan that I will paraphrase loosely here: suppose you
are walking along a large farm and come to a gate. This gate is closed, and has
a sign that says “No admittance. Violators will be punished.” You don’t know
who placed the sign, but you are aware that there is a rule and there is a
rule-giver, and this is plausibly enough to place an obligation on you not to
enter (it would be disingenuous to enter on the grounds that you weren’t
familiar with the authority who wrote it, and so didn’t find the sign to be
conveying obligatory acts). The same goes for morality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the final analysis, I found Wielenberg
to be a nice guy who has some interesting thoughts, and he did better than your
average Craig opponent. With the exception of the EAAN (where he appeared to be
dealing with it for the first time, at places), he appeared to be familiar with
Craig’s arguments and responses. However, Craig countered almost every single
objection, and provided devastating (I think) objections of his own. He further shared the Gospel message in the Q-and-A portion! I enjoyed
it, and I hope others did, too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-67731959526338502792018-01-05T15:44:00.001-05:002018-01-05T15:52:12.348-05:00The Sin that So Easily Besets Men<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This post is intended for men. It’s not
that women can’t read it or won’t get anything out of it, but you’ll see.
Virtually all men struggle at various times with the temptation of pornography.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span>
This comes from men’s struggle with lust. Much of the time, we pretend like
only the “bad” men struggle with this, so we leave it to ourselves to figure
out, on our own, instead of utilizing the resources of our fellow brothers
within the body of Christ. When I say it’s virtually all men, I am serious. I
can only think of one guy I’ve ever met who didn’t struggle with it (and I
believed him). I am nonetheless continually surprised that even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pastors</i> struggle with it (as though they
were not human).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">What do I mean by “struggle”? People often
get the impression that “struggle” means a continual falling in this sin. It
may surprise you to know that by “struggle” I mean being presented with a
temptation (regardless of whether you fall). Thus, one can struggle with a sin
even if he has not fallen into it for quite some time. This is an everyday
struggle for men—even the spiritual men, even the godly men, even the men who
would never say anything about it. This includes me. Christian women may find
themselves incredulous that nearly every man they know struggles with this, but
they do!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Some men think, “So what’s the problem with
what I think, or see? It only affects me, not others.” While doubtless few
Christian men would say this, I wouldn’t be surprised if this were an
occasional attitude. The problem is that it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does
</i>affect you. It affects the way you see women; instead of as creations made
in the image of God, you start to see them as objects to be desired, pursued,
and obtained or conquered. Sin affects a person, and a person affects the
people around them. Thus, what you think in your heart and what you see and
allow your mind to be influenced by has an affect on those around you—and it’s
often the ones you love the most who are hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So if we’re going to talk about it, what
should we do? What I propose is neither original to me nor exhaustive, but here
are some suggestions nonetheless:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Be honest about it.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> We must start with
confession and repentance if we’re going to go anywhere. Confess and repent
before God. He shows grace, mercy, and forgiveness!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Find accountability partners, both “on your level” and “above your
level.” </span></b><span lang="EN-GB">By that I mean find someone who is going
through the same thing you are (wherever on the struggle you might be), and
find someone else who has gained more of a victory in his life who will help
you. The fellowship in these two relationships will help you. Too often, we
only find someone who is on the same level, and one of two things happen: A. We
end up dropping the accountability, since no one wants to admit they are
struggling, or B. We both end up falling and are honest, but the consistent
refrain is basically “that’s OK.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Get accountability software. </span></b><span lang="EN-GB">This
doesn’t ensure you have a pure mind—far from it—but it does help give you some
peace of mind. Your accountability partners are notified each week of your
activities online. It isn’t for the purpose of “gotcha!”—rather, it’s for the
purpose of encouragement and interceding for each other in times of weakness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Get a Scripture reading and prayer plan.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">
This can be a formal program/devotional that you know of, or one of your own
making, but being in the Word is essential. As Chuck Lawless recently wrote on
his blog (paraphrased), I don’t know of anyone who was daily and deeply in the
Word and in prayer who fell while doing this. It’s not a legalistic remedy; you
have to want to be in prayer and in the Word. But it’s strange: as you do it,
you want to do it more. Good habits perpetuate good habits; bad habits
perpetuate bad habits. And if you allow the Word to take root in your heart,
you may find yourself starting to grow!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Know that “victory” is relative and on-going. </span></b><span lang="EN-GB">I am the kind of person who expects and wants to get to a particular
