Jan 31, 2017 | Epistemology - Trust
Sociologist Peter Berger has been an influential thinker and writer in my development as a Christian apologist. I have an entire chapter in my book on plausibility, something rare in apologetics circles, inspired by his books The Sacred Canopy and The Social Construction of Reality. I heard of a more recent book (those are from the 60’s) of Berger’s from the great Albert Mohler in his excellent Thinking in Public podcast. The book, In Praise of Doubt: How to Have Convictions Without Becoming a Fanatic, has some excellent insights, but it’s also the kind of book I often want to throw against the wall.
(more…)
Dec 14, 2016 | Epistemology - Trust
In you’re not familiar with it, “Nones” is a term the media has given to those who walk away from religious faith. They are not atheists (only 3% of American are self-professed atheists), but they’re just not into religion. The term comes from the growing number of people in America, especially young people, who when asked for their religious affiliation pick “none” or “none of the above.” There have always been irreligious people, but the startling growth of this demographic has caused much glee in secular circles, and much hand wringing in religious communities. It is also a demographic ripe for study; people want to know why this is happening.
(more…)
Dec 3, 2016 | Epistemology - Trust
I have a feeling that most Christian parents (and the churches they attend) don’t often get into conversation with their kids about epistemology. Since most people have never heard the word before, that’s not surprising. The concept is simple, though the answers often are not. It’s a branch of philosophy that deals with how we come to know things, or the study of knowledge (episteme is one of the Greek words for knowledge).
One of the reasons epistemology is so important in the 21st Century West is that the secular culture’s default epistemology is skepticism. A recent blog post by Sean McDowell reminded me how easy skepticism is in an age where we are flooded with information every day. He starts it this way:
Recently I was speaking to a group of pastors, youth pastors, and other church workers in Idaho. One pastor asked a question that, in my experience, perfectly captures the thinking process of many students today. He said, “My younger brother, a Millennial, is constantly on his cell phone. When I try to talk to him about God, he says that people disagree and so we simply can’t have any confidence at all in our beliefs.” How would you respond? Can we know things or are we lost in a sea of endless information?
(more…)
Recent Comments