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Thursday, September 11th, 5:00-7:00 PM Pacific Time
The Knowledge of God
Michael Taylor
What can man know about God? What can we, as finite individuals, discern about the infinite? These questions have been asked in every society and every age. Man exhibits a religious impulse. At the very least, he must have some idea of divinity fixed in his mind. In this, even atheists can be categorized with the rest of humanity, since they define themselves as rejecting the concept of God. But because the search is common to all, myriads of different ideas have sprung up. This presents a problem. On the one hand, we have diverse concepts of what we can know about God. On the other hand, only one concept can be true. But this issue is multifaceted, and can be approached from many different angles. As we see in the Bible, how we stand before God greatly influences what we can know about Him. And God is present to all areas of our humanity, from faith through to experience and reason.
Thursday, October 9th, 5:00-7:00 PM Pacific Time
An Examination of the Rationality of Theistic Proofs
Evelyn Blacklock
Philosophers have long aspired to prove the existence of God by means of rational argument. Aristotle and Aquinas used the principles of cause and effect to demonstrate the existence of an “Unmoved Mover” or First Cause. Anselm formulated the renowned “ontological argument,” claiming that the very idea of God necessarily implied His being. Other philosophers, however, notably David Hume, refuted the theistic proofs, maintaining that God’s existence could never be demonstrated by means of pure logic. Who was correct? Is it possible to prove the existence of God on entirely rational grounds? More importantly, is it reasonable even to attempt to formulate an “absolute proof” of God’s existence?
Thursday, November 13th, 5:00-7:00 PM Pacific Time
Thomas Aquinas understanding of the applicability of Biblical principle to civil law with applications made to divorce legislation.
Christians often struggle to understand the relationship between the city of God and the city of Man. Should civil society be brought under the sway of Biblical principle or should unbelievers be allowed to choose for themselves whether to follow the rules given in the Bible? Aquinas answer to this question is clear and yet flexible. After giving a basic presentation of his position, this lecture will attempt to develop a prudent understanding of how to deal with a portion of civil law that has both secular and spiritual repercussions- divorce.
Thursday, December 11th, 5:00-7:00 PM Pacific Time
Thursday, January 8th, 5:00-7:00 PM Pacific Time
What Makes a Christian Education Christian?
“What makes a Christian education Christian?” Is it education taught by Christian teachers? Education learned by Christian children and youth? Education concerned with Christian subjects? Education with devotions “on the side”?
Why do parents choose to pay the price, financially and otherwise, to send their children to a Christian academy or home school when there is a public school nearby that our tax dollars are going to support, whether or not our children benefit from it?
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
5:00-7:00 PM Pacific TimeThe significance of Plato and Aristotle and their insights regarding homosexuality for our thinking about “natural law” and “gay marriage.”
Dr. Norm Lund
Christians are routinely vilified as “homophobic” for opposing “gay marriage.” Yet even Thomas Jefferson viewed homosexuality as “the infamous crime against nature” (citing Sir William Blackstone: Commentaries, 1765-69), based not only on the Bible, but also the conclusions of ancient pagan philosophers. What did Plato and Aristotle think about homosexuality, and what can that teach us about “natural law” (as referred to in the Declaration of Independence: “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”) and a proper civil response to “gay marriage.”