point, have a one-time victory, and never struggle again. But this is not
always (or even usually) the way it works with sins that truly tempt us. Some
sins’ temptations never go away, and thus victory isn’t a one-time event; it is
instead an everyday battle. This is simultaneously discouraging and
encouraging. It is encouraging because you can gain a victory every day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">After you have had a bit of success, consider mentoring others. </span></b><span lang="EN-GB">Why keep victory to yourself? Others need prayer and intercession,
wisdom and discussion. Don’t perpetuate the false idea that this is something
dealt with alone, in shame and guilt. That leads to . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Recognize the Gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to provide
forgiveness and grace, and praise Him for it.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Too
often, we act as though anyone guilty of this kind of sin is branded with this kind
of sin for life. Nothing could be more anti-Gospel. God has forgiven us, and we
must forgive and restore also. When you are discouraged, or if someone else is,
speak and meditate on the Gospel. Jesus Christ died for you and for your sins,
for your forgiveness, and to show you grace in becoming the type of person you
were always meant to be, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Son, and according to the will of the Father. God’s grace is so much more glorious than my failures,
and yours too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Lastly, know that I will stand with you and
pray with you (most of you know how to contact me; if you don’t, you can always
ask in the comments section of any post). We’re all in this together; this is
why God created biblical community (of course, be connected to your local
church, too)! Any other advice you would give to someone facing down sins of
sexual purity in thoughts or actions? Talk about it below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While increasing numbers of women struggle with this,
I am quite unqualified to speak to women in this manner. Nonetheless, some of
the principles I suggest could be used by them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-32027934793134374832017-09-13T07:04:00.002-04:002017-09-13T07:04:52.331-04:00Agents and Causes<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Here’s a bit of what I am researching
currently:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">We often think of agents causing particular
events or outcomes. This seems pretty straightforward in cases where we have
everyday causation: I formed an intention to get up and open the door; I get up
and open the door. The event of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the door’s
opening</i> is caused by me. Seems fairly simple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But what about the omissions and “negative”
causings? Suppose, as in the Frankfurt case, I am driving down the hill, and I
remove my hands from the steering wheel. I am seemingly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">omitting</i> to act with respect to driving the car; I am driving the
car by doing nothing, it seems. I have a disposition to act: on the occasion it
becomes clear I need to make a course correction, for example, I will place my
hands back on the wheel and drive on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But this failure to act isn’t, seemingly,
in line with the causal account mentioned above. It doesn’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">look</i> like I’m causing anything, and in
cases where I don’t need to course correct, I’m achieving my objective by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doing nothing at all</i>. Why might this be
a problem? Since we often take intentional actions to be a necessary condition for
intentional agency (that is to say, we are responsible for our actions because
we intentionally caused them; if we don’t intentionally cause them, we may lack
agency, and hence, responsibility).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But perhaps Andrei Buckareff’s recent journal
article “I’m Just Sitting Around Doing Nothing: On Exercising Intentional
Agency in Omitting to Act,” might be able to help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In it, he argues an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">intentional action</b> should be identified as an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">outcome</i> of causings (causings</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">à</span></span><span lang="EN-GB">outcome; outcome=intentional action). A <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">causing</b> has all the causal powers interacting, maybe directed
toward some end or goal, and an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">outcome</b>
is what is produced by these interactions of causal powers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Intentional
agency</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> should be identified with causal processes.
A <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">causal process</b> is both a causing
and outcome together (that is, the causing and the outcome are proper parts of
a causal process). So for Buckareff, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intentional
agency=causal process, which =causing + outcome; an intentional action=outcome;
it seems to follow intentional actions are parts of intentional agency</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In the case of omissions, an intention is
directed toward either an omission or an outcome that itself requires an
omission. If an intention is directed toward an omission, then we have a
causing + an outcome, which is a causal process and hence intentional agency.
