Other Articles
Other Articles
These articles are primarily philosophical and represent an attempt to explore issues in a creative way using the tools of philosophy. They are far from being the final word on any topic under consideration but represent a tentative conclusion. ( We need a new reformation. The first reformation returned the church to the importance of justification by faith not by works. This second reformation is a return to the understanding that we are created beings whose first obligation is obedience to our creator rather than self realisation or self gratification. The information contained in this website is an exploration of the intellectual justification for such a change and some tentative thoughts concerning the implications of such a change)
Section 1 Philosophy
Section 2 Theology/Bible Study
Section 3 Education
Section 4 MA PHILOSOPHY ESSAYS
Section 5 PhD essays and annotated Bibliographies
Section 6 - CHRISTIAN WORKERS PROGRAMME (CWP) LECTURE NOTES (1995)
Section 1 Philosophy
Apologetics article - the following article describes how miracles, fulfilled prophecy, biology, geology and cosmology all provide evidence to show that the Bible is an accurate revelation from God https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTAvgn-JExKPU3GxrNiydI3CDc-buf_-n8H7iDL3UtkJnXiDnnFtUtKdJlZ-pcVE2_WFTBj-tW8Q9m7/pub
Updated version (May 2022)
Infallibility of the Bible
The following article is the full proposal I made for my Philosophy PhD on the infallibility of the Bible. It gives a good overview to my thinking on this matter and is pertinent to issue under consideration - which is whether it is reasonable to believe the Bible is an accurate revelation from God. (Be aware this version of the proposal has not enjoyed being transferred to Google web publishing so the pagination is not good in places and the equations have definitely not benefitted from the process!). Sadly I did not manage to get beyond the first year of my PhD as my supervisor unexpectedly died and there was no one in the Philosophy department able to take on my work.
The Spiritual World viewed as analogous to a fourth dimension.
The aim of this article is to explore how the spiritual world is handled by the Bible using the analogy of the gap between how dimensions experience reality (eg how would a 2 dimensional object experience 3 dimensional objects).
(new July 2022)
Pascal's Wager
The following article is an academic response to the usefulness of 'Pascal's Wager' in our approach to presenting the gospel. 'Pascal's Wager' involves the claim that it is rational for a person to seriously consider the claims of the gospel because wagering for God potentially results in great gain if your wager is successful, but little loss if it fails; whilst wagering against God could result in great loss if incorrect and little gain if correct. In my article I conclude that the wager is a valid approach - the structure of which bears great similarity to some of the warnings Jesus gives e.g. "For what does it profit a person if they gain the whole world but lose their soul" (Mark8:36). I also conclude that the most significant aspect of the wager is not the prospect of great gain but the avoidance of infinite loss - a point made by Jesus when He says "...do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
Miracles
The following article comes from a draft proposal for a PhD about Miracles which argues that sciences reliance on 'methodological naturalism' is inappropriate in the case of creation and a worldwide flood once we are satisfied that we live in a world in which miracles take place.
First draft of a philosophy paper defending the proposition that based on the evidence we have for modern miracles it is irrational to not believe in miracles.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQYnr3oqWu_N_tyXZHKSX06s_D-cwLoaHa2EXoVXFItWsAf5VEEj8bZHXkidp9sqqPxVx8gblH_2UMD/pub (new April 2022)
Response to David Hume's attack on Miracles published 1777
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTkEciGL2Po1S7dww0uPHcZRXpp84kP9DM2a4m9HMWR4nILMAcgv2Mj7z9hTWgD9OlcO3_fpsrHtDAN/pub (new May 2022)
List of over 80 miracles that could reasonably be said to satisfy Hume's evidential requirements.
