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After listening to John D Caputo’s interview by Luke Mulenhauser on commonsenseatheism.com ( mp3) I decided to get John’s book, What Would Jesus Deconstruct, and see what sort of case he could build for postmodern Christianity that would compel emergent pastors like Brian McLaren to endorse it. I first encountered JackCaputo’s writings in the introduction to God, the gift, and Postmodernism, which he edited with Michael Scanlon (Indiana University Press, 1999). Since I’m not a professional philosopher, a number of the book’s chapters (sur)passed the reading comprehension capacities of my bald layman’s head, but not the introduction. There Caputo and Scanlon spoke in down-to-earth terms of our need to become “enlightened about the Enlightenment” (meaning, for my fellow less-philosophical laypeople, the eighteenth-century movement that eventually reduced reality to phenomena that could be measured and dissected by “objective” human reason). ...

On Quora I was invited to help answer the question “Is God the only possible foundation for objective morality?”. The following is my contribution. Yes, without an objective moral lawgiver the notion of an objective moral law is absurd. The fundamental question when it comes to the establishment of any moral system is where obligation is derived. From a naturalistic perspective it appears that the best we can do is describe what is and can consequently never arrive at an obligatory ought. For that, it seems that a competent moral authority is required. ...

When talking to pro-choice people I’ve often heard the sentiment that a mother’s choice trumps the child’s because of property rights. From a question I posted on Quora: Wes, also incorrect. Society establishes just termination of human life over property as well. It’s about territory/resource more than anything else. And no, as I mentioned to Herbert, acknowledging the fetus as homosapien doesn’t negate the right of a carrier. And to answer your question: In most all ancient cultures and laws and still today: the fetus has never trumped the carrier. We decide based on the residence. And the female’s rights will trump the fetus not because of biological category, but because of anatomy. ...

Healthcare is not a right. Since that sentiment has been shared quite a bit by itself, allow me to elaborate. To say something is a right is is to obligate others to perform services and provide goods in accord with that right, otherwise the right is stripped of its meaning. Traditionally rights have been seen as derived by God. So with healthcare we should ask why God is not providing that right for us in the world he has made. ...

Gabe Lyon brings into clear focus the mountains that modern Christians will need to move if they are to avoid being altogether cast from serious public consideration. In his book, The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America first accurately diagnoses the problem facing Christianity in America and then offers an excellent 10-point outline of characteristics that are common of the Christians he believes, and rightly in my estimation, are going to be the best bet in turning that tide. ...

[HT Q Ideas] [hana-flv-player video=‘http://qideas.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/flvs/mckibben-more.flv' /] “We are gradually undoing the stability that God built into our climate system.” If this is true, then what we are saying is that 1. God is a poor designer and 2. that God lied about the durability of the earth, a promise given from Genesis to Revelation. And the supposed scientific evidence cited is not nearly as solid or “settled” as Bill wants to assert. Science is simply not done by consensus. There are still large gaps in and questions about the data. ...

What if every time you indulged in a high calorie dessert like ice cream or cake you had an orgasm? Would it change the way you live? Would it change the way you conducted your life? A Colorado woman discovered she had such a condition. Gabi Jones, 25, who has a rare ­condition called persistent genital arousal ­disorder, gorges on high-calorie treats like ice cream and cakes until she has a climax. ...

I’ve weighed the evidence, listened to the best debaters, and carefully examined the scriptures. And I’ve reluctantly come to the conclusion that I simply can’t believe in it anymore. The most articulate priests and prophets were unable to persuade me of the validity of their position. And they were wholly unable to answer the serious questions I had about the sacred texts. Even in the original languages its plain that the texts are hopelessly riddled with errors and omissions. ...

Many churches in my area carry Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee. They do this because they think that it helps the farmers in 3rd world countries. From the Thousand Hills site we are told: In an effort to change the coffee industry - one of the most exploitative in the world - Land of a Thousand Hills participates in Community Trade, a term we coined to mean Directly Traded, paid for with higher-than-Fair Trade wages, and where investment in the farming community is our top priority. We believe that by paying our coffee growers just, Living Wages and supporting economic and community development in the region, not only does the region thrive with higher quality coffee, justice is pursued. Our special projects include building a sustenance farm for the region’s malnourished orphans, creating soccer programs to promote community and coffee education, giving microfinance loans to entrepreneurs, lending coffee bikes to ensure safer and more efficient travel, and donating shoes to farmers and their families. ...

I had never heard the phrase “spiritual capital” until I had the chance to review Theodore Roosevelt Malloch’s book Doing Virtuous Business: The Remarkable Success of Spiritual Enterprise for Booksneeze.com. Until I read Mr. Malloch’s book, I was only vaguely aware of corporations with a spirit-infused culture. Companies like Chick-fil-A (which surprisingly doesn’t make an appearance until the end of the book) readily spring to mind as well-known faith-based companies. But through numerous case studies to backup his claims, Mr. Malloch meticulously makes the case that doing business in a virtuous manner is the only way to ensure long term success and profitability. ...