Whole Reason Daniel G. Sinclair

Robert R. Reilly, who has more accomplishments than I can list, has written a fascinating historical account of 9th century Islam, and how the more Hellenic (Greek) version of Islam, which viewed reason and faith as complementary, was ousted by the anti-reason school of thought led by Al Gazali.1

In his book, The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis, Reilly does not reject Islam directly, but claims that Islam as we know it took form in the 9th century, and all Islam is now essentially Islamism. He defines Islam(ism) this way:

Islamism is a spiritual pathology based on the deformed theology that has produced a dysfunctional society. If you get the idea of who God is wrong [so profoundly], it will affect everything in your culture.

Al Ghazali, the father or the anti-rational, anti-Hellenic spiritual view that has taken over Islam, wrote this:

“Once you arrive at the truth of the Prophet, the mind must cease to act.”

In addition, Reilly outlines why cause and effect is rejected in Islam, because only Allah can be the cause of events and behaviors in nature.

The audio below (Source: American Conservative University Podcast) is a compilation of two interviews – one on The Janet Mefford Show, the second his first of two lectures at The Institute for Catholic Culture.

Download

What This Means



* Islam may be by nature anti-reason. Islam’s “Golden Age” was the product of the Hellenistic influence which also informed Christianity before it. But Mohammed’s teachings somehow  could not bear up under the pressure of reason, leaning too heavily on Divine Command Theory and other absolutisms in its foundational teachings.

* Moderate Islam has a small chance here. There may be hope for a moderate Islam IF it can recover its pre-Al-Ghizali, hellenistic version. But I doubt it.



Robert R. Reilly Resources



* Robert R. Reilly page at the ICC

* Robert R. Reilly Author page at Amazon

* Islam and the West – The Theology Behind the History (PDF)



The Rise and Fall of Mu‘tazilism (LostIslamicHistory.com)

In chapters 4-6 of Hosea, a passage occurs that Jesus quotes at least twice in the New Testament:

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. ~

This has a lot to say to us religious people about how we view ourselves and others. It discusses how religious ritual and self-righteousness can sneak into our lives, fooling us into thinking we are better than others, and spiritual in doing so.

To download Mercy not Sacrifice, please subscribe to our podcast feed.

A few weeks ago, the excellent British radio show and podcast Unbelievable aired a 30 minute debate (way too short) on the topic of Conditional Immortality – the doctrine that claims the Bible does not teach eternal conscious torment for the unrepentant, but rather, annihilation. I am convinced that this position is correct, and my friend Chris Date, a leader in this modern movement and co-contributor at RethinkingHell.com took on Evangelical thought leader Al Mohler very well.

In this series of two podcasts, Chris, myself, and Peter Grice, one of the founders of RethinkingHell.com, discuss the content of the debate. Enjoy.

Episode 65: A Response to the Mohler-Date Debate, Part 1

Episode 66: A Response to the Mohler-Date Debate, Part 2

Some suffering can be avoided if we change how we think and act, especially when we are at fault. But some suffering comes from doing good, or from just the difficulty of life. That suffering must be endured, and with a perspective that gives hope and leads to strength and maturity.

Here’s the sermon, with outline below.

To download Willing to Suffer for Doing Good, please subscribe to our podcast feed.

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A. Review

1. We have an inheritance



* 1 Peter 1:4 – we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you

* 1 Peter 1:6 – So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.



 2. The 5 Spheres of Government









Spheres of Government



Bible Terms







Self



Self







Family





Husbands, wives, fathers, children









Church





Pastors, elders, young men & women, older men & women







Civil



Governors, kings







Commerce / Work



Slaves, servants, masters









1 Peter 4:1-3 (NKJV)



* Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

* that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

* For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.



B. Be Willing to                              

1. The inner struggle is against                                                   



* Lust of the flesh (                             )

* Lust of the eyes (                                         )

* Pride of life (                         ,                       ,                                           )





* 1 John 2:16



2. The Inner Struggle in Scripture



* Jesus Knew the Inner Struggle (Hebrews 4:15)

* We should not worry about earthly things as much as seeking God’s will for us first (Matthew 6:31-33)

* A WARNING from James 4:1-4: â€œWhoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.“





 SIDEBAR: Is God’s will FUN?







Give Up

Gain





Drunkenness and ‘wild parties’

“Tipsy OK, drunk no way”[God has given] wine that makes glad the heart of man ~ Ps 104:15





Sex without limits

Sex within the safety of marriage,minimized fear of disease, unwanted pregnancy, breakups





Only this life, no hope beyond

Promises and hopes of life to come





Personal meaning and worth through accomplishment

Meaning and worth through being loved by God









3. The outer struggle is against                                                     



* We may get resistance from our own                            and                                        (Matthew 10:36)



1 Peter 4:1-3 (NLT)



* So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.

* You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires,

Second in a mini-series on the book of Hebrews (Part 1 here), this podcast addresses the question “Does God expect all of us to eventually mentor and teach others?” Yes, but we often linger in spiritual infanthood, and God through the passage below, will have none of it:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Here’s the sermon, with outline below. To download The Call to Maturity, please subscribe to our podcast feed.

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Review

So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest. ~ Hebrews 3:19 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. ~ Hebrews 4:10

Hebrews 5:12-14

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

 WHY MATURITY IS THE GOAL

1. The goal of every living thing is to                                        2. Maturity is the most fulfilling because it is                           full grown

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law. ~ Galatians 5:22-23

UNDERSTANDING “THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS”

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ ~ Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV)

MATURITY THROUGH                                              

But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (NAS)

We must be                                            

TAG

T =  Time      

A = Alone    with

G=  Good   

If your faith does not give you rest and peace, you may be missing the central message of the Gospel. The gospel provides rest for us in three phases:



* The Past – God resolves our guilt, our sins, and our bitterness by forgiving us

* The Present – God promises to provide, and has finished our Salvation AND promises our progress will be completed (sanctification), even if we don’t yet see the latter.

* The Future – We have overcome death, the biggest future fear of all humankind. We have eternal life.



Here’s the sermon, with outline below.

To download Starting with Rest, please subscribe to our podcast feed.

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* Hebrews 3-4

* Numbers 26



1. REST FOR THE                                              

A. Many of us are still bothered by our past                                                      

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1 John 1:9

Facing the Past



* We may still need to pay our                                     

* We may still need to remain                                      



2. REST FOR THIS                                                                        

A. Provision



* Luke 12:22-31



B. Progress

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. ~ Philippians 1:6

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. ~ Philippians 2:13

3. FUTURE REST, VICTORY OVER                                           

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting? ~ 1 Cor. 15:54-55

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ~ Matthew 10:28

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ~ John 3:16