My Outline for a Talk Tonight at The Word Conference

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy

Denver Seminary, DougGroothuis@gmail.com

Roots of Biblical skepticism on Campus

I. The Importance of the University

A. Charles Malik, A Christian Critique of the University

This great Western institution, the university, dominates the world today more than any other institution: more than the church, more than the government, more than all other institutions. All the leaders of government are graduates of universities, or at least of secondary schools or colleges whose

administrators and teachers are themselves graduates of universities. The same applies to all church leaders. How can you create economically without some technical training? But the technical schools which provide this training are some sort of mini-universities, and their administrators and instructors are

themselves graduates of colleges, universities or technical institutes. The professionals–doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc.–have all passed through the mill of the secondary school, the college and the university. And the men of the media are university trained, and some have undergone specialized, advanced instruction in communication and journalism.[1]

B. J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)

False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel. We may preach with all the fervour of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here and there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the

nation or of the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the resistless force of logic, prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion. Under such circumstances, what God desires us to do is

to destroy the obstacle at its root. [2]

II. Academic Culture Today

A. Secularization of the academy. See George Marsden, The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief (Oxford, 1996).

B. Academics are more secular than the general population

C. Worldview (philosophy of life)

1. Naturalism (philosophical materialism)

2. Postmodernism (Nonrealism)

D. Academic view of religion

1. Harmful or harmless delusion: naturalism

2. Relative, contingent social construction: postmodernism

3. The divided field of knowing

Faith, spirituality, subjective values (opinion)

Fact, rationality, science, objectivity (knowledge)[3]

III. Roots of Unbelief: Philosophical

A. Decline in natural theology

1. David Hume (1711-1776) skepticism about God (Dialogues on Natural Religion); unbelief in miracles (Enquiry on Human Understanding)

2. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): God is unknowable, but a postulate of practical reason: “I have denied knowledge to make room for faith,” Critique of Pure Reason

B. Religion as a romantic ideal or feeling apart from reason (F. Schleiermacher, Soren Kierkegaard)

IV. Roots of Unbelief: Scientific Trends

A. Scientific revolution wrought by theists, many Christians: Newton, Galileo, Faraday, etc. See Rodney Stark, For the Glory of God (Princeton Univ. Press, 2004), chapter two

B. The Christian philosophical orientation to nature[4]

1. The physical universe is an objective reality, which is ontologically distinct from the Creator (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1).

2. The laws of nature exhibit order, pattern, and regularity, since they are established by an orderly God (Psalm 19:1-4).

3. The laws of nature are uniform throughout the physical universe, since God created and providentially sustains them.

4. The physical universe is intelligible because God created us to know himself, ourselves, and the rest of creation. (Genesis 1-2; Proverbs 8).

5. The world is good, valuable, and worthy of careful study, because it was created for a purpose by a perfectly good God (Genesis 1). Humans, as the unique image bearers of God, were created to discern, discover, and develop the goodness of creation for the glory of God and human betterment through work. The creation mandate (Genesis 1:26-28) includes scientific activity.[5]

6. Because the world is not divine and therefore not a proper object of worship, it can be an object of rational study and empirical observation.

7. Human beings possess the ability to discover the universe’s intelligibility, since we are made in God’s image and have been placed on earth to develop its intrinsic possibilities.

8. Because God did not reveal everything about nature, empirical investigation is necessary to discern the patterns God laid down in creation.

9. The intellectual virtues essential to carrying out the scientific enterprise (studiousness, honesty, integrity, humility, and courage) are part of God’s moral law (Exodus 20:1-17).[6]

C. Charles Darwin (1809 -1882), Origin of Species, 1859

1. Attempt to explain speciation apart from design

2. Natural selection (mutation and adaptation)

3. Theological agenda: the problem of evil in animals and humans

4. Result: methodological naturalism (metaphysical naturalism)

5. Richard Lewontin, prominent biologist

We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is an absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.[7]

V. Responding to the Challenge

A. Know the opposition (Acts 17:16-34; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

B. Out argue the opposition (1 Peter 3:15: Matthew 22:37-40). Next lecture.

1. Postmodernism: show that it self-destructs

2. Philosophy: defeat naturalism;: defend natural theology

3. Science: defend intelligent design, defeat Darwinism

Bibliography

1. James Collins, God in Modern Philosophy. Greenwood Press Reprint; New edition, 1978.
2. Stephen T. Davis, God, Reason, and Theistic Proofs. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997.
3. Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
4. Doug Groothuis Blog: The Constructive Curmudgeon: www.theconstructivecurmudgeon.blogspot.com
5. Cornelius Hunter, Darwin’s God: Evolution and the Problem of Evil. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Books, 2002.
6. Charles Malik, A Christian Critique of the University. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983.
7. George Marsden, The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief . New York: Oxford, 1996.
8. Ronald Nash, Faith and Reason. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1988.
9. Francis Schaeffer, How Shall We Then Live?The Rise and Fall of Western Culture Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1976. See Doug Groothuis view at: http://www.denverseminary.edu/article/how-should-we-then-live.
10. Francis Schaeffer, The God Who is There, 30^th anniv. ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998.
11. John Sommerville, The Decline of the Secular University. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
12. Rodney Stark, For the Glory of God. Princeton Univ. Press, 2004.
13. Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004. See Doug Groothuis review at: http://www.denverseminary.edu/article/total-truth-liberating-christianity-from-its-cultural-captivity.