Philosophy's duty to the rest of the academic community
The following is a very rough first draft of a paper I hope to present to a Philosophy conference in June 2023. The end product will be much longer, with more fully worked out analysis along with a bibliography and proper citations. The reason for posting this draft copy is the significance of the ultimate conclusion - that Philosophy has a duty to inform the rest of the academic community about the vastly increased confidence we can now have that the arguments from Design and from Miracles, with the help of recent developments, can supply us with very powerful evidence for the existence of God of Christianity.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRaieSodpSqhyhtR8W5i4KH8vaaXp_cthRYlDHjUIdZwx8n-lZtjb5vkSK9TDTajV6EyEnmxcCtjRkn/pub (new October 2022)
Slightly revised version of this first draft
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRaieSodpSqhyhtR8W5i4KH8vaaXp_cthRYlDHjUIdZwx8n-lZtjb5vkSK9TDTajV6EyEnmxcCtjRkn/pub (new November 2022)
A third draft
Modern Morality
Some thoughts about the inherent weaknesses found in the current claim that modern morality is an expression of universal values that are non-negotiable.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQAmTzZnkmayiCUBXKM2y7C95Q2Id1jFOayk_wIkpvXNSK-wNfyZVgZnzOPwieA5lYYOHWLZrSDb9h6/pub (new December 2022)
Animal Suffering
A copy of a first and third draft of a talk to evangelical philosophers on animal suffering and as a postscript some highly speculative comments on human suffering. (Both positions are not firm convictions but rather explorations of these issues - ultimately God knows the answer to these questions - however a godly and reverential wrestling with these issues can sometimes help us explore who God is and enter into the issues that He is dealing with. We have examples in Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Job and to some extent the Psalms and Ecclesiastes of people wrestling with God)
Third Draft
First Draft
A philosophical essay about the goodness of God.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTEUEsstJTVoPV24ukSkpTAvSH4PZTCt-BBDZVM8yG0cgEIv6rp8FWMiwxcwJbuQ0w5fhfvcmRKydlH/pub (new Sept 2021)
Annotated Bibliography on the impact of Modern Miracles on Methodological Naturalism and Divine Revelation (4,000 words!)
Annotated Bibliography on the impact of Modern Miracles on Methodological Naturalism and Divine Revelation (Full Version)
Chapter 1 of a Dissertation on Modern Miracles
The Ethics of Persuasion
Philosophy Journal - A brief exploration of the emotional side of learning and an examining of whether it is possible to escape some form of moral relativism if a culture genuinely believes 'God is dead'.
Section 2 Theology/Bible Study
Miracles
The role of miracles in authenticating divine revelation https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRdlPVKqRSB7VjA7PgNwTvfGlFHqTEh1gVvVY2I7wqlzdZopVgfkiKJ6Y3IYs-DXAO69Rr2eUkoHFzJ/pub (October 2023)
Brief summary of miracles from Kathryn Kuhlman's book I Believe in Miracles https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRjfrSYvoZU8VnvBG5sGudoHDP3ZcfyWrGT5TNVDZbMyH20XrFuI0b3R2XbUIhDMcaM62CutLMhzGha/pub (October 2023)
Recent article on Creation and Prayer - Oct 2021
Various articles on various aspects of the New Testament
Reflections on congregational singing
Why don’t men wear head coverings in church
New Testament Christianity
New Testament warnings and observations about the ‘Last Days’
How Jesus handled miracles during His ministry
The Words of Jesus
An attempt to list Jesus's teaching on Judgement
Fulfilled Prophecy
An overview of fulfilled using historicist method of interpretation
New Testament Christianity
An attempt to consider what New Testament Christianity might look like in the 21st Century
Words of Jesus and New Testament writers about the Last Days
Issues in the Last Days
Eschatology
Brief overview of various interpretations of aspects of this topic
Catechism
An attempt to produce a modern catechism based on the Evangelical Alliance statement of faith and a similar document produced by Eureka
Temptations
A brief bible study of Genesis 3
The Problem of Evil
This is an attempt to consider various positions on this topic - this is a brief summary
The Doctrine of Perspicuity
Is it reasonable to believe the main doctrines of the Bible are clear?
Nations from a Biblical perspective
A tentative and brief outline of the history of the world's nations from a Biblical perspective
Why Open Air Preaching
The Spiritual Dimension
A brief thought experiment looking at the Spirit World and its relationship with the material world
Some Reflections on what History can teach us about how to respond to current Moral Issues
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRfvemoJUrhr2M_FIJdqTw6cmbmahMY4UZvGXl9IdI8v-8pQj9GnXguEzAJ97li5jZw29AJfiACvEWV/pub (December 2022)
Reflections on the Modern World - Are we in the Last Days
How should we respond to being in the Last Days
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQPexfQE-bsZx-82VLVBbbTaDpHq4P65uLLBSeko-uBejcrsNp1LFI-zrGtp6X74jpY-Js1rtEPTLmZ/pub (September 2023)
Psalm 2 and a challenge to the Academic World
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR08LGzT-bwzBLRhJ2BpmfWK0z3UOiac9zkum1a0DLW3bTVAoxuwlMdJwnyDw2nc176kqU8o6xXcjBs/pub (December 2023)
Psalm 2 and a challenge to our leaders
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQN_6yJUUkunjwyrZ2DHY3WZFD84vSXrYz3rxLtGCtBVm_ef6-c623s2Vz434XtZATME7cgk16tqxOs/pub (February 2024)
Psalm 2 and a challenge to the BBC
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSGpSAYhBPuzdl8SsWx7wWLJVwKAbEr3gwoWBKwy1h7QcHdnnz4gaTxBBCsjVSQ644ZqXc93oJQ875u/pub (February 2024)
A reflection on Climate Change - a call for a more respectful dialogue
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRDDB07DpBmAKkpAmyo6DoHxME0xD8Dl-IY6-_pJOVBqI1_jgi5LAu6PhRVmT-D8ViYs0nNXVzNPZdk/pub (February 2024)
Section 3 Education
Some thoughts on Christian Education
Teaching Humanities
Some thoughts based on 20 years of teaching geography and history.