If an intention is directed toward an outcome that requires an omission, then
we have a causing + an outcome, which is a causal process and hence intentional
agency. What remains is whether we think Buckareff’s account is subject to
objections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-23625719654379665182017-08-15T13:43:00.000-04:002017-08-15T13:43:14.762-04:00The Gospel and Evil in the World<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Yesterday, <a href="http://www.randyeverist.com/2017/08/condemning-confessing-promoting-on.html">I
wrote about how I am not obligated to speak on every instance of evil that
occurs</a>. However, since I brought it up, and did condemn the actions that
took place in Charlottesville, I wanted to add a little more. The Christian
story—and the hope of the Gospel—has a lot to say in various areas that get
varying levels of attention. We ought to speak on each of these kinds of
issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">First, there is the issue of abortion. Lost
in much of the hectic day-to-day for many is the idea that a holocaust is
taking place, something that represents modern-day slavery in terms of America’s
moral shame: the killing of unborn babies. Children are precious in the sight
of God (Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27, Luke 18:16, Matthew 18:6), and harming them by
putting them to death is an atrocity that must be spoken out against.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Second, there is the issue of human
trafficking. Much of human trafficking is done as indentured servitude, and
quite a bit as sex slavery as well. Would-be immigrants are offered “jobs” for
transport and shelter for not enough money to pay all the bills. In return, the
traffickers “rescue” the people, and they are fundamentally forced to stay in
these conditions. The Bible does have a bit to say on this form of servitude,
and it wouldn’t be correct to say it condones it. On Israelite servanthood, the
issue was about protecting both the lender (who was not to charge interest on
his countrymen) and the borrower in the event he could not pay. Human
trafficking fails to treat people as human beings made in the image of God
(Gen. 1), and so ought to be opposed vigorously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The third issue I would like to discuss is
that of bigotry. Bigotry exists against various groups, and to varying degrees.
Believing that one race is inferior to another, inherently, is a fundamental
denial of the creation part of the human story. We are all made in the image of
God, and we ought to seek racial reconciliation, peace, and justice for those
who are oppressed. The Old Testament is replete with references to peace and
justice, and how we treat the poor and oppressed tends to say a lot about us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I don’t have all the answers on all of
these things. I don’t know all of what we should do. I do know that I am
constantly trying to learn; I want to be in an attitude of learning and prayer.
May God use us to right these three major types of wrongs, by bringing the
Gospel to the people in an intentional and contextual way, letting the
transforming power of the Spirit work, and doing what we can in our communities
today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-78992962472513238202017-08-14T16:15:00.001-04:002017-08-14T16:15:32.630-04:00Condemning, Confessing, Promoting on Social Media
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I missed much of what happened over the
weekend. I wasn’t on social media for most of the weekend, and since I’ve now
come to realize I get the vast majority of my news from it, I wasn’t really
aware of what happened. I wasn’t going to address the Charlottesville issue
because I don’t address that many political issues on Facebook much anymore.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So let me just say that I condemn racism
and using violence to solve ideological issues in this country, regardless of
right, alt-right, left, center, progressive, far-left, far-right, whatever your
preferred political label is. The Gospel needs to be the answer; the
transforming power it contains in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the
Father who sent him, and the Holy Spirit is what we all need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Now instead of giving you all of my
opinions on what has happened, I’m going to take a bit of a different approach.
My wife mentioned to me that she has seen some on social media insisting on
something like the following: you must condemn this on social media, and if you
don’t, then insert your favored term here (“then you’re a racist,” “then you’re
not a Christian,” “then you’re bigoted,” “then you must be alt-right,” etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I think this is problematic, and frankly
appears to be a single step above the old Christian chain e-mails, whereupon
receiving one a believer was expected to forward it to 25 friends, lest she be
condemned as “ashamed of Christ.” While one should not be ashamed of Christ,
and one should even utilize their e-mail platform to promote Christ, whether or
not she sent the e-mail has no bearing on whether she is fulfilling her duties
as a Christian (even though it could—say, if in fact she was ashamed of Christ,
and this is why she didn’t send the e-mail).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In a similar way, I am not required to
condemn everything loudly, even when it may be worthy of condemnation. I did so
above only because, since I <i>am</i>
addressing the issue, it’s quite appropriate to do so. Nothing about my
previous non-response entails my view on a subject, and anyone who interprets
that way is doing so illegitimately. I’m afraid what the combination of social
media and competitive, customized journalistic agendas has produced is a world
filled with fundamentalists, where not saying, thinking, and doing the same
exact set of things as everyone else in the group is condemned in the most
extreme terms, where people are virtually incapable of nuanced debate, and where
they are constantly looking for conflict. This kind of thinking, without check
or restraint, nearly always leads to violence, and leads us to hate others in
our hearts, in violation of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount (cf.
