Nothing We Desire Can Compare With Wisdom, Proverbs 8

Review of: "Loving Wisdom" by Paul Copan.

Loving Wisdom provides solid and interesting theology, apologetics and philosophy.

The whole book is good, but I found three of the four chapters in Part III to be particularly interesting: The Problem(s) of Evil; The Hiddenness of God; and Hell.

In chapter 12, The Problem(s) of Evil, Copan has a section dealing with “Principalities and Powers”. I don’t recall seeing much reference to the effects of “principalities and powers” in other apologetic treatments of the problem of evil. It was a helpful perspective.

Chapter 13, dealt with “The Hiddenness of God” providing some probing thoughts on the matter. For example, to those who complain that God does reveal himself clearly enough, Copan suggests that perhaps, “the more evidence one has of God, the more resentful one might become toward him.” Copan quotes atheist Thomas Nagel who confesses that “he doesn’t want there to be a God.” I’ve read similar expressions from other atheists. For a person who feels this way, to have more revealing evidence from God of His existence probably would not be helpful or desired.

Chapter 15, “Hell”, was also interesting. One of the more fascinating ideas that Copan suggests is that in hell resistance to God is likely to increase rather than decrease. Says Copan, “despite hell’s miseries, the condemned wouldn’t prefer God’s presence; resistance continues in hell. The more they would be exposed to God, the more they would come to hate him.” In other words, it’s not likely that those in hell will be saying, “Hey, I’ve changed my mind, God, I love you! I’m ready for heaven now! Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound . . . !” He refers to the rich man suffering in Hades (Luke 16) pointing out that he “doesn’t necessarily prefer a God-centered existence; he just wants relief.”

I’ve also noticed that having read “Loving Wisdom” I feel much wiser. It’s almost as if I’ve had a Solomonic wisdom injection. You can probably tell just from reading this book review, huh? It’s clear that those who know me can sense a difference, they’ve started calling me, “Mr.-Know-It-All”.

That’s a good sign, right?

Dan Marler
Oak Lawn, IL

Have You Lied To Any Nazis Lately?

Review of "When God Goes To Starbucks", Paul Copan

Books which are written to answer “real” questions with practical, real-life wisdom need to grapple honestly, then, with the kind of authentic issues that cause people concern. Paul Copan’s, “When God Goes To Starbucks” does that admirably.

What are some of those real questions? Well, for example . . .

“Is it okay to lie to Nazis?”

[By the way, according to Copan, the answer is yes, “deception is morally permissible . . . under certain specific conditions.” But you have to read chapter 3 in the book to get the full explanation.]

“Does the Bible condemn loving, committed homosexual relationships?”

“Aren’t the Bible’s ‘Holy Wars’ just like Islamic Jihad?”

“Why are Christians so divided? Why so many denominations?”

[Copan is a very smart and highly educated man, but, he missed the obvious correct answer to these two questions. It’s simple to see that Christians wouldn’t be divided if everyone would just come to see things my way.]

Oh well, he did a pretty good job, other than that.

Copan has written several books along the lines of “When God Goes To Starbucks” and he does a good job of writing in a way that is accessible to regular people and, yet, provides thoughtful answers that are not so lightweight that they lack genuine intellectual substance.

From one of those “regular people” . . .

Dan Marler
Oak Lawn, IL

Review of "Passionate Conviction"

"Passionate Conviction" is a collection of essays gathered from several Christian apologetics conferences which were held by the Evangelical Philosophical Society, “the largest society of Christian philosophers in the world”. Counting the president of the society, their membership is now up to three.

That’s a joke. Relax. Actually, there are a significant number of Christian philosophers.

The book is divided into six parts with each part containing at least two essays:

Part 1, Why Apologetics?
Part 2, God (which includes arguments for His existence)
Part 3, Jesus
Part 4, Comparative Religions
Part 5, Postmodernism and Relativism
Part 6, Practical Application

It is a good and helpful book, although, it is typical of books on apologetics in that the writing can be a little dry. In fact, if you will quickly fan the pages of the book you will actually get a little poof of dust. (I know, the jokes are getting worse as we go along, but I’m amusing myself, slightly.)

My favorite chapters were:

In Intellectual Neutral, by William Lane Craig. Craig argues for the importance of deep thinking and study—in other words, “the intellectual life”—to the life of faith. He quotes J. Gresham Machen, “The church is perishing to-day through the lack of thinking, not through an excess of it.”

Living Smart, by J.P. Moreland. This deals with “integration” which has to do with unifying areas of our lives that involve diversity and yet, are part of the whole of who we are and what we believe as followers of Christ.

Christ in the New Age, by L. Russ Bush. It’s interesting how many really old ideas have become part of what is now considered to be “New Age” thinking. It’s also interesting to see how effectively New Age thinking has penetrated and influenced American culture; including the Christian church.

Reflections on McLaren and the Emerging Church, by R. Scott Smith. I found this chapter interesting because I find the “Emerging Church” movement to be interesting. I’m somewhat fascinated by what “catches on” and captures the thinking of a group of people. By the way, for a very helpful book on the subject of the Emerging Church, check out “Why We’re Not Emergent”, DeYoung and Kluck.

Dan Marler

Are You Ready For Some Verbal Judo?

Review of "The Irrational Atheist" by Vox Day.

Sarcasm? Check.
Witty jabs? Check.
Tender words of warmth and kindness? Check. (Not!)

Vox Day’s “The Irrational Atheist” is a little edgier and a little more aggressive than most books that could be labeled “Christian apologetics”, but that’s part of what makes it interesting to read. And Vox’s logical critique of Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens is sort of like a philosophical straight jab to the solar plexus. Can you tell I’ve been waiting for a long time to be able to throw some martial arts references into a book review?

Day actually extends a little more respect to Daniel Dennett because Dennett’s “Breaking The Spell” is “substantially different than” the books written by Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens. Although Day strongly disagrees with Dennett’s conclusions he feels that Dennett, at least, offers a “reasonable perspective” and that Dennett’s “intellectual honesty” is “refreshing”.

Day gives a strong argument for atheism’s failure as a worldview and particularly it’s failure as a political system by sharing some of atheism’s sad history. Yes, there are some stains in Christianity’s history, as well. That can never honestly be denied and Day addresses that subject. But it’s fair to do a little comparison. Over the course of more than 300 years 3,230 people were killed in the Spanish Inquisition. That’s 3,230 too many and it’s an embarrassment to Christians. But compare that to this: “the total body count for the ninety years between 1917 and 2007 is approximately 148 million dead at the bloody hands of fifty-two atheist [regimes], three times more than all the human beings killed by war, civil war, and individual crime in the entire twentieth century combined. The historical record of collective atheism is thus 182,716 times worse on an annual basis than Christianity’s worst and most infamous misdeed, the Spanish Inquisition.”

Is “The Irrational Atheist” gentle? No. Is it convincing? Yes.

Dan Marler
Oak Lawn, IL

Note: Day uses a few swear words in the book. If that would be offensive to you then you shouldn't read "The Irrational Atheist".

http://www.visitusonline.org/