Monthly Archives: January 2014

augustine embraced violence on his critics

Posted on January 10, 2014 by christopher fisher

From Augustine’s letter to Vincentius: 16. You now see therefore, I suppose, that the thing to be considered when any one is coerced, is not the mere fact of the coercion, but the nature of that to which he is … Continue reading →

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how to have a rational discussion

Posted on January 10, 2014 by christopher fisher

A meme on facebook:

Posted in critical thinking, Uncommon Sense | Leave a comment

quotable quote on open theism

Posted on January 10, 2014 by christopher fisher

From twitter user nimberlake: “The future is not created yet. We create it together with God.” When a man wishes to marry a woman, the same theme applies. He sees her has building a future with him. He chooses her … Continue reading →

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huffpo gets something right

Posted on January 10, 2014 by christopher fisher

From a post titled “5 Common Misconceptions About the Bible“: The character “Yahweh” in the Hebrew Bible should not be confused with the god of western theological speculation (generally referred to as “God”). The attributes assigned to “God” by post-biblical … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Omniscience, Textual Criticism | Leave a comment

the historicity of the resurrection

Posted on January 8, 2014 by christopher fisher

From NT Wright’s Surprised by Hope. After talking about various alternative secular theories about Jesus, he writes: [W]e must at least note that the main alternative accounts, the revisionist proposals, lack explanatory power… But at this moment in the argument … Continue reading →

Posted in Church History, History, Jesus | 1 Comment

the circumcision slaughter

Posted on January 8, 2014 by christopher fisher

In an odd Bible story, a Jewish woman is raped, her rapist wishes to marry her, the woman’s brothers demand that the rapist’s people be circumcised, and after they are all circumcised the brothers go in and kill them all: … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, History, Jewish History | 2 Comments

misquoted verses – all days were written before there were any

Posted on January 4, 2014 by christopher fisher

Psalms 139 is held by Calvinists to be their strong proof text for various doctrines. In verse 16, depending on the translation, states that “the days were fashioned for me, when as yet there were none” (NKJV): Psa 139:16 Your … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Calvinism, God, Misquoted Verses, Omniscience, Open Theism, Theology | 2 Comments

treat burglary like abortion

Posted on January 3, 2014 by christopher fisher

A 2008 letter to the editor I wrote. It always makes me chuckle. One person replied “I spit out my coffee when I read this”:

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misquoted verses – vegetarians are weak and wine makes people stumble

Posted on January 3, 2014 by christopher fisher

Throughout Paul’s writings we find him addressing two food issues: 1. Kosher food laws. 2. Meat sacrificed to idols. When Paul writes about food, it is about one or both of these two issues. His statements should be understood in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Greek History, History, Misquoted Verses, Morality, Theology | 1 Comment

cortes – hero for Christianity

Posted on January 2, 2014 by christopher fisher

Hernan Cortes (16th century Spanish Conquistador and Conqueror of Mexico) has a terrible reputation in the modern culture. He is seen as having bloodlust for gold, but as historian William H Prescott explains, Cortes actually had a bloodlust for God. … Continue reading →

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