Absolution and the Necessity of the Church

To most Protestants the Lutheran practice of public confession and absolution is either considered weird, unbiblical, too Catholic, or dangerous (or perhaps a combination of the above), but as I’ve asked various Lutheran pastors about the purpose of confession and absolution I’ve never received an answer that was weird, unbiblical, or too Catholic (in my [...]

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Why I Study Philosophy

[This is a portion of an essay I've written for my applications to graduate schools. All schools that I'm applying to so far require that applicants submit an essay on why they want to study philosophy. Here's a portion of my essay so far. I'd be happy to receive any advice from philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Those who might consider pointing out that [...]

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There’s Humor in Theology 22

David Hume relished each opportunity to ridicule the Christian faith according to his rationalistic presuppositions.
I believe, indeed, that there is no tenet in all paganism which would give so fair a scope to ridicule as this of the real presence. For it is so absurd, that it eludes the force of all argument. There are [...]

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To Will Is Human; to Understand It Is Divine

A lot of discussions on human will revolve primarily around the question of its freedom. Is the human will free? If so, what does it mean to be free? But there are more rudimentary questions that preclude any discussion of the freedom of the will: what is a “will” and what does it mean to [...]

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