---

[1] http://www.wardconsultation.org/Readings/Charles_Malik.pdf

[2] "The Scientific Preparation of the Minister" was delivered September 20, 1912, at the opening of the one hundred and first session of Princeton Theological Seminary. It is found in the Princeton Theological Review, Vol. XI, No. 1, 1913, p. 1.

[3] For more on this dichotomy, see Francis Schaeffer, The God Who is There, 30^th anniv. ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998); Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004).

[4] See Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 102-103.

[5] On the significance and depth of the creation mandate, see Francis Nigel Lee, “The Roots of Culture,” chap. 1, in Lee, The Central Significance of Culture (The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1976).

[6] On the presuppositions of science, see also J.P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1987), pp. 198-201.

[7] Richard Lewontin, ‘Billions and Billions of Demons,” The New York Review, January 9, 1997, p. 31.

Groothuis to Teach on Apologetics at Word Conference

I will be giving two talks at The Word Conference, held in Denver, October 7, 8. My talks will relate to the work in Christian Apologetics, and signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.

Another Good Reason to Defeat Obama

• 

• OPINION
• OCTOBER 4, 2011, 10:48 P.M. ET

Washington Wants a Say Over Your Minister

The Supreme Court weighs whether the feds can decide which church employees are clergy and which aren't.

By MICHAEL W. MCCONNELL

Today, the Obama administration will invite the Supreme Court to open a new front in the culture wars. Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC concerns a commissioned minister, Cheryl Perich, who taught elementary school and led chapel devotions at a small Lutheran school outside Detroit. Ms. Perich became ill and was replaced in the classroom by a substitute. In the middle of the school year she sought to return and then, instead of attempting to work out the dispute through the church's reconciliation process, she threatened to sue.

As relations broke down, the church congregation voted to withdraw her "call" to the ministry, and she ceased to be eligible for her prior job. She sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act, with the support of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The federal statutes outlawing employment discrimination based on race, sex, age and disability contain no express exception for church employers. But for 40 years lower courts have applied a "ministerial exception," which bars the government from any role in deciding who should be a minister. Courts have reasoned that the separation between church and state protects the ability of churches to choose their own clergy just as it protects the state from any control by churches. The Supreme Court has never spoken to the issue.

But who counts as a minister? Cheryl Perich's duties included leading students in prayer and worship, but she also taught secular subjects, using ordinary secular textbooks. The sole disagreement in the lower courts was whether her job was sufficiently religious to be considered ministerial. The Supreme Court will consider, for the first time, how to make that determination.

But the Obama Justice Department has now asked the court to disavow the ministerial exception altogether. This would mean that, in every future case, a court—and not the church—would decide whether the church's reasons for firing or not hiring a minister were good enough.

But the government, including the judiciary, is not entitled under the First Amendment to decide what qualifications a minister should have, or to weigh religious considerations against others. Is a secular court to decide, for example, whether confining Catholic priests or Orthodox rabbis to males is a correct interpretation of scripture, or merely a vestige of outmoded and stereotypical bias?

James Madison famously declared that the civil magistrate is not a "competent Judge of Religious truth." Yet every discrimination claim about the hiring of a minister necessarily comes down to the question of whether the church had a bona fide religious reason for its decision. That places the courts squarely in the business of adjudicating the validity of a church's claims about its own religious practice.

The Justice Department's brief grudgingly concedes that there may be an exception for employees performing "exclusively religious functions," but this is an illusory protection. Every church officer—even the pope—performs at least some nonreligious administrative duties. If the government's position were accepted, the courts would be embroiled in disputes about the selection of clergy at all levels and in every denomination. This would be a radical reversal of our nation's long constitutional tradition.

In the colonial era, with an established Church of England, the government controlled who would preach the gospel. The royal governor of Virginia licensed ministers in the colony, and Madison's first known writing on religious liberty was a letter protesting the jailing of Baptist ministers for preaching without a license.

When the First Amendment declared that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," it meant that churches would support themselves and control themselves. And the separation of church and state is a two-way street: It protects the autonomy of religious institutions from governmental interference no less than it prevents advancement of religion by government power.

That tradition of church-state separation has continued to the present day. After the Civil War, for example, the framers of the 14th Amendment, which applied the Establishment Clause to the states, voted against legislation to subject churches to antidiscrimination laws, concluding this would violate the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has held (Bishop v. Amos, 1987) that religious organizations must be "free to select their own leaders, define their own doctrines, resolve their own disputes, and run their own institutions." Even EEOC guidelines a few years ago reaffirmed the ministerial exception.

Perhaps American churches should be more open to female clergy and more accommodating toward elderly pastors or disabled chaplains. But if the separation between church and state means anything, such changes must come from within.

As a lower court judge, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: "Federal court entanglement in matters as fundamental as a religious institution's selection or dismissal of its spiritual leaders risks an unconstitutional trespass on the most spiritually intimate grounds of a religious community's existence." It is unfortunate that the Department of Justice does not see it that way.

Mr. McConnell is the director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford University. He wrote a friend-of-the-court brief in this case on behalf of major Protestant denomination

My New Blog: Christian Apologetics

I have started a new blog called Christian Apologetics, which features my new book of the same name. Please visit and contribute.

