April 27, 2012

Christian Student Vs. Atheist Professor-The Professor's Concluding Remarks

The time has come to start bringing our discussion of the Christian Student vs. Atheist Professor to an end. In this post we will take a look the professor's closing remarks;


Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

April 26, 2012

Christian Student Vs. Atheist Professor-Challenge and Response 2: Scientific Method

Today we are continuing our look at the parable of the Christian student vs. the Atheist professor by looking at the professor's second challenge and the student's response. The professor's first challenge was centered on the presence of evil. The professor's second challenge takes us in a different direction. Here is the professor's challenge;

April 24, 2012

Christian Student Vs. Atheist Professor-Challenge and Response 1: The Presence of Evil

Finally after our opening comments, and one slight detour it is time to starting working our way through the story of the Christian student verses the Atheist Professor.

The first challenge the professor gives to the existence of God is the existence of evil. A little more than a year ago I tackled this question in five different posts (1 2 3 4 5) so I won't go into great length here. Instead I want to make some quick comments on what the professor says and then talk about the response from the student.

April 20, 2012

Christian Student Vs. Atheist Professor- Afraid of School

We are going to take one more post to speak in broad strokes about the apocryphal story about Einstein as a Christian student facing down an unnamed atheist professor. I think it is important to put into words the reason why this and other like stories tend to be repeated.

Many Christians are afraid of universities.

April 18, 2012

Christian Student Vs. Atheist Professor- It's not true

As I mentioned earlier we are dealing with the story about young student Christian Einstein facing off against a older unnamed Atheist professor. There are some good points about this story, and we'll get to those later. But before that we are going to deal with some of the flaws. The first, and most glaring of them is;

THIS STORY IS NOT TRUE!

Christian Student Vs. Atheist Professor- The Story


I have heard/read this story plus of minus a few details a number of times. And it seems to be making it's rounds on Facebook again right now so I feel it bares reflection. There are a number of items that are good about this tale, but a great many that are incorrect and not overly helpful. I originally thought I would do this all in one sitting. But then I realized I would have a blog post as long as a term paper, which no one would read in one sitting (including me) .Instead we're are going to take some time to pull this parable apart piece by piece and really try and think clearly about it.

Without further adieu here is the story;

April 12, 2012

Holy Week 2012 Collection

Sometimes it is just helpful to have everything all in one spot. In that light here is the 2012 Holy Week Collection;

Palm Sunday- A reflection on not missing the grandeur of Jesus and his mission.

Holy Monday- Jesus offering healing and grace in the temple just after he cleared it.

Holy Tuesday- A reflection on giving to Caesar what is his and giving to God what is his.

Holy Wednesday- Is Judas the only one who betrays Jesus?

Maundy Thursday- Reflecting on attending my first Tenebrae service

Good Friday- Are we too busy to take notice of Christ?

Holy Saturday- Today is the day to take time and embrace pain, sorrow and confusion

Easter Sunday- God provided me with some odd weather to help me reflect on the true meaning of Easter.

Thank you to everyone who read one or all of these. I hope they helped you prepare for Easter even half as much as the helped me.


A Remembered Love

I had a wonderful time last night.

That is what I kept thinking to myself once I got home. Ok maybe not always in those words, I subbed in 'great', 'fun' and a few other synonyms for good measure but you get the idea. Last night I had a great time. Now before you ask no my wife and I did not get to enjoy a date last night. Nor did I have a night with 'the boys' (whoever they are) or some well earned time with one of my many gaming devices.

No last night I helped out a friend with his youth ministry, and it felt great.

April 10, 2012

Stillness Is Not One Of My Strengths

When I first begin to look for my first apartment, one that I would need in September 2006 I started looking in January 2006. Every time I spoke to a landlord they told me I was pretty much insane. If I wanted an apartment in a university town starting in September ask them in May, maybe June.

I have done the same thing every time I have needed a new place to live. As soon as I know I will need it, even if it is six months down the line I start looking, and Landlords tell me to stop bothering them. I have come to two inescapable conclusions;

I am terrible at waiting.

And I hate loose ends.

April 8, 2012

Holy Week-Easter 2012- A White Easter


Today I woke up to what I think was a strange sight. A fresh cost of snow covering the ground on Easter morning. Which was a little odd, but it was great reminder.

First I found it odd because in a lot of ways the snow was at odds with so much of the Easter imagery I am used to seeing.

April 7, 2012

Holy Saturday 2012 Redux-What Do You Do When Nothing Is Happening?


Holy Saturday. Is there such a thing? Good Friday has come and gone. Jesus was arrested, tired, crucified, has died and is buried. Easter Sunday is a whole day away. So where does that leave us on the Saturday of Holy week? Is there such a thing as Holy Saturday? Or should we just skip over this day entirely and go about our normal lives until Sunday?

Many would do so. I am sure many people go to a Good Friday service and are reminded of the sacrifice of Jesus. Likewise I am sure many people attend a Easter service to celebrate Jesus' defeat of death. But what about Saturday? There are few services to attend, and no obvious action of Jesus to mediate on; is today just a day to ignore?

You could, but if do you'll miss a lot.

April 6, 2012

Good Friday 2012-Where Would You Be?

I have what I think might be a strange habit. Whenever I read a biblical story, I try to picture myself there. I want to know where would I be in this story. More to the point I want to know who would I be in the story.

The events of Good Friday are no exception. I want to know where would I be and what I would be doing had I been in Jerusalem during Good Friday.

April 5, 2012

Holy Week 2012 Maundy Thursday- Darkened Night

This blog is late. Sort of.

I should have said earlier that I wanted to wait and write this post after I went to my first Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service. I wanted the experience of 'darkness' well on my mind and in my soul before I attempted to talk about tonight.

Because tonight is a dark night.

April 4, 2012

Holy Wednesday 2012- All Is Not Well

Holy Wednesday was a quiet day for Jesus and most of his disciples. But not for all of his disciples. It seems that while Jesus and most of the gang were taking the day off Judas was at work. Tradition holds that it was today that Judas reached out to the Pharisees and Sadducees about turning Jesus over to them.

April 3, 2012

Holy Tuesday 2012-Penny For Your Thoughts

Holy Tuesday contains my favorite sets of passages in the gospels. It is the showdown at the Temple. Picture it with me. Yesterday Jesus spent the morning clearing the Temple and the afternoon healing the sick and blessing the children in the newly freed up space. The religious leaders were fuming that Jesus would dare to come to their city and pull such a stunt.

They wanted him punished. But first they need the crowd to turn against him. And today on what is now known as Holy Tuesday it was time to try and do just that.

April 2, 2012

Holy Monday 2012- From The Mouths Of Babes

I don't know how I have missed it. I have lost count how many times I have read the Gospels but I honestly felt like I have never seen this passage tucked just after Jesus clears the temple;

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?”
Matthew 21:14-16

April 1, 2012

Holy Week-Palm Sunday 2012

Every time I think of Palm Sunday I have Sunday School felt board flash backs. I remember little felt Jesus, wearing his little felt blue sash riding on his little felt donkey, past the group of 5 or so little felt men. The picture is so vivid that I sometimes have difficultly remembering that this is not just a "children's story."