The first chapter of The God Delusion is divided into two sections. The first section is entitled “Deserved Respect,” and talks about scientists like Einstein, Hawking, and others who use religious terminology to talk about the whoa-factor when it comes to just how cool the universe actually is. It is beyond dispute that lots of …
Let’s Fritz Our Brains At Them
Richard Dawkins wants to raise our consciousness — to “raise consciousness to the fact that to be an atheist is a realistic aspiration, and a brave and splendid one” (p. 1). And his new book, The God Delusion, certainly does have some high aspirations in this regard. As high, that is, as approximately one hundred …
And It Figures
One of the most obvious characteristics of our relativistic, postmodern times is a schizophrenic approach to different kinds of authority. The radical individualism pioneered by modernity, and carried on by its sham-alternative, postmodernity, is an individualism that reacts violently to all forms of godly authority, and capitulates immediately in the face of brow-beated bluster. Relativism …
Soi-Disant Postmodernism
In my various posts on the subject of postmodernism, I have in time past advanced an argument that I believe to be a real pippin. But thus far, I have not really seen anyone attempt to engage with it. This is either because the argument is beneath contempt, and it would sully the minds of …
Apply What They Are Saying to What They Are Saying
After a hiatus of sorts, I picked up Merold Wesphal’s Overcoming Onto-theology again. I had been halfway through his essay on capitulating to the “Copernican Revolution, although he didn’t call it that. Upon finishing the essay, the thing that I find most striking about pomos and pomo-friendlies is a pervasive faux-intello-humility coupled with sheer inability …
The Poetic Case Against Postmodernism
Human language is a gift of God. When God created Adam, He gave him many gifts. He gave the Garden, and all that it contained. He gave him the woman, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. And God also gave Adam the gift of speech, which enabled him to talk about all …
Postmodernism Is Triumphalism
James K.A. Smith recently made a good start in reviewing Greg Boyd’s book on Christians in politics. Justin Taylor had linked to it, and here it is. The book reviewed was The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church. The review seemed promising, and Smith scored some good …
Just So Many Millions of Ghosts
First, a recap of a basic argument against postmodernity. For all the talk about being in a postmodern era, the basic infrastructure of modernity (liberal democracy with its neutral public square) is retained. In the seminar room called modernity, some who call themselves postmodernists have come to believe that they can change the room they …
High Zwinglianism
In his chapter “Against Sacraments,” Peter Leithart quotes Mike Featherstone, who pointed out that postmodernism “moved beyond individualism with a communal feeling being generated,” which is good, but did so in a way in which people “come together in temporary emotional communities” (AC, p. 74), which is entirely inadequate. To this Leithart observes, “The postmodern …
Allah and YHWH
One of my Greyfriars students has written helpfully to me, pointing out yet another implication of the Federal Vision trajectory, to wit, my agreement with Pope Benedict on the fact that YHWH and Allah cannot both be the one true God. He said this because this last Wednesday evening I did a presentation for Collegiate …