Philosophy of Religion Oral Exams

For my MCCC Fall 2010 Philosophy of Religion Students:

• Your scheduled oral exam will be held in room A 153 (same as the last oral exam).

Exam questions are:

• Mackie's logical argument from evil against the existence of God
• Plantinga's modal refutation of Mackie
• Rowe's evidential argument from evil against the existence of God
• Wyckstra's "no-seeum fallacy" critique of the logic of Rowe's evidential argument

The Growing Islamism in Europe (and beyond)

Anjem Choudry

Not all Muslims are Islamists. "The majority of Muslims are not Islamists, who believe in a society based on Islamic law, and not all of the latter are seeking world domination or are willing to use violence." (see here)

But Islamists exist - see "Islamists raise fears of violent 'clash of cultures' in Europe." Their "ultimate objective" is the "domination of the world by Islam."

European backlash and resistance is growing, e.g., in countries suc as Sweden, the Netherlands, France, and the UK. The UK's most radical Islamist, Anjem Choudary, says:  "There will always be wars. The conflict will continue always. I think it's a matter of time before another 9/11 takes place and another 7/7 (London bombings). I think we are on the brink of many more operations in the West. This is going to be very, very nasty ... The Muslims engaged in jihad are not going to stop. People will declare jihad in Britain and America. I don't think you can stomach something like that."

A very good book to read on this is: Reflections on the Revolution In Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West, by Christopher Caldwell. 



 

The Highly Educated Value Marriage More and Stay Married Longer

La Jolla

There's an interesting piece at cnn.com on marriage in America -"More education means more faith in marriage, new report says."

• Highly educated Americans are embracing a "pro-marriage mindset."
• Among the poor marriage is "fragile and weak." Surely poverty stresses marriage and family. A solution to help strengthen marriages would seem to include helping marital couples find jobs and have enough to live on.
• " The findings show moderately educated women, or those with a high school diploma and some post-secondary education but no four-year degree, are choosing the single life more often these days, especially when it comes to becoming a mother."
• Highly educated women also are getting married more and staying in those relationships longer, according to the report, which suggests this is a "striking reversal of historic trends." The report cites an adherence to a "marriage mindset," which means religious attendance and faith in marriage is now a way of life for the highly educated." Religious attendance and faith in marriage is a "way of life" for the highly educated? Wow - let's follow this one!
• "Marriage plays a key role in securing the welfare of children," said Wilcox, who added that studies show "children are much more likely to thrive if they are raised in a married home with their own mother and father."" Thank you for this one. We've suspected it all along. See, among others, Judith Wallenstein's classic study.

•  Finally, note this:"The causes of the "observed retreat from marriage in Middle America" and shifts in marriage attitudes are: "increases in unemployment and declines in religious attendance," among others.

God's Name Is Not "Robert"

Monroe

I am less political today than I have ever been. Here's a summary of some things I now feel and believe re. politics.

• I thank God for real Jesus-followers who are called into the political arena.
• Such Jesus-followers will understand that God's Kingdom is "not of this world," and therefore earthly-political solutions will never be the answer to the human dilemma.
• Increasingly I am putting my trust in God, and not in political hopes. Our next government leader, whomever they may be, does not become my new hope.
• The political is not to be divorced from the rest of reality, nor compartmentalized, ignored, or not prayed for. It is all under the dominion of God (the King's "dome").
• I am uninterested in especially critiqueing our political leaders because I expect little from them in terms of real human change. They are as flawed as any person, should be viewed with compassion and, as scripture tells us, prayed-for.
• I do not understand Christians and Christian leaders who denigrate political leaders. Aren't we supposed to love them and pray for them? Christian leaders who ad hominem-abuse political leaders seriously misrepresent Jesus and contribute to the politics of the kingdom of darkness.
• God will lead Jesus-followers who live in oppressed cultures to especially pray for their political situations, as should we. In such contexts non-violent active engagement with our spiritual weapons of warfare are needed and appropriate.
• The answers to the systemic evils of oppressive governments are essentially spiritual, not political. Heart-change government leaders and they will govern differently.
• Trust in God, not in government. If government leaders also trust in God and not government, their governing will be more God-led, which will cause Jesus-followers to rejoice. But rhe result will not be a "theocracy" because, again, the Kingdom of God is not of this world.
• The democratic model of government has so influenced the Church that some (many?) church boards are more concerned about following the parliamentary procedure of "Robert's Rules of Order" rather than the Spirit. It is important to remember that one of God's names in the Book of Acts was not "Robert."

