One can scarcely imagine a figure with a greater reputation for disapproval of philosophy than John Calvin. The French expatriate penned some of the most vitriolic diatribes against philosophy and its role in scholastic theology ever written. Thus, in one way, this reputation is rather well-earned, and an article upon Calvin in an encyclopedia of philosophy can be rather brief. However, in another way, Calvin’s consideration, knowledge, and use of philosophy in his own work refutes the obscurantist representation left by a surface-level reading. A closer reading of Calvin’s great work, the...

Seeing as though I have almost completed my review of the New Atheism, aptly titled A Review of the New Atheism and coming in at almost 40 pages(!), I thought that pointing you to a new book would be appropriate: R.R. Reno has a post about David Hart’s new book, Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies. A couple of quotes from Hart’s book: “By comparison to these men [Hume, Gibbon, Neitzsche] today’s gadflies seem far lazier, less insightful, less subtle, less refined, more emotional, more ethically complacent, and far more interested in facile s...

I have thus far discussed what it means to be charismatic equating a charismatic with one who adheres to a continuationist view of the “supernatural sign gifts.” In other words, a charismatic is one who believes that gifts such as prophecy (speaking on behalf of God), working of miracles, healing, tongues, and, if you so define them, word of wisdom and word of knowledge are normative for the church today and that we should expect people in the church to possess and practice them. I have said that I don’t believe that there is any compelling biblical evidence to say that the gifts have ce...