Interview on Christian Apologetics

Lee Strobel interviews me about Christian Apologetics at Bible Gateway.

David Wells - "Worldliness is that system of values, in any given age, which has at its center our fallen human perspective, which displaces God and His truth from the world, and which makes sin look normal and righteousness seem strange."

Doug Groothuis interviewed in Christianity Today

I am very happy to present my Christianity Today interview on my book, Christian Apologetics (InterVarsity Press, 2011).

Iran to Execute Christian

Dear Doug Groothuis, We are asking for your urgent prayer for Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor who may be executed within the next 24 hours if he continues to refuse to recant his faith in court. Youcef is the pastor of a house church in Rasht, Iran, and was arrested in October 2009 for opposing the education practice that forces non-Muslim students to read the Quran in school. Youcef had argued that the Iranian constitution permits children to be raised in their parents' faith; however, for defying Iranian authorities, Youcef was charged with apostasy. Iranian officials used pressure tactics during Youcef's imprisonment as an attempt to coerce him to renounce his Christian beliefs, which included arresting his wife and threatening to seize his children. Still, Youcef remained firm in his faith, refusing to deny the name of his Savior Jesus Christ. On September 22, 2010, Youcef was issued the death sentence for his conversion to Christianity and for encouraging the conversions of other Muslims. Youcef appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of Iran, claiming he had never been a Muslim and therefore could not be found guilty of apostasy. However, a written verdict upholding the death penalty and ordering an investigation was handed down on June 12. A reexamination of the case to determine whether Nadarkhani will live or die began on Sunday and has continued for the past two days. Early this morning, Youcef refused to deny his faith for the fourth time in court. Technically, he must only be granted three opportunities to return to Islam before he can be executed for apostasy. Throughout his imprisonment, Youcef has trusted in the Lord and has been a bold witness of the redeeming work of Christ in his life. Remember, Jesus did not merely warn His followers that they might be persecuted; He promised it, saying, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you," (John 15:18-20). Youcef has learned to delight in hardships and persecution for Christ's sake (2 Cor. 12:10)."Many attempt to flee from their spiritual tests... [but] no one will be victorious by escaping from them, but with patience and humility he will be able to overcome all the tests and gain victory," he wrote from Lakan Prison last June. "Although heaven and earth will fade, His word will still remain." Sincerely in Christ, Jeff King President, ICC International Christian Concern www.persecution.org 2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, District of Columbia 20006

Just sent to the President of the United States.

Dear Mr. President:

A young pastor who converted to Christianity is threatened with the death penalty in Iran. See this story on him:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/iranian-pastor-must-disavow-his-christian-faith-this-week-or-hell-be-executed/

Please send a strong message to Iran that this is morally wrong. Come to this young man's defense, I ask you.

Sincerely,

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D.

Jazz and Apologetics

Today, in Defending Christian Faith at Denver Seminary, I played two pieces of classic jazz: "Sophisticated Lady," by Duke Ellington and sung by Rosemary Clooney and "Passion Flower," an instrumental, featuring Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone. These were from the recording, "Blue Rose." We reflected on aspects of this music and how it pertained to the virtues required for Christian apologetics. What great fun that was! And our new classrooms have stereo speakers.

Review of Duke Ellington, The Private Collection, Vol. 5: The Suites: New York 1968 & 1970

This long CD (over 71 minutes) is taken from Duke's capacious "vault" of recordings not released during his lifetime (d. 1974). The band would gather between gigs to rehearse new material and rework old material before taking it on the road. Duke was the producer, unlike his "official recordings." And unlike some of the other vault recordings, this has a polished and finished feel to it, rivaling that of "Such Sweet Thunder."

The first suite was composed for a film about the painting of Degas, which was never completed. However, we are graced to have the music. It is multi-layered but unified in expression. Both the ensemble work and the solos are impeccably executed. This clocks in at over twenty-minutes and is a sheer delight.

"The River," originally composed for a ballet, is the second suite is longer and much more modernist or even avant-guarde. It texture approaches chamber music at times and takes some wise chances with melody, meter, and harmony. It can swing, but not always. The "Whirlpool" movement is quite adventuresome. It startled and amazed me the first time I heard it, and continues to do so. I risk sacrilege here, but it reminds one a bit of some of Frank Zappa's best instrumental work.

A world with Duke Ellington cannot be absurd. This is a sufficient (but not necessary) condition for defeating nihilism. This work is objectively beautiful; created by a great soul. Therefore there is meaning and goodness in the world. Thank God.

Prayer, the dead

Although I am a Protestant, I sometimes feel the urge to pray for the dead--the dead that are probably not in Christ. I lament the lost who are now lost to this world in death.

Yet there are finalities beyond the reach of sentiment--that one cannot alter.

I write this as I ponder the life, art, and character of Georgia O'Keefe.

Here is a podcast about my essay, "A Christian Apologetics Manifesto."

I will be on Backbone Radio (Denver) from 5:00-6:30 (KNUS-AM, 710) today.

