I should have posted this sooner, but in case you haven’t already found a way to help the situation in Haiti, here are some links to some good charities:
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December 1, 2009
The new Philosophers’ Carnival can be found here. Of personal interest, it’s being hosted by an undergrad at my alma mater.
October 31, 2009
Today is one of the highlights of my yearly calendar, namely, Reformation Day! (Or, if you are partial to rhymes, Reformation Celebration.) It was on this day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Church door – an event that is widely considered to be the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. Because of God’s use of Martin Luther and other reformers like John Calvin, John Knox, Ulrich Zwingli, etc. (and perhaps more importantly the martyrs before them – e.g. Patrick Hamilton, Jan Hus, etc.) we now have the five ‘solas’ that stand at the center of our Reformed faith: Sola Scriptura! Sola Fide! Sola Gratia! Solo Christo! Soli Deo Gloria!
That said, how does one go about celebrating Reformation Day? Here are some ways I’ve celebrated in the past:
- Dress up like your favorite Reformer (it is, after all, Halloween)
- Play a Reformation trivia game of some sort
- Drink beer that is somehow (perhaps very tenuously) related to Reformation Day – e.g. any German beer (I’m partial to Warsteiner) or any beer that is remotely ecclesiastical /reformational (e.g. Augustijn, Blackfriars, or, of course, Calvinus – the king of Reformation beers!)
- Eat Chocolate Indulgence cake (har har) or other (loosely) Reformation-related food (you may have to use your imagination).
- Visit your local martyrs memorial, which is, admittedly, easier to do in some parts of the world than others (St Andrews, for example, has an obelisk dedicated to Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart, (both of which were executed in St Andrews) and other martyrs of the Reformation era)
- Watch the movie Luther (2003)
Concerning Luther: This has to be one of my favorite movies. Sure it is one sided (a Roman Catholic will not feel that their position is fully/accurately represented). And sure it is a bit Hollywoodized (Joseph Fiennes, who plays Luther, looks very little like the man himself…)
But, I think this is what you’d expect. It is a phenomenal story and there are times in which I simply want to stand and cheer. As someone who loves Christ and his Truth as well as the Reformation and the reformed worldview, I highly commend the movie. If only they would come out with a movie about Calvin, Zwingli, or Knox…
Anyway, in closing, here is the momentous scene from the movie where Luther makes his stand at the Diet of Worms:
Happy Reformation Day! Praise the Lord! Soli Deo Gloria!
September 14, 2009
William P. Alston: 1921-2009
Posted by Ian M. Church under Christian Philosophy in General, Epistemology, Reformed Epistemology, Uncategorized1 Comment
The preeminent Reformed philosopher William P. Alston passed away yesterday. His contributions to epistemology (especially Reformed Epistemology), philosophy of language, and Christian philosophy in general are extremely valuable; they will surely prove edifying for years to come. What is more, Alston, by the grace of God, pioneered a revival in Christian philosophy and was one of the founders of The Society of Christian Philosophers and the journal Faith and Philosophy. Though this is truly a sad event for those of us who remain, we, as Christians, do not “grieve as others do who have no hope” (I Thessalonians 4:13).
My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. He will be missed.
ADDENDUM (from Certain Doubts):
- From an email from The Society of Christian Philosophers: “Bill Alston, 87, died earlier today, September 13, 2009, at his home in Jamesville, NY. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just the week before last.”
- A biography of Alston can be found here: http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~howardd/alston/alstonforthoemmes.pdf
- A bibliography of Alston’s works can be found here: http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~howardd/alston/bibliographies/writingsbyalston/writingsbyalston.htm
July 14, 2009
As most of you know, John Calvin’s birthday was last Friday the 10th. If you are dorky like myself, you may want a picture for your desktop wallpaper to celebrate this fact, so…
March 6, 2009
www.PhilPapers.org: “PhilPapers’ purpose is to facilitate the exchange and development of philosophical research through the internet. Our service gathers and organizes philosophical research on the Internet, and provides tools for philosophers to access, organize, and discuss this research.”
It is a truly fantastic resources, and it is shameful that I haven’t posted it sooner.
March 1, 2009
A Ph.D. Student’s Blogging Dilemma
Posted by Ian M. Church under What is this ReformedPhilosophy.com?[5] Comments
Blogging is, as far as I can tell, ‘the thing to do’ in philosophy these days, so I have an interest in both participating in that world and in building a viable and robust blog for my name to be attached to; as you may have noticed, however, I have been doing a less then admirable job of writing for Reformed Philosophy as of late. This is because I have been wrestling with a dilemma – a dilemma concerning what to post. On the one hand, as a Ph.D. student who is pursuing a career in academia, I want to be very protective of my work. Given the current job market, there is tremendous pressure to publish, so anything I’ve spent a suitable amount of time polishing (especially anything directly related to my dissertation) I shouldn’t post since someone might snag it and publish it before I get the chance. On the other hand, I don’t want to post something that I haven’t spent enough time polishing, since, after all, my name will still be attached to it. I certainly have my pocket-hypotheses on a wide array of topics, but I have not invested the time or done the research to write them in a professional fashion.
So as it stands, I don’t want to post work that I’ve spent sufficient time polishing, but, then again, I don’t want to post work that I haven’t spent sufficient time polishing either. What, then, is a blogging Ph.D. student to do? I’m not entirely sure. One answer is to post work that is in the grey area in between publishable and mere opinion; topics that I have done some research on but not enough to where I’ll be able to publish on the matter anytime soon. But can this be right? Is the value and purpose of a philosophy blog really so limited? To be fair, one can post on more than philosophy proper, one can post on relevant news in current affairs, book reviews, etc.; nonetheless, surely philosophy (proper) is or should be a pillar of any philosophy blog.
I don’t have a great answer for this dilemma yet; any feedback, as always, is appreciated.
