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Question: Got a question for you guys after reading a recent article from Tim Stratton. It’s titled  Can God Create a Morally Perfect Creature.  Here goes… If God is free in the libertarian sense, and he cannot sin, why could he not create us to be free and yet unable to sin as well? I’m asking because the free will defense usually assumes that a being cannot be free without at least the possibility of doing evil. That is the point Tim stresses in the first half of his articl

Bradley Bowen argues that the resurrection is highly improbable. I wrote a brief response here . Bowen has replied to my response here and here . Now, probability can be a wonderful tool in reasoning if used in the correct way. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about probability. Thus, I think it would be appropriate to discuss Bowen’s views and shed some light on the issue. Let us start by looking at conditional probability. concerns the change in probability w

In 2016, Jeffery Jay Lowder debated Frank Turek on the topic (see https://youtu.be/ENZYEPpR2Jc ). In early 2017, I wrote two articles in which I assess Lowder’s opening statement (see here and here ). It was brought to my attention that Lowder recently made some comments to my assessment (see the comment section here ). I do not usually respond to comments on blogs because (1) it takes too much of my time and (2) I think that my responses will not change many minds. Nevert

I was talking with a skeptic about the solution of the classic Euthyphro dilemma - God’s commands are good because God is good - and the skeptic asked, “If God commands rape, would that make rape good?” I replied that rape is an objectively evil act and therefore a good God would never command it. The skeptic then responded that God had in fact commanded rape in the Bible and provided a reference, Numbers 31:17-18. God ordered the Israelites, Now kill all the boys. And kill

So, it’s been way too long since I dropped my last article here at FTM; “Ethnic Epistemology Part 1”. My bad for leaving y’all hanging. When I initially outlined the points I wanted to cover in my Ethnic Epistemology series, I’d intended to keep it pretty simple. My goal was to address a few common objections to Christianity that have been gaining traction amongst African Americans and provide a few user-friendly rebuttals to them. With that being said, I think putting some d

Why think that Mere Molinism is true? If this view corresponds to reality, then two other propositions must also be true: (i) Logically prior to God’s decision to create the world, God knew everything that  would  happen in any possible scenario He  could  create (entails God’s middle knowledge). (ii) As beings created in God's image, humans, like God, possess the categorical ability to choose between a range of options, each of which is consistent with their nature. If the

Question Dear Tim, I recently watched a short interview where you were asked for the "main indicator" of libertarian free will. You mentioned that you had several reasons to think humans possess this kind of freedom but you only elaborated on one of them. Can you please describe exactly what libertarian freedom is, provide more reasons to think we possess this kind of freedom, and also explain why you believe it is so important? Also, can you please keep it as simple as po

2018 is drawing to a close, and so we present to you the top 10 most read articles of the year: 10. Whoever Reads John 3:16 Can Know that “Whoever” Is Really There - Guest blogger Brian Abasciano defends the "whoever" of John 3:16 from recent attacks by Calvinist thinkers. 9. Excusing Sinners, Blaming God, Compatibilism, & the Consequence Argument - Tim Stratton responds to "French atheist turned Calvinist" Guillaume Bignon's book, Excusing Sinners and Blaming God . 8

Here's the last of 3 episodes that we'll be releasing from Tim's appearance on the Tru-Id podcast, of which Adam Coleman is the host. Adam also is a contributor for Freethinking Ministries, so be sure to check out some of his blogging content. Here's the link to the Tru-Id podcast website http://www.truidpodcast.com/ Check out this episode!

Every year I resolve to have the best Christmas ever, and every year I’m disappointed. It’s my own fault, though, because I set my expectations so high. I just love the season so much - the lights, the music, everything. I can’t ever get enough. So I think that more of everything  is going to make this Christmas the best one ever. And I’m not the only one. It’s truly the season of More . Kids want to receive more toys than last year. Businesses want to make more money. Peopl

Here's the second of 3 episodes that we'll be releasing from Tim's appearance on the Tru-Id podcast, of which Adam Coleman is the host. Adam also is a contributor for Freethinking Ministries, so be sure to check out some of his blogging content. Here's the link to the Tru-Id podcast website http://www.truidpodcast.com/ Check out this episode!

We expect people in positions of authority to have training and experience in their respective fields. For example, I want my pilot to have  knowledge  of the helicopter in which I am a passenger, just as I want my surgeon to be proficient, and to  know  what he/she is doing before I go “under the knife!” Guessing, flipping a coin, or relying on luck just doesn’t cut it. We expect people to have knowledge. This seems to be the expectation of all who are labeled as experts or

Sorry for the late episode, but it'll be worth it. This is the first of 3 episodes that we'll be releasing from Tim's appearance on the Tru-Id podcast, of which Adam Coleman is the host. Adam also is a contributor for Freethinking Ministries, so be sure to check out some of his blogging content. Here's the link to the Tru-Id podcast website http://www.truidpodcast.com/ Check out this episode!

https://youtu.be/H9tttAy5E00 Check out Willie Herath's YouTube channel and his website ReadySetQuestion.com .

Objection: The Bible is a compendium of fire side tales and fables recounted orally for generations by goat herders and primitive tribes from the stone age, until writing was invented, and then again many different sources, transliterations, and versions were written down. There were no grand central universities to organise the many various versions of these origin stories. They were for entertainment, and to answer the questions of the many fears and mysteries of our unive

A recent  article  by Presbyterian Pastor Tim Keller calling for an openness to both American political parties by American Christians has gained a lot of attention. Writing in the  New York Times,  Pastor Keller argues that the legacy of the Christian Church’s position on social issues does not fit into our contemporary political situation today. Keller  writes : “What should the role of Christians in politics be? More people than ever are asking that question. Christians c

We've got the second part of our two-part series answering questions from the private Facebook group. Thanks so much to everyone who asked questions. We'll be sure to do it again soon. http://freethinkingministries.com/molinism-identity-worlds/ http://freethinkingministries.com/molinism-is-biblical/ Check out this episode!

When my son William was three years old, he had a bedtime ritual. My wife and I tucked him in, we said our prayers, and then I had to lay next to him, holding his hand until he fell asleep. It was sweet and I loved that my boy enjoyed my company, but some nights it would take up to an hour until he was finally asleep. So occasionally I would try to talk him into letting me go: Me: “Can daddy go now? I’ve been here a while and I have work to do.” William: “But then I’ll be a

Abstract:  In this paper, I critique Professor Asma’s article What Religion Gives Us (That Science Can’t) . I raise a three-fold objection to his claim that religion is irrational, followed by three related points of assessment. In short, I argue that his claim that religion is irrational is unwarranted. Introduction In What Religion Gives Us (That Science Can’t) , Professor Asma argues that, although irrational, religion is a needed and time-tested means for managing emoti

https://youtu.be/Kx55UCBxtJ8 Merry Christmas! FreeThinking Ministries and " Whaddo You Meme?" join forces to show the vital difference between Jesus and Santa Clause! Check out all the awesome " Whaddo You Meme?" vids on YouTube by clicking here !