Bachmann on the Constitution

Michele Bachmann

The Constitution: Freedom Defined

Washington, Sep 17 -

Two hundred and twenty-four years ago today, fifty-five men presented one of the greatest documents ever conceived by man to the world. In only four pages, the Constitution of the United States set up the parameters for the greatest nation on earth and established a standard of democracy other countries have since tried to replicate. Using simple yet powerful words, the founders presented what was then a radical idea: a republic that allowed for an unprecedented amount of power to be given to its people.

Within the sacred words of this document is embedded a passion for liberty. It is evident that the delegates of the Constitutional Convention were not just concerned about establishing rules for the newly independent America; they were defining and protecting freedom itself. After losing thousands of colonists in the War of Independence, these men had the deep conviction that freedom was precious and liberty was one of the only ideas worthy of such a tremendous loss of life. In a single charter, our founding fathers manifested an ideal that has made this country the envy of the world.

Tragically though, over the years, activist judges and lawmakers have taken the Constitution’s sacred words and twisted them to include meanings the founders never intended. America, in several ways, has strayed away from our original moorings; so many have forgotten the words that guided our country’s greatness for so many years.

Yet we need not give up. The beauty of the Constitution is that it’s not just a document, it is an idea. As evidenced in history, the Constitution is always lived out best when a virtuous people take seriously the personal responsibility they have to make this country great. As we celebrate the Constitution’s anniversary today, let us remember the idea that inspired this charter of freedom and allow its words to once again inspire us to actively protect the God-given freedom it defines.

Groothuis on Backbone Radio

Listen to Backbone Radio every Sunday, 5:00-8:00 pm

710 AM KNUS in Denver & 1460 AM KZNT in Colorado Springs

To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com

I will be on from 5:00-6:30 this Sunday.

Review of Rousas John Rushdoony, The Cure of Souls

Rousas John Rushdoony, The Cure of Souls: Recovering the Biblical Doctrine of Confession (Ross House Books, 2007).

Rousas John Rushdoony (d. 2001) was a prolific, if a bit idiosyncratic, Christian writer and teacher. He wrote mostly for small publishers, so his books were not always well-edited. He advanced a thesis, Reconstructionism (or theonomy), that advocated the application of the Mosaic law to today's society.

While I heave learned much from the mind of Rushdoony, I do not hold to Reconstructionism. Nevertheless. Rushdoony was often a trenchant social critic, who was gifted in applying theological categories to contemporary issues. On this, I recommend: The Messianic Character of American Education, This Independent Republic, The Nature of the American System, and The Revolt Against Maturity, to name just a few.

In this work, Rushdoony reflects on the nature of confession. He does so in 49 short chapters (or essays), which cover a wealth of angles. His goal is to reaffirm "the biblical doctrine of confession" as opposed to secular surrogates. To that end, Rushdoony cites many stories from his own long life as well as mining church history.

Rushdoony's central thesis is astute: the biblical doctrine of confession has been largely lost in the contemporary world. Many churches do not include it in their liturgy. Those outside the church may blather on about their sins without any sense of the meaning of sin or forgiveness. Rushdoony emphasizes that confession should be linked to repentance and restitution. We confess our sins before a holy God who commands us to "bear fruit worthy of repentance," as John the Baptist put it.

I found this book to be fascinating and challenging. It is a bit marred by poor editing, but that does not detract from the wisdom it contains. Surely "the cure of souls" is impossible without a proper doctrine and practice of confession

Idea

What would happen if all my 1600 Facebook friends put a link to Christian Apologetics (from Amazon or InterVarsity Press) on their Facebook page and asked five of their friends to do the same? If you can endorse the book, please consider doing this.

Groothuis Teaching on Apologetics

I will be teaching on apolgetics at Crossroads Church of Denver (in Aurora) on October, 16, for both services. They will also have my book, Christian Apologetics, on sale. I hope to see you there.

A short theology of listening

In a world scrambled by aimless philosophical speculation and ever-more commercial and marketable religious apostasy and crass superstition, we should exult in our knowledge that we personally bear the very image of God (imago Dei). Consequently, we have the God-given capacity to reasonably and spiritually respond to the Creator-God’s revelation and to know Him personally. We can further rejoice that our Lord Jesus Christ, through His costly grace, has died for the sin that previously blinded our eyes and deafened our ears to spiritual reality (2 Cor. 4:3-6). The Lord has spoken: in creation, in the Bible, and by his Son—and we have heard and obeyed, by His grace. Jesus preached: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

Yet how do we listen to Christ’s prophets and teachers and preachers? How do we respond to the spoken word of biblical teaching and preaching? Do we really hear?

In his classic text, Biblical Preaching, Dr. Haddon Robinson affirms the centrality and power of preaching the authoritative word. He says of the Apostle: “Preaching in Paul’s mind did not consist of a man discussing religion. Instead, God Himself spoke through the personality and the message of a preacher to confront men and women and them to himself.”

God has specially appointed teachers and prophets for equipping the saints and for the building up of the Body (Eph. 4:11, 14). They must be heeded, for they are no less than the spokespeople of God. In an age rebelling against all legitimate authority, during a time when error is enthusiastically embraced and Truth largely shunned, we must become disciplined, earnest listeners to the Truth. It is our privilege; it is our responsibility.

Our worship doesn’t end with the last hymn or chorus before the teaching; rather, our worship shifts from vocally praising God to actively listening to Him. “Hear O Israel,” cried Moses, God’s prophet, “The Lord our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:4).