What shall we do?

1. Abide in Christ today.
2. Hear God's voice.
3. Obey. (You might find yourself riding in the chariot of a political leader [Acts 8].)

Thomas Merton wrote: “I must be resolutely non-political, provided I remain ready to speak out when it is needed.” Merton, following Jacques Ellul L’Illusion politique, disagrees with the idea that “the deepest communion with man is in political declaration.” He asks, “What is primary? God’s revelation of Himself to me in Christ and my response in faith.” The goal, the summum bonum of this life and the life to come, is: “Union with God!” Which means the end of one’s own Ego self-realization. (A Year With Thomas Merton, K 5648-5664)


Set the course of your life in this direction.

(See also Greg Boyd, The Myth of a Christian Nation; and Jim Wallis, God's Politics.)

Explore Inner Space

Al & I on the equator in Kenya

One of my favorite spiritual formation verses is Proverbs 20:5 - "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding can draw them out."

When we consistently abide in Christ God's Spirit moves in the deep waters of our heart, searching us out, restoring our souls, and morphing us into Jesus-likeness. It's the inward adventure, the exploration of one's very being. It's so terrifying that many refuse to undertake it. Paul Tournier wrote: "What is there then within this sepulchre where all the repressed rubbish of all humanity as well as our own is rotting?" Anyone who has spent many hours of being searched-out by God knows what this is about. All is not well within the depths of our souls, but God longs to go deep and heal us. This is a necessary part of spiritual transformation. God is a physician who wants to open us up and take a long look.

There is nothing like adventuring inward with God. It is exhilarating. Thomas Merton wrote: "A door opens in the center of our being and we seem to fall through it into immense depths which, although they are infinite, are all accessible to us; all eternity seems to have become ours in this one placid and breathless contact." New Seeds of Contemplation) That's one way to put it, written by one of our faith's great soul-explorers.

"Search me O God, and know my heart." Ask this with sincerity and God says, "Thanks - I'll be glad to." We need to be known by God if we are to be of any real use for the Kingdom. What does it profit a person if they gain the whole world but forfeit their soul? Exchange your soul for worldly gain? To do that is to give up on one's soul, to say "Game over. I quit. I'd rather live in the shallows of life than go deep." OK. But realize that one's losses are then character, wisdom, and love. Because such things only grow in the deep waters of the heart. They are worth finding. Therefore explore inner space.

First Jesus, Then Paul

When I entered Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1974 the first course I took was on Paul's book of Romans. I remember being assigned to write a paper on the tough 9-11 chapters. That was a great class for me, taught by a great scholar, Manfred Brauch. Dr. Brauch was also my professor for New Testament theology. He used Ladd's Theology of the New Testament. I still have that book, and the cover is falling off an pages are underlined and dog-eared all over the place. A few years ago I was having lunch at Palmer seminary with Dr. Brauch and asked him if he would still look to Ladd today, and his answer was "yes."

For many years, for me, Paulinism prevailed, and my study of the Gospels was minimal in comparison. The thought came to me, "I am a 'Christian,' which means (as Paul knew) 'Christ, in me, the hope of glory.'" So I did Ph.D work in Christology, especially studying the Christology of the early Church Fathers as presented in, e.g., the classic Early Christian Doctrines by J.N.D. Kelly (I've still got that book, which is very well-worn, as I used it to prepare for one of my qualifiying exams).

I began to see that, in Christian Evangelicalism, Paul was emphasized more than Jesus. (Ladd was an exception) I rarely remember hearing messages about the Kingdom of God, as presented by Jesus. Now Scot McKnight confirms this for me some more, in an article in christianitytoday.com, "Jesus vs. Paul." McKnight writes:

"I grew up with, on, through, and in the apostle Paul. His letters were the heart of our Bible. From the time I began paying attention to my pastor's sermons, I can only recall sermons on 1 Corinthians—the whole book verse by verse, week by week—and Ephesians. I don't recall a series on any of the Gospels or on Jesus. There were two annual exceptions to our Pauline focus. At Christmas, we heard a sermon on one of the narratives about Jesus' birth, and during Holy Week, we got something on Jesus' death and resurrection. We were Pauline Christians and not one bit worried about it. I learned to think and believe and live in a Pauline fashion. Everything was filtered through Paul's theology. Justification was the lens for the gospel, and "life in the Spirit," the lens for Christian living."

