Positivism One of the topics I talk about is Positivism. Do you recall when Jack @ Sigma Frame and Bruce Charlton temporarily came together for a short dialogue in “Is the Σ Frame Blog Positivistic or Prophetic?” Jack is a big fan of Bruce Charlton. Charlton’s blog features prominently on Sigma …

Bruce Charlton has some interesting thoughts (emphasis added): My primary objection in “Dr. Michael Heiser” might be summarized rather plainly: he’s joined countless others in unnecessarily adding his own requirements to “being-a-Christian.” Do not question, do not examine. Just accept and obey. Whether it be Heiser, Radix Fidem, or the occult mystics in …

I’m sure many would read my recent series of articles and grumble “that’s just Derek proof-texting again.” Consider Ed Hurst’s statement from 2016: See that part about proof-texting? To wit: The claim of proof-texting is an ad hominem: it’s a claim about someone’s motivations, not merely their objective actions, that is, …

These are great questions written in response to my comment here. Let’s dive in. The First Question This question requires a careful, thoughtful response. The New Testament instructs the church to be mutually submitting to each other as to Christ. Out of love and respect, Christians are to defer to …

Lately voting has been a popular topic of discussion, both here and elsewhere. John C. Wright—a former lawyer—summarizes the allegations of voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election. “Vote Fraud 2020“ Bruce Charlton wrote an article with a self-explanatory title: “Voluntarily to participate in voting; is to invite evil into …

After I wrote and posted “Emotion and Intellect” and “Making Your Own Choice,” I woke up to find this comment by Catacomb Resident at Sigma Frame which directly applies to what I said there: This is very nearly a summary of everything I have been saying. In “Heart and Mind” …

After I had starting writing the other post for today, “Emotion and Intellect,” I saw that Catacomb Resident had a new post up: “Background Noise.” I’ve been a reader of his for a long time, but I was surprised this time to be the subject of his post! And to …

NOTE: Today’s other post, “Making Your Own Choice,” is related to this one. Last week we discussed occult mysticism. We discussed how its popularity is driven by emotion, the rejection of reason, subjective experiences, and relativism. In “Heart and Mind,” we discussed how the Hebrews looked to the belly, intestines, …

Throughout the last few series of posts, I’ve been discussing so-called “Christian” mysticism and its relation to prophecy. True Christian mysticism is when God directly deposits knowledge via the Holy Spirit into the hearts and minds of his followers, often through the reading of scripture. There are various ways that …

In the last post, I discussed how the foundation of occult mysticism centers on taking objective truth (of scripture) and rational thought and replacing it with subjective truth (relativism) and the elevation of subjective personal experiences (or feelings; perceptions). I noted that once you see that this is true, it’s hard …