Matthew 5:21-22).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Finally, while some good can be done on
social media, let us not kid ourselves: the world’s social ills are not solved
on Facebook. Should you use your platform to advance the Gospel and truths
related to it (which will doubtlessly include condemning racism)? Of course you
should do this occasionally, at least. Let’s engage the world with the hope of
the Gospel—one that transcends race and political ideology!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
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<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> And I get that it’s not <i>merely </i>a political issue. I really do! But
it’s become one, and almost immediately after it occurred.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-84803104026717623152017-08-12T10:40:00.000-04:002017-08-12T10:40:54.870-04:00Desires and the Longing to be Known<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">If we were created by God, then the desires
that we have are, at their roots, something both attainable and good. However,
we have twisted and perverted much of these desires much of the time, so that
they no longer serve the ends for which we were created. If we focus on
fulfilling desires in a godly manner (say, by making worship of God in life as
our main focal point), we will find that life can be much more satisfying. What
do I mean here?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Take, for example, our Western culture’s
desire to be famous. All many of us want is to become YouTube famous, or be
part of a viral video, or become a sought-after singer, model, or
actor/actress. This often leads us to think, say, and do a variety of things
that are, shall we say, less than godly. It often leads us toward
self-centeredness, and our character suffers. How can this desire be something
good?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Simply put, I believe this desire to be
famous is fundamentally a desire <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to be
known</i>. And this desire to be known is a perfectly normal response to the
way in which we have been designed. On the Christian story, we were made to be
in a loving relationship with God, our Creator and Father. Humans are made in
his image, to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i> him and to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be known</i> by him. Further, we were made
to live in community with other humans. We were made to know them and to be
known by them. So it only makes sense that God would create us with this
desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Now wait a minute,” you might be saying.
“There’s a big difference between the desire to know and be known (with respect
to God and others) and just wanting to be famous.” That’s absolutely correct.
Since humanity is lost—since we all have sinned, or failed morally—we have a
tendency to have twisted desires. Instead of desiring to know and be known by God
and others, we desire to be known by all, to serve our own ends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">But this is where the Gospel provides hope.
Where all we have to look forward to, from culture’s perspective, is being
known by a certain amount of people for our own purposes, and nothing greater,
God provided a way to get back to that great design, that great purpose—in the
person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. What do you think about Jesus? Would you
want to follow him? Would you want to trust him? If you don’t know much about
him, check out this really brief video: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/97258323?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/97258323">3-Circles Life Conversation Guide Demonstration</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/namb">North American Mission Board</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-71182063449385379282017-08-11T08:54:00.000-04:002017-08-11T08:54:45.378-04:00Theology of Truth and the Christian Life<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I have written <a href="http://www.randyeverist.com/2014/03/apologetic-tuesday-what-is-practical.html">elsewhere
on the issue of Christian theology and practicality</a>. I don’t want to
re-hash that all here, but I do want to make a few brief remarks. There is a
very real sense in which we should love God with our minds as an end to itself.
That is biblically and theologically evident. However, many people struggle to
do so without a link to the intellectual exercise’s practicality. This can be
frustrating for many people like me, who see inherent value in thinking about
God and other intellectual exercises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">However, it seems to me the Christian life
is relevant to every area; every intellectual exercise can and should be linked
to something practical. This is due to Christianity’s applying to every area of
life, and God being the necessary foundation for all of created reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">But how can this be? How can something like
truthmaking and holes relate to God in any practical sense? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">First, we must understand that every truth
relates to God in some way, and therefore requires a belief and/or attitude in
response</i>. Whichever way you take an account of truthmaking, you can
recognize that this is the way it is due to God’s nature, or due to God’s will,
and you can respond accordingly. You can praise God for what he does, or
worship him for who he is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This may seem simplistic, and there are far
more applications available to various intellectual pursuits, but the point
remains: every truth is worth investigating, and every truth relates to God.