Then McKnight took Walter Liefeld's class on the Synoptic Gospels at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and was blown away as he was reintroduced, or introduced as if for the first time, to Jesus. He writes: "Something was clearly happening to me. Formerly I had loved Paul and thought with Paul. Then, when I encountered Jesus, as if for the first time, I began learning to think with Jesus. One of my colleagues occasionally suggested I was getting too Jesus-centered and ignoring Paul. I'm not so sure I was ignoring Paul; after all, I was teaching a few of his letters on a regular basis. But I had unlearned how to think in Pauline terms and was thinking only in the terms of Jesus. Everything was kingdom-centered for me."

And: "It can be said without exaggeration that the evangelical movement owes its fundamental strength to the Reformation and the Great Awakenings and revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries; that is, it is a Paul-shaped movement through and through."

But (and I am part of what happened next) "something has happened in the past two decades: a subtle but unmistakable shift among many evangelicals from a Pauline-centered theology to a Jesus-shaped kingdom vision. Sources for this shift surely include George Eldon Ladd's The Presence of the Future, the rugged and unrelenting justice voice of Jim Wallis, perhaps most notably in his Call to Conversion, and a growing social conscience among evangelicals."

After preaching for 5 years on Jesus and the Gospels, we'll soon be preaching the high Christology of Paul's letters. I am thrilled about doing this, especially since the Gospels will provide the foundation for this. How will I do with Paul? Historically, says McKnight, the Jesus-Paul thing has created tensions. I don't want it to be "Jesus vs. Paul." McKnight writes: "Those addicted to kingdom language struggle to make Paul fit, while those addicted to Paul's theological terms struggle to make Jesus fit. I know the experience because I, too, struggled to make the Pauline message fit the kingdom vision, and that was after struggling to make Jesus fit into the Pauline message."

The rest of McKnight's essay is about how to resolve this tension. It's worth reading, and is especially valuable for what we are doing at Redeemer. McKnight writes: "only when we grasp the gospel as the saving story about Jesus that completes Israel's story do we see the profound unity between Jesus and Paul. Both "gospeled" the same gospel because both told the story of Jesus."

In other words, Jesus preached Jesus, and not Paul. "If we begin with gospel, and if we understand gospel as Paul does in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, then we will find what unifies Jesus and Paul—that both witness to Jesus as the center of God's story. The gospel is the core of the Bible, and the gospel is the story of Jesus."

Darrell Bock's Top 5 Books on the Historical Jesus

Inside the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

On christianitytoday.com Darrell Bock lists his personal top 5 books o the historical Jesus. They are:\

1. The 4 Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Bock says, "I am serious about this—nothing has helped shape my view of Jesus more than the Gospels, read repeatedly as narrative, ethic,and theology—especially looking to see where they challenge my perspectives." I am serious about this, too. Few things have affected me as much in my life as the last five years of studying the 4 Gs and preaching through them at Redeemer. The result is I am today more in love with, intrigued by, and captivated with Jesus of Nazareth than ever. This is after years of following after Jesus, doing part of my doctoral work in Christology, and so on. And - I find that many who critique Jesus have not themselves simmered for years in the 4 Gospels, which would be a scholarly no-no.
2. 
   The Words and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study in the Life of Christ, by J. Dwight Pentecost.
3.  The Origins of New Testament Christology, by I. Howard Marshall.
4.  The Christology of Jesus, by Ben Witherington III.
5. Jesus and the Victory of God, by N. T. Wright.

I've got Craig Keener's new The Historical Jesus and have been slow-cooking in it for several months. So much fun!

Dreams In a Time of War

Christianitytoday.com has a nice review of Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir.  

Want to Connect With Our Mission at Redeemer?

Here’s how you can become involved in the Jesus Movement at Redeemer.


First, remember our Mission:

The Mission of Redeemer Fellowship Church is the same as Jesus' mission.

• To advance the Kingdom of God
• To push back the kingdom of darkness
• To heal the sick
• To deliver the oppressed
• To raise the dead
• And to proclaim the Good News of Jesus and God’s Kingdom

Anything that strengthens or furthers or adds to the mission is potentially valuable.

You can be part of the mission in the following ways.

