Index with Descriptions:

Intellectual Foundations of the Christian Faith (1997)
    Here visitors will find the detailed lecture notes for a series given at Stanford University in the 1997 fall term by myself and a friend on this much-needed theme in today's secular academic environment. If you are a doubting Christian, an interested skeptic, or a Christian apologist, this is a must! 

A Short History of my Religious Journey (1997-98)
    This autobiographical account details my passage from conservative Protestantism to my conversion to Neo-Orthodoxy in early 1997 then on to my reconversion to Nicene Christianity and finally Catholicism.

Which Christianity? (1998)
    This lengthy essay examines the differences between the three major branches of Christianity with the goal of discerning whether the differences matter, and if so, what arguments can decide the matter of Christian truth and unity?

The Catholic Revival: Converts (2001)
     The mass of conversions of leading individuals from various Protestant groups to the Catholic Church is a significant trend, especially in recent decades. Here is a list of many notable converts, with short biographical information. Fascinating!

Religious Pluralism and Christianity (1999)
    Here visitors can find a thorough consideration of the problem of various religions and their truth claims from a Christian point of view?  Can all religions be simultaneously true?

Notes on the Canon of the Bible (2000)
    For all those interested in why different churches have different Bibles and how that process occurred, here are some lists, notes, and arguments.

Quotations (1995-2000)
    Here are literally thousands and thousands of quotations on numerous subjects, both agreeable and disagreeable to myself.

Natural Family Planning, Contraception, Human Reproduction, and Infertility (2001)
     This article, complete with charts, provides fascinating information about human reproduction and fertility, with a concentration on the advantages and practical implementation of Natural Family Planning (NFP), a method of birth control whose considerable superiority over all other birth control methods from the standpoints of morality, health, effectiveness (99% if used properly!), social impact, cost-effectiveness, women's empowerment, and marriage-building is unfortunately the least-known fact about human sexuality in modern society, which prides itself on supposed sexual sophistication.  As if that weren't enough, NFP is a great aid in pregnancy achievement and infertility analysis.  Skeptics are encouraged to read and be first amazed and then angry that this information has been withheld from you!

Summary of the Ecumenical Councils (2001)
     Here is a summarization of all the Ecumenical Councils of the Christian Church from Nicea to Vatican II.

Black Theology: A Summary and Evaluation (1998)
     Here is a summary of major representatives of the Black Theology movement in the U.S. and South Africa, followed by a critical appraisement.

Transcendental Pragmatism (1997-98)
    This paper is an incomplete work which develop an existentialist epistemology and begins to apply it to timeless questions of metaphysics, ethics, philosophy of history, soteriology, the problem of evil, meaning, and comparative religion. The highlight is the transcendental pragmatist argument for theism.

Free Will and Predestination (1997)
    This paper analyses the theological concepts of free will, foreknowledge, God's sovereignty, and predestination, as well as other questions these concepts raise about God's nature, the process/philosophy of history, God's justice (theodicy), and the Problem of Evil. The paper includes a historical summary of Christian doctrine on these questions, followed by philosophical and exegetical analyses of the Calvinist and Arminian positions.

What is the Message of the Bible? (1997)
    This paper, valuable both for first-time Bible students and well-informed readers, presents a big-picture commentary on the Bible, tracing major theological, prophetic, and narrative themes from the Hebrew Bible through the New Testament. Common objections are answered, including: creation and evolution, Cain's wife, the documentary hypothesis, that the Hebrews were henotheists, that the Bible is discontinuous, that Biblical prophecy is unconvincing, that the Hebrew and Christian scriptures present different Gods, and that the Hebrew God is unjust.

On False Prophets and their Identification (1997)
    Every supernaturalist religion raises the issue of controlling further revelation/miracle/prophecy claims. This paper presents the Biblical criteria for detecting false prophecy. The tests are then applied on Christianity, Islam, Mormonism, Bahai, Christian Science, People's Temple (Jim Jones), the Branch Davidians, etc. Also included is a Biblical analysis of the concept of progressive revelation.

A Critique of a Modernist Film Critic  (1997)
    This paper summarizes and critiques the views of Siegfried Kracauer, a German film theorist, who proposed film as a means of "redemption of physical reality" and of modern, alienated human beings.

Jesus and Paul (1996)
    This paper considers the claim that Jesus and Paul taught contradictory doctrines, especially with regard to the Judaic Law. Considerations include the audiences, methods, and specific teachings of both.

Mountain of Justification (1993)
    This fictional short story is an allegory of the nature and stakes of life.

Crossing the Threshold (1995)
    This short piece is my high school salutatorian address.

Yusuf and Zulaikha (1997)
    This document is a redaction-critical analysis of the method Sufis used to appropriate sacred text to teach their mystical vision. Along with the critical analysis, the paper includes an introduction to Sufism and a summary of this classic Sufi allegorical romance.

William Tyndale-Thomas More Controversy (2000)
    The Tyndale-More theological controversy spanned a number of years and several tomes, and covered the whole spectrum of questions disputed between Catholics and Protestants. This paper reviews the controversy as it centered on the key question of authority and epistemology.

Ramond Llull (1998)
    Llull was a fascinating medieval figure, unfortunately and unjustly all but unknown in the modern West. His remarkable life story and goals are described in this paper.

Church and State in America (1994)
    This paper examines the history of the formation and interpretation of the religious clauses of the first amendment regarding the constitutional rights and restrictions of religion in America.

Notes on Russian Character and Outline of Russian History (2000)
    Here I present a list of generalizations regarding the Russian character, which foreigners as well as themselves regard as enigmatic.  Following this list is a succinct summary of Russian history in outline form, excellent for a brief introduction to the subject.

Manas Epic (2000)
    This article gives general information about Manas, the world's longest epic, treasured by the Kyrgyz people, plus a summary of the plot and excerpts of its best poetry.

Critique of the Bahai Faith (1997)
    The Bahai Faith is an interesting religion which appeared in the early 19th century.  This article critically reviews The Proofs of Baha'u'llah's Mission, detailing some of the problems with this religion from a Christian point of view.