Listen . . . with all your might; hear the living and active word. The teaching and preaching of God’s imperishable word is truly a sacred event whereby the Truth penetrates hearts and minds, consciences are quickened, sin is disclosed, salvation is offered, wisdom is imparted . . . if we listen, if we actively engage ourselves in hearing, if we participate as the Holy Spirit works in our midst.

We are all too accustomed to being entertained and passively amused. Television often hypnotizes or anaesthetizes us; it demands little response and by its very nature stimulates stagnation, not spiritual encounter. Video games, cell phones, and internet access offers an endless source of possible distraction. But when we come together as the Body of Christ we come as participants not as spectators, we come to hear and obey the Truth not to be entertained. Neither Moses nor Paul captured their audience through eloquence or style. They were not entertainers but Truth-tellers: they spoke God’s word with a power that provoked response. Our Lord, when teaching by parable, alerted his hearers: “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). We are to be engaged in listening, intent on hearing.

Just as it is ethically incumbent upon the teacher or preacher to diligently hunger and thirst after an exegetically and theologically correct message (James 3:1; Matt. 12:36, 37), so it is ethically imperative that the hearers receive and respond to the word—always considering the message according to Scripture. For no human is infallible, and all must be corrected biblically; yet God in His mercy uses these earthen vessels “to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7).

Sound biblical teaching and preaching when illumined by the Spirit is a transaction of grace: needed Truth is dynamically imparted to both redeemed and unredeemed sinners through the spoken word—a momentous event! It’s not just another Sunday’s half hour, not just another “religious” routine. The gracious gifts of the Spirit are to freely operate with the wind of the Spirit filling our sails and refreshing our hearts.

Practically, we must regain a biblical reverence, a fear and trembling before our Maker (Prov. 1:6). As a teacher and a preacher, I know the meaning of the congregation’s eye contact, facial expressions, and posture. Yes, in a way it is the speaker’s responsibility to provoke the interest of the hearers. But it is equally our responsibility to listen and to help the speakers by demonstrating an interest. This may require a sacrifice if you are not naturally captivated—but isn’t that the essence of following Christ—sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2)?

We obey what we have truly heard; we truly hear what we dedicate ourselves to hearing “and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). “Hear O Israel.” “Let everyone be quick to hear” (James 1:19) that the Lord may be honored, revered, and obeyed.

Black Place by Georgia O'Keefe

Michele Bachmann on Rick Perry's Errors

I'm offended.

If you watched tonight's Republican debate, you saw Rick Perry defend his decision to mandate a vaccine for young girls through an executive order while he was governor of Texas. As a mother, I have raised three biological daughters and 23 foster daughters, and I believe taking away a parents right to direct the health care of their children is flat out wrong . It’s a violation of liberty and everything you and I stand for.

Tonight, I also questioned why Governor Perry made this executive order. When you look at the facts, the question becomes, is this about life or is this about millions and potentially billions for the drug company?

We cannot forget that in the midst of the executive order, a big drug company made millions of dollars because of this mandate. This drug company's PAC made thousands of dollars in political donations to Governor Perry, and his own former Chief of Staff was working as the lobbyist for this drug company when he issued the mandate. This is flat out wrong.

Governor Perry says if given the option again he would not issue the mandate. However, as President of the United States there are no mulligans; there are no do-overs.

I am also concerned that Governor Perry also supports giving subsidies to illegal immigrants. The American way is not to give taxpayer-subsidized benefits to people who have broken the law and are here illegally. That is not the American way.

I believe it is going to take a strong constitutional conservative to defeat Barack Obama.Our constitutional conservative values must guide our actions for solving America’s challenges. And if these values are not represented in the White House, we are in for four more years of the same policies that have led our country in the wrong direction.

Our nation's challenges are have reached a critical point. And we cannot risk electing a Republican nominee to face Barack Obama who doesn't get it right the first time. The stakes are too high. The current polling of Republican voters show we are endanger of sending a candidate who does not adhere to our shared values to face Barack Obama in the general election.There are a number of candidates who say they are “members of the Tea Party,” but their records of policy and action do not reflect Tea Party values.

As conservatives, it is our charge to make Barack Obama a one-term President. I know that I am the only candidate in this race who can not only defeat Barack Obama, but who will adhere to constitutional conservative values as President.

The Empathy Machine

My essay, "The Empathy Machine," made it to the semi-finals of a competition on line.

Islam and 9/11.

Cherry Hills Community Church will present an outstanding seminar on Islam and 9/11 Sunday, September 11, 2011. I hope many of you will attend. Lee Strobel and Mark Mittleberg will be speaking, among others.

Groothuis interview

AUTHOR: Doug Groothuis

WEBSITE: ivpress.com

BOOK: Christian Apologetics

INTERVIEW DATE: Wednesday, September 14

INTERVIEW TIME: 3 p.m. Central/2 p.m. Mountain

FORMAT: Live

LENGTH OF INTERVIEW: 1 hour

MEDIA: “The Janet Mefferd Show”

COVERAGE: 110 stations

WEBSITE: janetmefferd.com

HOST: Janet Mefferd

CONTACT: Bobby Belt

E-MAIL: rbelt@srnradio.com

Questions-Answers on Apologetics

I answer some questions about apologetics on the InterVarsity web page. This pertains to my book, Christian Apologetics.