• Pray
 Join my e-mail prayer team. Write me at johnpiippo@msn.com and request to be placed on the e-prayer team.
 Join our Prayer Ministry Team.
• Get equipped for the mission
o Take Full Life in Christ
o Take Redeemer Ministry School classes
o Attend the equipping events planned ahead (e.g., Randy Clark’s School of Healing and Impartation)
o Lead a Home Group; be in a Home Group (contact me if you want to lead a group)
o Go to Friday nights at Newport Beach Café and hear many different Redeemer people preach and lead worship
• Assist in and contribute to our Mission outreaches
o Soup Kitchen (Tuesday and Saturday nights)
o Godworks Food Pantry (coming soon!)
o FLC – India
o NightLight Bangkok (the Dieselberg’s)
• Sell NightLight jewelry
o Mercy House
o Chris & Lori Bajkiewicz
o MCOP
o Raise money and support for any of these and others.
 Start a short-term fund-raising effort for one of our outreach ministries
• Contact me with your idea.
• Serve in an area of ministry within Redeemer
o Children’s worker/teacher (disciple our kids!)
o Royal Rangers
o Sunday morning nursery worker
o Youth worker/teacher
o Ushers
o Caring for our building and grounds
o Visual arts
o Worship team
o Flags and banners
o Prayer team
o Office help

You have something to add to the Jesus Movement at Redeemer. Abide in Jesus. Get equipped. Serve. Reach out. Love. Give. Rejoice!

If you want to talk with me about any of these please give me a call.

Love, Your Fellow Servant,

Pastor John Piippo

Consciousness

I've been telling my MCCC students that if you are looking for a career, engage in neural studies. Neuro-philosophy, neuro-psychology, neuro-sociology, neuro-everything- whatever. Neuro-studies and analyses are usurping, or threatning to usurp, the "human sciences."

At the heart of the discussion is the issue of consciousness. It remains a mystery. University of California psychologist Alison Gopnik has a nice little review of current consciousness-studies. (How Weird Is Consciousness? Scientists may not even be asking the right questions.)


The bullets are:

• Consciousness is: "weird."
• In spite of the hyper-leaps in neural studies "discouragingly, we are still no closer to solving the Problem of Big-C Consciousness. How is consciousness possible at all? How could the few pounds of gray goo in my skull give rise to my experience of the particular blue tint of the sky?"
• Many try to explain it. Some deny that consciousness exists at all. Others think consciousness cannot be simply a result of the brain.
• A major probem is: how could one even test consciousness? Gopnik writes: "There is only one organism that I'm sure is conscious (namely, me), and there are only a few more organisms that tell me they are also conscious (namely, my fellow humans), though I'm pretty sure that my other fellow animals are conscious, too. Just to make things worse, the more you think about it, the less sure you are about the nature of your own consciousness, let alone that of other organisms."
•  "Recent scientific approaches to consciousness emphasize different aspects of conscious experience and different brain and mind states that are correlated with those experiences. We might divide them into "inside" approaches and "outside" approaches." The quintessential "inside" example is Descartes, siting in a chair in his study, "meditating," going within himself. A Cartesian approach reasons that to be conscious is to have a sense of self: I go within, therefore I am. There seems to be a fundamental "I am-ness" about "me." And yes, we are now looping around in circular motion. Such is the conundrum of consciousness.
• "Other "inside" approaches emphasize focused attention and intentional planning. Psychologists like Stanislas Dehaene and Bernard Baars describe consciousness as a "workspace," a kind of phenomenological desktop on which that mysterious "I" places, arranges, and manipulates information. We've learned a lot about this inside type of consciousness. We know, for example, that the workspace has a limited capacity; we can crowd only so many things on that desktop. And we even know some of the brain networks, involving parts of the frontal cortex, that support attention, planning, reflection, and our sense of the self."
• 
  ""Outside" accounts of consciousness, on the other hand, tend to come from scientists, like Christof Koch, who study visual perception and who (no surprise again) think that perception is the key to consciousness. For a vision scientist, the quintessential conscious experience is to look out the window and simply see the blue of the sky, irrespective of the body, the self, attention, planning, reflection, and all the rest. The philosopher Ned Block calls this type of consciousness "phenomenal consciousness," in contrast to the "inside" "access consciousness" of introspection."
• Gopmik says there is evidence that suggests the two types of consciousness ("inside" and "outside") may be "in tension with one another."  Ultimately, she thinks the inside-outside approach will be too simply. Consciousness is turnin out to be so complex that any single approach will be inadequate.

For further study, as related to Christian theism, see: J.P. Moreland, Consciousness and the Existence of God: A Theistic Argument; and Joel Green, Body, Soul, and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible. Green appears to be the only New Testament scholar who is studying the contribution neural studies are making to biblical understanding.


Enter... neuro-theology (it's actually been around for a while), neuro-hermeneutics...