November 19. 2008

"The focus on plausibility is indicative of the focus on trying to convince others. We want others to believe and so we work on persuading them. This turns philosophy into a branch of marketing. What I find plausible says a great deal about me but nothing about what is true."
- Owen Anderson, in an interview by Joe Gorra (www.epsociety.org)

November 18, 2008

"My concern about proofs for the existence of God is threefold. First, they are viewed as nice but not necessary; second, plausibility is thought to be sufficient; third, they do not identify the real challenge. By way of contrast, I believe it is necessary for the central claims of Christianity that there be no excuses for unbelief. This means that all alternative views of the metaphysical absolute - what is eternal, claims about the material world existing from eternity, about God and the world being co-eternal, about the world as an illusion in the mind of eternal consciousness, must be addressed."
- Owen Anderson, in an interview by Joe Gorra (www.epsociety.org)

November 7th, 2007

"In his message to the Athenians, Paul not only established a common ground, he grounded their differences in thoughts that included philosophers they respected. He saw them as neighbors. . . . Within this crowd of first century Greek philosophers, the unique apologetic challenges were many. But Paul's presentation was deftly suited to their specific worldviews, pursuits, and ideals. Far from using apologetics as weaponry, Paul spoke to a crowd who had invited him to answer their questions. He spoke not to obstacles or enemies, but to men and women made in the image of the very God he stood before them to proclaim."
- Jill Carattini (www.rzim.org) "Obstacles, Enemies, and Neighbors"