Nomination

My essay, first posted on this blog, "The Empathy Machine," is up for an award at this web page.

Groothuis Interview on Christian Apologetics

Brian Auten interviews me here on Christian Apologetics.

Lee Strobel endorses my book, Christian Apologetics

I got your book and love it! It's comprehensive without being too technical. It's highly accessible and readable for the average Christian. It covers the breadth of relevant issues. Great job! I'm going to give it a big push as the lead story in my next INVESTIGATING FAITH newsletter with Biblegateway.com and urge people to buy it.

Review of On Jesus

Brian Auten, of Apologetics 3:15, has reviewed by book, On Jesus (Wadsworth, 2003).

Men are so inevitably mad that not to be mad would

be to give a mad twist to madness—Blaise Pascal,

Pensées, 412/414

Read "Christian Apologetics" with Others

Apologetics 3:15 is starting a read-along project, which is using my book, Christian Apologetics. It also features an interview with me as well as my spoken introduction to all 28 chapters of the book.http://apologetics315.blogspot.com/2011/09/read-along-with-apologetics315.html

Doug Groothuis on Apologetics

My interview with "Point of View" is here.

Jim Hall in Denver

Jazz guitarist Jim Hall will be in Denver in late October at the famed Dazzle Lounge. It is worth the $40 cover charge, to be sure.

Duke

The move from

sound into

silence

can be beautiful--

especially in music.

The wondrous note

fades into nothing and finds its home

in the quietness surrounded by

memory.

Duke: Alone

In all my years of listening to, savoring, and comparing jazz pianists, my ears and soul have never heard anyone play the instrument as did Edward Kennedy Ellington. Yes, his orchestra was his instrument, but so was his piano--and no one could touch his touch, his humor, his spacing, his quirky perfections. I marvel and am thankful to you, Duke Ellington wherever you are.

Against Efficiency

A friend of mine is a checker at a grocery chain. When she is working, I always go to her line, since I want to talk with her. Today, I chose her line even though several other checkers had shorter lines or no one at all checking out. Three different people asked me to switch lines, since they would be faster: two checkers and a roving manager. Every time I said (politely) that I wanted to talk to my friend.

I felt herded. A central screen tells you which lines are the most efficient, and the managers and checkers are obligated to herd you into the most efficient line.

This is yet another case of technology trumping humanity. We are not allowed to self-sort ourselves into the lines we chose, as has been done for thousands of years in various marketplaces worldwide. An old line from an old song "In the year 2025") comes back to me, "Some machine is doing that for you..." The screen commands obedience, and we must obey.

Refuse it--when necessary. Never let machinery dominate humanity.

Yes, sometimes speed is of the essence, but not always. Remember, not always.

"The fact that the market is not doing what we wish it would do is no reason to automatically assume that the government would do better."--Thomas Sowell.

Groothuis on Bachmann and "Dominionism"

My article, "Michele Bachmann and Dominionist Paranoia," was just published at Patheos.

An Outline for a Talk at the Denver Seminary Orientation.

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., 2011

Professor of Philosophy, Denver Seminary

WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING?

OR OUTTHINKING THE WORLD FOR CHRIST

I. IS THINKING A SIN?

A. Christians thinking in college

B. Critical thinking: the practice of carefully evaluating ideas in a way that highly values rationality as a tool for finding, defending, and applying truth in every area of life.

II. THE CHALLENGE OF CRITICAL THINKING

A. The mission of God: to make himself known and worshipped in all the earth. See Christopher Wright, The Mission of God

B. Creation Mandate requires critical thinking (Genesis 1:26-28)

C. Christ’s Great Commission requires critical thinking (Matthew 28:18-20)

D. Christ’s Great Commandment requires critical thinking (Matthew 22:37-39)

E. Culture development and Christian proclamation require critical thinking for the glory of God (Colossians 3:17)

II. CRITICAL THINKING AND HOLY SCRIPTURE

A. Come let us reason together (Isa. 1:18)

B. Apologetics (1 Peter 3:15-16)

C. Jesus’ use of careful argumentation in theological and ethical disputes

(Matthew 22:23-33); see D. Groothuis, On Jesus (Wadsworth, 2003)

God was “well pleased” with Jesus in all things (Matthew 3:17)

III. THE PRACTICE OF CRITICAL THINKING FOR CHRISTIANS

A. Intellectual virtues: Loving God with all your mind (Matthew 22:37-39)

1. Reason as a divine gift. Be thankful for it (James 1:18)

2. Fruit of the Holy Spirit: Intellectual patience required for godliness

(Galatians 5:22)

3. Put truth first in everything (Matthew 6:33; John 14:1-6)

B. Intellectual vices to avoid

1. Sloth: intellectual impatience, unwillingness to work, think, grow,

struggle (“the fool” as described in Proverbs)

2. Dangers of video technologies: wasting time, dumbing down, image over reality,

intellectual impatience. See Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death.

IV. GODLY HABITS OF THE MIND

A. Do not fear hard intellectual questions; ask them; pursue good answers

(Matthew 7:7-12). Nietzsche quote: courage to challenge your own

convictions.