This should lead us to greater worship, and growth in our actions and attitudes
in life. What do you guys think?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-47373167128863090312017-07-22T12:03:00.000-04:002017-07-22T12:03:19.215-04:00Arguments from Tradition<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I have recently realized why I don’t find
arguments from tradition (especially in theology) very persuasive.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span>
It used to be that I didn’t take church tradition very seriously at all. Now, I
certainly think there is value in it (though I don’t perceive it to be
authoritative). Nonetheless, I still find such appeals to tradition to be
problematic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">It seems to me that the argument typically
goes like this: this is a position tradition has upheld for a thousand years or
more; you are arrogant to think that you somehow have it right where a thousand
+ years of Christianity had it wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">While there are issues on the periphery
that bother me (e.g., if it’s arrogant, while that’s interesting, this alone
says little about whether I am correct; it’s not clear why mere disagreement
entails arrogance, and potentially so on), a bigger issue seems to me to lie in
the claim itself that, in our example, has stood for a thousand years or more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So let’s take it to be the case that this
traditional position has been either: a) affirmed by a council, or b) made
official dogma (I only differentiate in cases where someone might; I’m just
trying to cover bases). This prevents a weaker case of tradition where some
view has simply been held by Christians over the years; this is a view held by
perhaps the vast majority of Christians over centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">While I agree that going against such a
view should only be done in the gravest of care, I think we have an interesting
scenario: it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">isn’t</i>, presumably, the
case that over the course of a thousand years, the vast majority of Christians
who ever lived tested out the position to see if it was true, and all
independently came to this conclusion that the position is true. Instead, in
cases of (a) or (b), the position simply becomes the paradigm within which
Christians work. At best, most Christians simply accept the position, and the
rest work assuming the paradigm is true (in apropos Kuhnian fashion) and seeing
how to defend it or what results from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Much, perhaps even most, of the force of
these types of traditional arguments are removed when one realizes that the
claim amounts to, “Everyone else has gotten in line; why haven’t you?” That
claim, of course, works easily in cases where one takes tradition itself to be
a kind of authority; but I don’t (for better or, as my Catholic friends may
say, for worse).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> This is true in most contexts. Obviously, where
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Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-6715025255662719402017-06-22T09:00:00.000-04:002017-06-22T09:00:36.013-04:00CARM and Molinism (But Really Just Prevenient Grace)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It has come to my attention that <a href="https://carm.org/prevenient-grace-fails-as-a-valid-option-in-molinism">there
is a newer, recent article from Matt Slick on prevenient grace and Molinism.</a>
In it, he attempts to argue that total depravity rules out prevenient grace (he
applies this reasoning to two versions of prevenient grace, but since it relies
on the same foundational reasoning it will be sufficient to deal with that).
This is what I take to be his argument, in premise form:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">If total depravity is true,
then man cannot come to God freely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">If prevenient grace is true,
then unregenerate man is still totally depraved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Total depravity is true
(assumption of prevenient grace).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Prevenient grace is true
(assumption of prevenient grace, by definition)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Therefore, if prevenient grace
is true, then man still cannot come to God freely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Therefore, man still cannot
come to God freely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I believe I have represented Slick fairly
and accurately here. However, there are some problems. First, he takes total depravity
to mean that there is no free choosing of God and that prevenient grace doesn’t
rectify this at all, since man is still totally depraved, and that prevenient
grace relies on total depravity (since otherwise it wouldn’t be necessary). But
this is just question-begging. After all, the advocate for prevenient grace can
just insist that he doesn’t accept (3) if this is what total depravity entails
(instead, call it “total depravity lite,” where the only difference is that
prevenient grace can restore such an ability as an act of divine grace); or she
can say she rejects (2), since, after all, prevenient grace is intended to
restore, and so restores to a condition of total depravity lite. Why can’t he
or she make this move?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Spelling it out more, this assumes
prevenient grace doesn’t accomplish what it intends to accomplish. Prevenient
grace agrees that man is totally depraved, but that any good that can be done
by man is due to God’s enabling grace, and that he can come to the Father on
the occasion of the Spirit’s moving work. But Slick simply claims that, in
premise 2, we can see it doesn’t accomplish this. Why should we think this?
Well, Slick quotes a few verses without doing any exegetical work. In other
words, he builds his conclusion into his argument; he begs the question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In truth, why can Molinists not just reject
(2), and point out prevenient grace is meant to solve the ability problem? You
can’t very well reply that prevenient grace doesn’t solve the ability problem
because there is an ability problem!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433428682510068517.post-35013300992207781022017-06-21T15:32:00.000-04:002017-06-21T15:35:11.366-04:00CARM is at it again!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It looks like <a href="https://carm.org/why-molinism-fails">CARM is discussing Molinism again</a>.
