Category: Blog
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Other gods?
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. I am sometimes asked how I know my God is the true God. How do I know the Aztec god or the gods of Olympus are not real gods?Here is a short (blog length!) response. People curious about more information should read Scaling the Secular City. First, we must ask ourselves…
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I am not Fluffy
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. Jane wants a dog. That is a problem. Aristotle, the Wonder Dog, is already with us and he is enough to torment any family. At seven years old, Jane lacks the rhetorical and cleaning skills to make an effective argument to She Who Must Be Obeyed. Therefore, Jane has solved her…
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Two Frequent Secular Charges
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. Frequently when I chat with friends who do not believe in God they will insist on two things. I find both things odd. First, some secularists assert that religious people “cannot question,” but scientists must. Of course, there are some religious people who are dogmatic (in the bad sense). I have…
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A Simple Argument Against Secularism
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. Frequently, internet atheists argue that the American Constitution is a secular document. In one way, they are of course right. From a Christian point of view the Constitution governs the “secular authority.” It is for the City of Man and not the City of God. This is just a traditional Western…
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Happy Holidays
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. I love holidays. Just hearing, “Happy holidays!” normally makes me happy. Not today. Who knows why? If blogs are supposed to be, at least partly, about self-reflection, then let me say that today is one of those days when I am tired of myself. Tired of my thoughts on politics. Tired…
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Atheism, Spiritualism, and Me
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. Lately, secularism has fallen into name calling as a substitute for argument. After the election, secularists have been active in calling believers bad names. They simply refuse to acknowledge that most people are theists for sensible reasons. First, people have experiences of the divine that they try to understand. They are…
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Can a Christian love the dialectic?
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. I am a Christian and not just any kind of Christian, but the most robust kind: a Christian who believes the creeds are true and that the Bible is infallible. I don’t think much of modernity and tradition seems a better guide to behavior than the front page of the LA…
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From the Heart of Jesus
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. The heart of Jesus Christ was pierced by a lance and from it came blood and water. Longinus is the name given to the soldier who dared touch the Lord Glory. Tradition tells us that one drop of blood from the wound converted Longinus. Augustine writes that the blood and water…
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On Opposing Tyrants
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. Athens, the world’s first experiment in democracy, was eventually overtaken by the tyranny of Philip and Alexander of Macedonia. One man, Demosthenes, argued for his entire political life for a concentrated assault on Philip. He was sometimes heard and sometimes ignored. In his otherwise excellent history The Ancient Greeks, Fine argues…
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The Problem of Pleasure: Why I Am a Christian
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. Thanks to Craig Hazen, I was able to speak to a group of five thousand Christians at Biola. Here are my remarks. The Problem of Pleasure My daughter Jane is six, a very precocious six. She has formed a new club with her friends called The Hanging-Out Girls. When I…
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Book Review: “The Complete Stories,” Flannery O’Connor
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. Amazon.com: Books: The Complete Stories O’Connor is difficult for me. She challenges every notion I hold about race, women, and the culture. She is such a clear writer and her work is dark without being morbid. O’Connor is the rare writer who is willing to parody the intellectual class without glorifying…
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When Should Christians View “Tough” Movies?
John Mark Reynolds, 2004. I have been asked to spell out more clearly when I think I can see a “tough” movie. Here some initial guidelines I use. I hope they start discussion. I am assuming that no one wishes to harm their own soul and that films can do this. At the very least,…