B. Have solid and sufficient reasons for your deepest beliefs (apologetics): 1 Peter

3:15-16; Jude 3.

C. Be transformed through the renewing your mind to know God’s

will and to make it known to the world (Romans 12:1-2)

D. Take time for silence and solitude before God. Think well for God and

for others. Time “in the woodshed” (jazz phrase for practicing)

SUGGESTED READING FOR TRANSFORMING THE MIND

1. Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism. InterVarsity Press, 2000.

2. Douglas Groothuis, On Jesus. Wadsworth, 2003. Looks at Jesus as a philosopher and critical thinker with a well-developed and pertinent worldview.

3. Douglas Groothuis, The Soul in Cyberspace. Wipf and Stock, 1999. Addresses how cyberspace affects our view of truth, community, religion, and more.

4. Douglas Groothuis, Rebecca Merrill Groothuis web page: www.DougGroothuis.com. Much material on apologetics, ethics, philosophy, evangelical egalitarianism, and culture.

5. Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, Women Caught in the Conflict: The Culture War Between Traditionalism and Feminism. Wipf and Stock, 1997. Award-winning book that examines the logic of the gender debate.

6. Os Guinness, Fit Bodies, Fat Minds. Baker Books, 1994. Addresses the problem of anti-intellectualism and what to do about it.

7. J.P. Moreland, Love Your God With All Your Mind. NavPress, 1997. Cogent apologetic for an active and world-changing Christian mind by a leading Christian philosopher.

8. Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth. Crossway, 2004. How to apply a Christian worldview to all of life.

9. John Piper, Think, Crossway, 2010. Exegetically, pastorally-based defense of the life of the mind for the glory of God.

10. Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Penguin, 1985. Best assessment of the nature and power of television to dumb-down public discourse. Truly a “must-read” book.

11. Christopher Wright, The Mission of God. InterVarsity Press, 2006.

Christian Apologetics: Kindle and Beyond

My new book, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Christian Faith (InterVarsity Press, 2011) is now available as a Kindle book.

If you would like to support the ministry of the book, you can do the following:

1. Buy it and read it!

2. Click "like" at Amazon and write a review (after you have read it).

3. Mention it on Twitter.

4. Note it on Facebook.

5. Write a review of it on your blog or elsewhere.

6. Give a copy to your pastor.

7. Have me do a seminar on the book at your church or elsewhere.

Michele Bachmann as a "Dominionist." The Straw Man Strikes Again

One may expect attacks on presidential hopefuls to increase in volume, frequency, and audacity the as primary season draws near. The time is short; the stakes are high; the pundits pounce on their prey. One recent barrage against Congresswoman Michele Bachmann impugns not only her integrity as a political leader, but also questions something fundamentally and luminously American—the right of religious people to participate according to their deepest principles at every level of political life.

There is a buzz in the political beehive about the dark dangers of Bachmann’s association with “dominionism”—a fundamentalist movement heaven-bent on imposing a hellish theocracy on America. In the August 15 issue of The New Yorker, Ryan Lizza asserts that Bachmann has been ideologically shaped by “exotic” thinkers of the dominionist stripe who pose a threat to our secular political institutions. The piece—and the much of the subsequent reaction to it the media—is a calamity of confusion, conflation, and obfuscation.

Lizza notes that Bachmann was influenced by the writings of Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-84), an evangelical minister, theologian, and philosopher. Schaeffer, along with the contemporary writer Nancy Pearcey and others, are “dominionists.” That is, they believe that “Christians alone are Biblically mandated to occupy secular institutions until Christ returns.” Worse yet, Schaeffer, in A Christian Manifesto (1981) supposedly “argued for the violent overthrow of the government if Roe vs. Wade isn’t reversed.” Lizza also writes of the influence of the prolific author Rousas John Rushdoony (1916-2001), who advocated “a pure Christian theocracy in which Old Testament law…would be instituted.” Bachman is allegedly thick as thieves with all these “exotic” subversives—and should be exposed as such.

Having read reams of books from all these authors (and every book by Schaeffer) over the last thirty-five years, as well as having taught many of these books at the graduate level, I assign Mr. Lizza the grade of “F.” Consider four reasons.

First, Rushdoony argued for a position he called reconstructionism (not theocracy), which would have made biblical law the civil law of the land. However, neither Rushdoony nor his followers desired to impose this system through violence or illegal activity, but rather see it come to fruition through a long-term change of minds and institutions.

Second, Rushdoony’s devotees make up but an infinitesimal fraction of Christian conservatives. The vast majority of those who have been influenced by certain aspects of Rushdoony’s writings emphatically reject his understanding of biblical law, as do I.

Third, the key Christian influences on Bachman are not Rushdoony and his followers, but Francis Schaeffer and Nancy Pearcey. Schaeffer referred to Rushdoony’s views on mandating biblical law as “insanity,” and never sanctioned any form of theocracy. (The name “Rushdoony” does not appear in the index of Schaeffer’s five-volume collected works.) Schaeffer explicitly condemned theocracy in A Christian Manifesto (p. 120-1). Nor did he call for the violent overthrow of the government if Roe V. Wade were not overturned. Schaeffer rather explained various ways of resisting tyranny according to a Christian worldview and in light of church history. He saw “civil disobedience” (his phrase) as a last resort and did not stipulate any specific conditions under which it would be advisable in America. In fact, Schaeffer worried that speaking of civil disobedience is “frightening because there are so many kooky people around.” Further, “anarchy is never appropriate” (p. 126).