The following is a video presentation of this article.
God's lordship of history and geography.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRxS8shXwpZSA2JIeOCqJXGyMGSRIjrGbbfQp7likaDEFVWjy6QRZYL2cjsqr7BAtk6WSNnkmLGUuIl/pub (new May 2022)
Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration Questions
These questions are based around topics taught in the AQA GCSE History course
Christ Centred Curriculum (Schemes of Work for KS3 & KS 4 History)
Some tentative thoughts based on twenty years of teaching
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTaoA9FaxYjyd8cqH6q_UqVoEWpNpsztv0L0k5Bec-u5IYEYqXanz_b5OhPd-xerrFUVMFBSwt2ZKS3/pub (new August 2022)
Miracles and Science
This short article explores why the existence of miracles has such an important effect on science.
Article on returning to the Ancient Paths
Articles on Christian perseverance
The importance of trusting and obeying - based on a talk to school leavers
Looking unto Jesus - a Boxing Day talk in a church setting.
Article on 2010 legislation on protected characteristics
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTPbK3Kh0loMknvCH0TZlurVOb49hCf8zhjjEthk-Tt5GdC-hyER8Jg3nTZnsFy7MAOZxWZcDC7F8ss/pub (new May 2022)
A recent article on causes of death in 2023 which is helpful for getting a perspective on Modern Issues
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/abortion.was.the.leading.cause.of.death.worldwide.in.2023/141235.htm (January 2024)
Section 4 MA PHILOSOPHY ESSAYS
Resurrection of Jesus
A defence of the historicity of the resurrection accounts found in the Bible.
How should we respond to the suggestion that the Human body is a machine?
A defence of the biblical concept of the soul and an exploration what constitutes a human soul.
We stand as it were behind the wall of the body, sheltered from the eyes of others in the recesses of mind (Gregory the Great) Consciousness is as clear in his and behaviour as in myself (Wittgenstein) Who is right?
A defence of the biblical concept of the soul.
Is there a form of the good life which is good for all people, disregarding considerations of their culture or historical context?
Nietzsche appeared to destroy the possibility of a universal concept of the 'good life' but in the Bible there is a potential version of the 'good life' that is universal but this side of the second coming it must be received by faith and not by compulsion. After the second coming there appears to be no chance of entering the 'good life' unless by faith that choice that decision has already been made.
An Assessment of the Argument From Design in the Light of Modern Science
'All our ideas or more feeble perceptions are copies of our impressions or more lively ones' (Hume, Enquiry II). What does this mean, what is its importance to Hume, and should we believe it?
It seems that Hume's 'copy principle' plays a significant part in establishing the credibility of a purely materialistic worldview. If it could be shown that this principle is problematic then maybe we should reconsider our materialistic worldview.
Section 5 PhD essays and annotated Bibliographies on Suffering and Evil
The following essays and articles were produced during 2019 during the first year of my philosophy PhD. They were an attempt to understand the issues raised by the authors of the ‘Divine Evil’ - which is a collection of essays/debates on this subject by leading philosophers. As Plantinga noted, if we have a warranted belief that Christianity is true then our inability to find answers to problem of suffering is not a defeater of our faith because it is not a requirement of God that He should explain to us the reasons for suffering (see God’s response to Job to see that in action); also our own limitations means it is unlikely that we should be able determine those reasons from our own resources. However as this issue is currently a major stumbling block to many who have already rejected God because of their prior belief in evolution it is worth considering. For those who have experienced severe suffering or profound grief this material is unlikely to be appropriate as it is quite academic in its approach.
Eternal genocide
Theodicy/Defence
‘Divine Evil’ Essays
‘Divine Evil’ Annotated Bibliographies
Section 6 - CHRISTIAN WORKERS PROGRAMME (CWP) LECTURE NOTES (1995)
Age of Unbelief
Documentary Hypothesis
World History in 60 minutes
Hell and Judgement
Origin of Human Civilisation
The Exodus Problem
Israel and Eschatology
The Millennium
Possible origin of Polytheism
European Union
Conclusion
Article on returning to the Ancient paths (for longer version request by email)