Dr Paul Allen

“Spiritual understanding primarily consists in this sense, or taste of the moral beauty of divine things.” – Jonathan Edwards ,  Religious Affections Oh, how glad I would be if I could be of a little service to the souls of some of God ’s people the way Jonathan Edwards has been to me. Neither he nor I is an inspired spokesmen of God, as the apostles were. But we are, with them, in some measure, “stewards of the mysteries of God” ( 1 Corinthians 4:1). These stewards were household managers of the owners’ resources, handling them in a way that brought benefit to the members of the house. As a good steward, Edwards spoke of these “mysteries” — these once-hidden, now revealed wonders of God — in such a way that for forty years he has quickened my soul like no other teacher outside the Bible. What C.S. Lewis has done to waken me to the beauties of the world, Edwards has done to waken me to the beauties of God. Here is a glimpse of one way Edwards has transformed the way ...

We live in a time when "tolerance," "diversity" and "inclusivism" are considered by many cultural virtues that supersede all others. This popular relativist notion disregards something far more important: Truth.  We live in a time when "tolerance," "diversity" and "inclusivity" are considered by many to be cultural virtues that supersede all others. This popular relativist notion disregards something far more important: Truth. Yet, and to borrow from Pontius Pilate , " What is truth? " Jesus is truth. Either that or, as C.S. Lewis famously observed, He is a liar, a lunatic or the "Devil of Hell" himself. Christ was both tolerant and intolerant—utterly exclusive and wholly inclusive. He said in no uncertain terms: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" ( John 14:6 ). Let's break that down. The Way Jesus asserted over and again tha...

The 2001 Census for England and Wales revealed that 72 percent of the population identified themselves as Christian, but ten years later, this figure had dropped to 59 percent, while during the same time the proportion of those claiming no religion jumped from 15 percent to 25 percent. We can assume that “Christian” can be interpreted very loosely, but so can “no religion.” Both hide the fact that we live in an age permeated by religious pluralism. Even if we set atheists aside, huge swaths of people reject “God talk” as prejudiced radicalism and reduce quotations from the Bible as carrying no more authority than those from other religious books. Religious pluralism has inevitably spawned rampant relativism, which even claims that truth itself has been ripped from its roots. Yet archatheist Richard Dawkins’ statement that “all truth is relative” is a claim to absolute truth, so on its own terms it is false. This points to the question of ultimate authority as the most significan...

Christ Pantocrator study (Photo credit: DUCKMARX ) Religious pluralism is one of the greatest challenges facing Christianity in today’s world.  Is Jesus Christ just one way among many valid paths to God ? Pluralism conflicts with the exclusive claims of Christ and undermines Christ’s Great Commission , but according to Jesus, there is no other way to God.  We may never compromise this essential truth of the faith. Related articles Paul Verhoeven Finds Backing And A Writer For Controversial Jesus Christ Movie (deadline.com) Baidoo-Essien Makes a Critical and Important Observation in a New Book Entitled "Examining the Great Commission, A Call To Study" on How Significant the New Tomb Is to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (prweb.com) I do not understand 8-point progressive Christianity (johnmeunier.wordpress.com) 150 Titles of Christ from the Scriptures (adw.org) A Word to My Reformed Brothers in the SBC (timmybrister.com) Chrysostom Papers (apolo...

Symbol of the major religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "All religions are true." "All religions lead to God ." "All roads lead to the same destination." While I can understand the sentiment of inclusivity, this idea pictures an evil God. Religious pluralists often reject exclusivist positions for positing a cruel God who only made one way to reach him. But if all religions are true, then God is cruel. And not just cruel—God is an incompetent, cosmic child-abuser. If religious pluralism is true, then God is the father in the second scenario. He saw the train coming, yet he decided to pull the first lever and kill his son, rather than pull the second lever. Is God Cruel or Incompetent? If Islam , Buddhism , Zoroastrianism , and all the other world religions are true paths to God, then why did God kill his Son, Jesus , in order to make a way for men to come to him? The very no...

The Scutum Fidei, a diagram frequently used by Christian apologists to explain the Trinity. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Religious syms (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) George Harrison (Image via RottenTomatoes.com) Just the other day I heard the song by George Harrison called "My Sweet Lord" on the radio. Beyond the simple delightfulness of the tune typical of a Beatle, there is something about this particular song that always makes me pause to focus and reflect. I think it has something to do with its honesty, and its almost desperate longing and desire. This is a song of worship, even as it identifies the object of worship as transcending the traditional expressions of praise in the religions of both East and West.  In a general sense, the song is an invitation for us to see our particular religious traditions not as ends in themselves, but as serving the higher end of knowing a God who stands equally "behind" them al...