Fourth, Nancy Pearcey has extended and further applied Schaeffer’s thought. Like him, she does not endorse theocracy, but rather the participation by Christians as good citizens in all areas of life.

Those who tar and feather “dominionists” are confusing their readers by conflating Rushdoony’s reconstructionism with the thinking of Schaeffer and Pearcey. Worse yet, Lizza and company may believe that any Christian influence in politics is dangerous and un-American. If so, they should reread and ponder the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom and the freedom of speech. Christians are free to be active members in the public square—along with those of other religions or of none. Erecting “dominionist” straw men does nothing to advance this noble cause of freedom.

Douglas Groothuis is Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and the author of Christian Apologetics.

Beautiful--Ugliness

Tramp stamped,

a body beautiful,

but marred

by being for sale.

Beautiful Ugliness.

The call girl,

prayed for,

lamented over.

Someone's daughter,

a creature,

so far

east of Eden,

yet still

under Heaven.

When

Giants cower at the sound of a bird.

Amnesiac clowns march unafraid.

Demons laugh.

Angels cry.

The world groans and heaves in the impossible present

awaiting its ineluctable future.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Groothuis on Bell

Here is my "Bible Answer Man" interview on Love Wins by Rob Bell.

Jazz Stamp

The making of the jazz stamp.

Monk and Miles in Frisco, Colorado

Two superb paintings in a coffee shop in Frisco, Colorado called Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters. What a pleasant surprise to find them. The paintings are by the owner, Tim Adrian.

Questions

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.--Proverbs 29: 18 (NASB)

Will America end up looking like Greece and London if the benefits run out? How much character do we possess? How deep do we run?

The Soul in Cyberspace

Reflections on my book,The Soul in Cyberspace, 14 years later.

The March of the Clowns

I watch

the march of the clowns,

who began as soldiers,

who became clowns--and

forgot

that they were once soldiers,

and even...

forgot

that they are now

clowns.

A Sentence

"In the end, hope without truth is pointless."

--Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith.

Prager's Confusions

This morning, I heard Denis Prager claim that his Jewish beliefs were non-rational, otherwise there would be no room for "faith." He said that these religious beliefs didn't do anyone any harm and had no public policy implications. His example was God's parting of the Red Sea. But, on the other had, secular liberals hold many non-rational non-religious beliefs that are deleterious, such as the idea than men and women are alike.

Prager's position is deeply confused. I agree that secular liberals hold much in (bad) faith without evidence; but the Bible never pits faith against reason or religious belief against knowledge. These are false dichotomies. When religious people accept these terms, they intellectually marginalize themselves. I just completed a large work, Christian Apologetics, arguing that Christianity is true, rational, and pertinent to life. Further, the Exodus is a key event in the Hebrew Bible, with tremendous significance for Jews and Christians. Through the release of God's people from Egyptian bondage, God makes himself known as the liberating Lord of the nations.

Ironically, later in the program, Prager had a guest arguing that God was the best explanation for the origin of the universe, life, humans, and human meaning. As much as I like Prager, this was one confused radio program.

The Poison of Selfishness

Insensitivity is no virtue, since love patient kind and is not rude (I Corinthians 13). Being callous to people's pain only hurts them more. Some insensitivity is rather minor: it hurts a soul's feelings or frustrates the one who is not understood. The chronically ill face this repeatedly, since so few of the healthy can put themselves in their place. They lack the moral imagination for it.

Yet in some cases, a lack of empathy can have dire consequences, effectively ruining a human being's life. Consider Jane (not her real name). Jane is extremely and dangerously sensitive to a common household product. If her neighbor uses it, Jane cannot go outside and becomes imprisoned in her own home. Further, her family has had to buy expensive air filters simply for her to survive in her own home.

Jane and her family have kindly asked--not demanded--that the neighbor change brands, even offering to buy a life-time supply of a similar product that Jane is not sensitive to. Instead of believing Jane, the neighbors called the police and put a restraining order on the family, claiming that Jane was lying about it all. One with even modicum of empathy would listen and respond with concern, not wrath.

This kind of selfishness is not merely rude; it is criminal. Yet the law (thus far) has done nothing to stop the ruination of a chemically-sensitive person's life by an emotionally-insensitive and calloused neighbor. Please pray for Jane all those who suffer in a similar way. Also, look into your own heart to see if you, too, may be callous to the suffering of others. I must do the same, day after day.

Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to treat others as we would like to be treated by them. This demands empathy and special concern for "the least of these." Without this, those insensitive to the chronically ill may sentence them to an even more horrible life than what they have previously experienced. We are called to be our brother's keeper, not our brother's enemy.

The Gospel for Liberia: Please help

My dear friend, Tony Weedor, is working to bring the gospel back to Liberia. Please visit his page and seriously consider supporting his work. He rather desperately needs it at this time.

Groothuis Sermon on Line

On July 10, 2011, I preached a sermon at Scum of the Earth Church in Denver called, "Why do Good Things Happen to Bad People and Bad Things Happen to Good People?" (they gave me the topic and title). You can listen to it here. It is about an hour and I get quite cranked up.