The Christian’s burden of proof for the resurrection and how to respond
There are several categories of objections to the Christian religion. Such disputes can be from non-Christians about Christian doctrine that is generally accepted by most Christians or it can be between Christians. There are objections on theological grounds. These dispute claims Christians make about the nature of God, what is required for salvation, the consequences…
What is the Christian afterlife and why believe in it?
One of the common criticisms of the concept of the afterlife, particularly the concept of going to heaven when we die, is that it is too good to be true. In other words, it is wishful thinking based on no evidence. It is the result of cognitive dissonance in that we cannot reconcile our innate…
Moral theology for an absurd universe
I recently wrote in my medium publication about “How to live in an absurd universe”. I touched a bit on religious themes but kept it pretty focused on philosophy. In this blog entry, I want to dive into the theology of absurdity. Given that our starting point is that the universe is absurd (that is…
Do the errors in scripture mean we shouldn’t trust it?
Modernist-Fundamentalist Christians in the early 20th century challenged two centuries of critical scholarship by declaring scripture to be inerrant. This inerrancy became, in the later 20th century, a belief that every word in the Bible is correct, an extreme sort of inerrancy that goes beyond the general teachings of scripture down to the exact language…
What the Bible says happens to the soul when we die
The word “soul” in the Bible is translated from two words: in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word nefesh, literally meaning throat, and from the New Testament, the Greek word psyche from which we get words like psychology. When we talk about a person having a soul, however, that separates from their body when they…
Does the Bible predict the future?
In the Bible, God, rather than speaking to people directly, chooses specific people through whom he reveals his commands as well as knowledge. These people are Prophets. The Prophets come from all sorts of backgrounds and it is clear that most of them don’t ask to be Prophets. It isn’t clear why God chooses certain…
Who founded Christianity?
You might think that the answer to this question is obvious: Jesus, but you’d be wrong. Jesus did not found a religion. He started a movement within Judaism that eventually led to his followers and their successors inventing Christianity. Some commentators argue that Paul invented Christianity. Atheists and non-Christians use this fact to argue against…
Wittgenstein and the Bible
Ludwig Wittgenstein, the famous early 20th century philosopher, was also a devout Christian. He came to Christ while serving at the front in the 1st World War thanks to another Christian convert from an earlier age, Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy’s writing on the Gospel convinced Wittgenstein, at the time nearly suicidal with depression, of their truth.…
It is ok to let go and forget
Have you ever woken up in the morning and for one brief moment been completely at peace? The Sun is streaming through the window. Birds are chirping. Your bed is warm and comfortable. You feel relaxed and rested. It’s your day off. Then you remember something bad that went on at work, the fight you…
Can you be Buddhist and Christian at the same time?
I was a Buddhist for a while in my late 20s and early 30s before returning to the church. I found a lot to like in Buddhist focus on the spiritual journey, letting go, meditation, and compassion. Unlike other religions, Buddhism does not, by design, want you to take on particular doctrines. Buddhists, in general,…
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The Universe of Tim Andersen 