From the first sentence, we find ambiguities that may affect the ability of a
person to dissect the claims. Nonetheless, I will stipulate what I reasonably
believe CARM to mean so we can move on (from here on out, I will refer to Matt
Slick, since he is the one who wrote the article). First, he starts out with
“Molinism fails as a philosophical position.” What does this mean? Does it mean
that Molinism fails <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to be</i> a
philosophical position? Surely not. He probably means it fails to be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">truthful</i> philosophical position, where
he takes it Molinism is false. Next, he claims it is “founded on two unbiblical
assumptions.” Now before we unpack what these are, it’s telling he doesn’t here
describe what “unbiblical” means. Notoriously, “unbiblical” can mean anything
from “anti-biblical” to “not explicitly taught in Scripture.” But, let’s say
that we think Slick means “anti-biblical.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So what is his criticism, specifically?
First, he senses a tension between MacGregor’s discussion of prevenient grace
and the biblical witness. Unfortunately, all Slick does here is list verses,
and then conclude, </span>“He cannot receive them. It does not
say he can under the right circumstances. It does not say he can with
prevenient grace that enables him to choose to receive Christ.” With no
exegetical work done, we can safely ignore this, since it’s not as though
Molinists are unfamiliar with the relevant texts. In fact, this isn’t even a uniquely
Molinist “problem.” All you have to do is recognize that we affirm these same
texts, and that they don’t inherently preclude prevenient grace. After all, the
texts affirm that man in his natural state cannot receive God, and it’s only by
God’s grace that anyone can. Even on Calvinism, man still chooses God (it’s
just that God regenerates him first, or causally acts on him such that he
chooses, etc.). So a work of grace on the heart of man by God is what occurs.
This seems entirely consistent.<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">Slick offers this next criticism briefly: “Even
with prevenient grace as an option, why does one person believe, and another
does not? Doesn't God know how to work prevenient grace around/within a
person to get him to believe? It still comes down to human ability.
This is another problem which Molinism cannot answer, but scripture does.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This is confused for a variety of reasons.
First, it does not “come down” to human ability. After all, we just got through
stating it was prevenient grace. This would be like a Calvinist insisting that
any actions done by an unregenerate person qualify as a person acting in human
ability. No actions can be done outside of common grace, and prevenient grace
is at least common grace (plus the ability to believe, as it turns out).
Second, Slick seems completely unaware of the literature on this subject.
Molinists such as William Lane Craig offer possible speculations on this (in
terms of transworld damnation). Further, some Molinists offer these truths as
“brute facts” about the creaturely essence. But even here, it doesn’t relate to
ability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">He then writes that if prevenient grace and
libertarian freedom were true, then God’s appointing would be totally
unnecessary. Except this, once again, shows a relative ignorance of Molinism.
By actualizing a world, God thereby appoints every event that takes place
within it. Now it is true that if prevenient grace and libertarian freedom were
to be possible, then God need not actualize any world in order for these to be
possible. But if they are not only possible but describe the actual world then,
by necessity, God has actualized this world. And if he actualized it, he
appointed it. And if he appointed it, it is because he is the sovereign creator
of the world!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">He then goes back to the whole why doesn’t
God get everyone to believe? objection. This, of course, assumes there are
relevantly true counterfactuals of creaturely freedom that are compossibly true
such that God gets precisely what he wants in a relevantly similar world. Slick
doesn’t have any way of knowing this is the case. He then asks us to consider
Scriptures that supposedly show that free will doesn’t enter into the equation
with respect to salvation. Since he does no exegesis, I won’t either, but I
will say that Molinists can happily affirm each of the biblical texts he has
listed. Since this is his article claiming Molinism fails biblically, it is up
to him to exegete the text in such a way that it is both persuasive and
precludes Molinist exegeses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">I
am only responding because CARM has a strong online presence. I would hope they
would continue their focus on cults and non-Christian world religions, where
they have seemingly done quite well. Molinism is not their cup of tea, and that is OK!</span><!--EndFragment--></div>
Randy Everisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870605678781409126noreply@blogger.com2