There is an oft quoted line from Jacques Derrida, “There is nothing outside of the text.” By this he doesn’t mean that there is no real world, but rather, that all we can ever do is interpret. We can never get beyond interpretation to the pure realm of unmediated experience: to see is to interpret. … Continue reading Faith and Truth
One question I have been grappling with for a few months now is this: What is it about Jordan Peterson that subverts the approach of both the new atheists and the evangelical apologists? I have noticed that there is a pattern of thinking or, as I like to put it a “mode of being” that … Continue reading What the New Atheists and the Christian Apologists Miss about Jordan Peterson
“Christendom has done away with Christianity, without being quite aware of it,” Kierkegaard wrote in 1850, “the consequence is that if anything is to be done, one must again try to introduce Christianity into Christendom.” This notion of “introducing Christianity into Christendom” is near the heart of Kierkegaard’s project. It helps explain Kierkegaard’s curious method … Continue reading Postmodernism as God’s Judgement on Christendom
Walker Pearcy’s novel, The Moviegoer is a story of the modern condition. The main character, Binx Bolings feels “sunk in everydayness,” battles malaise, and searches for God knows what. Binx describes feeling like an “anyone” who is “anywhere.” He, like many in the modern age, experiences a sense of being uprooted, abstracted out of existence, … Continue reading The Meaning Crisis, The God-man and Communal Living
Esther O'Reilly and Adam Friended recently had a conversation on evolution and morality which sparked some conversation within my online circles. After reading Paul Vanderklay's response to the conversation, on his blog, I thought I would add my own thoughts the conversation. I believe there are four stages of morality, the greater your conception of … Continue reading Fideistic Morality: Responding to Adam Friended and Esther O’Reilly
Prelude “Away from Speculation! Back to Christianity!” Kierkegaard writes. This short statement encapsulates one of the central themes of Kierkegaard’s thought: (the parts I’ve read anyhow) that Christianity is to be approached subjectively, not objectively. The objective approach, is, to Kierkegaard, the dispassionate pursuit of WHAT is true. The individuals personal feelings and passions are … Continue reading Kierkegaard critiques the Objective Approach
In the last few days/weeks I have written several posts dealing with broad, abstract things: Truth, goodness, beauty, the monarchical vision, God, heaven and earth and so fourth. I do have a weakness for the broad and abstract, the heavenly instead of the earthly and the practical. One thing I’ve noticed is that Jesus doesn’t … Continue reading The Particular Individual
The following essay is an extended version of a speech I gave on the topic of social media. The piece is directed to a Christian and specifically Hutterite audience. I have omitted some culture-specific references that don't apply to most readers. I don’t use social media. In the last few years, I have deleted my … Continue reading Social Media and I: The Pernicious Effects of Social Media.
This is part three of a three part series. Part one can be found here, part two can be found here. This is where we return to our original question, how can a person, Jesus, claim to be the truth? To answer this question, we need to outline the Christian narrative in broad strokes, beginning … Continue reading What is Truth? Part 3: The Incarnation
Coffee with Kierkegaard 