The 50 Smartest People of Faith

It’s encouraging to see how many truly brilliant and accomplished people in the world embrace the truth of theism in general or Christianity in particular. Thebestschools.org, an online resource for prospective college students, features a list of the 50 smartest people of faith.

I’ve always thought that pursuing “the life of the mind to the glory of God” was a critically important calling for believers.

Special Edition: Thinking About the End Times

Today, December 21, 2012, marks the end of the world—or so say doomsday predictors. The “end times” are a common topic of speculation among Christians (remember the Left Behind series?) and the population in general. Particularly popular as of late (as indicated by the film 2012), theories based on an ancient Mayan calendar peg today as “the end” for life on Earth.

Obviously, no one’s doomsday foretelling—Christian, pagan, or otherwise—has proven true. As Jesus explains in Matthew 25, “you do not know the day or the hour” of his return. No one can know when Christ will return, only that we as believers need to be prepared at all times. It is very important that Christians think carefully and critically about end-times issues and avoid succumbing to hype.

To get equipped for dealing rationally and biblically with doomsday speculations, check out these resources from RTB.

Reflections

• “Future Things: Christian Eschatology” — In this 12-part series I offer suggestions for those, specifically believers, taking a step into the contentious terrain of Christian eschatology (a branch of theology concerned with the final events of humankind).

Today’s New Reason to Believe

• “The End Will Come, Just Not Later This Week” by Jeff Zweerink
• “Is the Cyclical Mayan Calendar Correct?” by Jeff Zweerink
• “Response to 2012 Prophecies” by Hugh Ross

Science News Flash

• “Looming Comet” with Hugh Ross

Profound Problems with Religious Pluralism

Novelist Yann Martel’s book Life of Pi (now a major motion picture) embodies the popular notion that all religions are simultaneously true. The story’s young protagonist embraces aspects of multiple faiths (Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity), viewing these beliefs as equally valid but different paths to God. Unfortunately religious pluralism fails to appreciate the profound problems associated with it.

Halloween and Other Hot Topics

Halloween. The September 11 attacks. Global warming.

Hot topics can present a troubling challenge, even in a culture that values freedom of speech. Do we ignore touchy issues and avoid all confrontation, or do we engage in verbal warfare with the opposition?

God to the Rescue: Getting into Heaven by Grace, Not Works

Excerpted from chapters 9 and 10 of my new book, 7 Truths That Changed the World, now available at shop.reasons.org.

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“God helps those who help themselves.”
“God knows I’m only human.”
“I’m trying my best; God will understand.”

Blaise’s Best Bet, Part 5: Pascal’s Wager

Blaise Pascal¹ is probably best known for his presentation of the “wager argument.”² Pascal’s friends who remained simultaneously unconvinced by the claims of atheism and Christianity were the intended audience for this voluntaristic argument (an appeal more to the human will than to reason itself).

Quote of the Week: Robert M. Bowman Jr.

To say that the Trinity cannot be understood likewise is imprecise, or at least open to misinterpretation. Trinitarian theologians do not mean to imply that the Trinity is unintelligible nonsense. Rather, the point they are making is that the Trinity cannot be fully fathomed, or comprehended, by the finite mind of man.

– Robert M. Bowman, Jr., Why You Should Believe in the Trinity (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989), 16.

 

The Tricky Topic of Halloween

In terms of holiday commercial sales, Halloween ranks second only to Christmas (especially in the United States). But is this extremely popular October tradition the “devil’s night,” a literal satanic and occult extravaganza? Or is Halloween a harmless celebration?

Is America Really the “Great Satan”?

I wrote this article just a few days after 9/11 (though it had to wait until the first quarter of 2002 to be published in the RTB magazine Facts for Faith). As this month marks the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this piece.

The Importance of Christendom’s Historic Creeds

My favorite part of the Sunday service at my church is collectively reciting the Apostles’ Creed and receiving the Lord’s Supper (communion). In my church’s liturgy (form of public worship), these activities occur weekly. Since many Christians come from non-liturgical churches and are unfamiliar with the creeds of Christendom, allow me to introduce the role that the creeds have played in the Christian faith and why they should be highly valued.