Tuesday, October 25, 2022

God is Metal

heavy metal band
The problem of evil asks why the world is like it is if God is good. There are two common approaches to it. The more common one rests mostly on emotion. There is a less common version, though, that starts with Christian theology and asks hard questions. Is it any more convincing?

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

What Does My Dog Think I Do All Day?

dog with frisbee
My dog lives to play. She likes tug of war and fetch — though she has yet to realize if she gives you the ball back, you can throw it again. Her very favorite thing is her frisbee.

She’s also fond of treats. Or people food. Any people food.

First thing in the morning, she wants to play. But I’ve got to work. She stares at me, wondering why we’re not playing. She can’t be in the room with me, because she’d be harassing me, trying to get me to play. I can’t get her to understand that toys and treats require money and I have to do things to get that money.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Don't Judge Self-Righteously

buried under boxes
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matt 7:1-2). 

Meet this era’s favorite Bible verse. Of course, they misunderstand and misuse it.

“Do not judge” is the only command in the Bible they believe to be absolute. Do not judge, no ifs ands or buts. Jesus does say that, but he says it in context, and we have to consider everything he says on the matter.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

How Are We Doing On Abortion?

Couple holding ultrasound
The conservative political objection to Roe v Wade (besides the moral issue) was that it took the subject of abortion out of the democratic process and enshrined it into law via judicial fiat. There was no debate, no persuasion, just boom — abortion. Dobbs undid that. It put the abortion issue back into the hands of the people and their representatives. Now we can have that debate. Now people can try to persuade each other of the rightness of their view.

How are we doing on that?

I don’t see a lot of persuading going on. I don’t see any large-scale attempts to change people’s minds. Oh, there’s lots of yelling on the internet, but the “democratic process” has largely been whichever side has a majority clubbing the other side over the head with the most extreme law they can devise.

What are we doing to persuade people that our view is correct?