Philosophy: 10-minutes in the doorway

Here Professor Anderson considers a common objection to Sola Scriptura: Jesus didn't leave us a book, he left us a church. Yet, when we look at the New Testament, we see that the church is corrected with the Word.

As a philosopher, I'm coming to think that defending sola scriptura against man-made religion is a top three issue in our day. In this podcast, we look at: A. Those who set another authority above the Bible. B. Those who claim sola scriptura but in actuality put another authority above the Bible (usually religious experiences, personal taste, or supposed gifts like prophecy and tongues). C. Co...

Most Christians accept the Bible as historically true, but what if many scholars and thinkers claim it’s just a myth designed to convey deep archetypal truths? In this episode, Owen Anderson, a philosophy professor and pastor, unpacks how modern myths, like those from Jung and Lewis, distort biblical history and undermine truth itself. Discover the dangerous allure of viewing Scripture through a G...

Gavin Ortlund at the Credo Conference defending the Medieval Beatific Vision. Let's look at some of the problems in that view as adopted from pagan philosophers. Most views of the Beatific Vision miss the deep biblical and philosophical roots that shape our understanding of seeing God face to face. Owen Anderson exposes the pitfalls of the medieval and mystical interpretations, revealing how t...

Are we sliding into a spiritual map to apostasy? Here's why I think the West is already there, and how philosophy plays a role. Drop a 🔥 if you've ever wondered how our cultural shifts impact faith. Ever thought about how the history of philosophy reveals why Christian morals are losing ground? From the Reformation to today, divisions, decay, and the rejection of biblical truth keep shapi...

The West's spiritual collapse post-WWII is more alarming than we think. To understand it we must understand God's providential rule and how he works in the lives of unbelievers/nations and believers/nations. We see a mass deconveration after WWII, coupled with a mass anti-revival. The Europeans hardened their hearts in response to the world wars and would not turn to Christ the Lord. Have...

"What is mind? No matter. What is matter? Never mind." In this episode, we dive deep into the intersection of classical natural theology and modern technical minds. I’m sharing insights from my current readings of  Stephen Charnock  and  John Brown of Haddington , weaving their timeless perspectives into a fascinating conversation I recently had with two  ASU engineering students .We tac...

Most philosophers and theologians overlook how the Bible uniquely bridges faith and reason, and that misunderstanding has profound consequences for your view of truth. Owen Anderson, a philosophy professor and minister, unveils how the biblical doctrine of God’s revelation demolishes common philosophical blind spots, offering clarity on the nature of truth, human limitations, and the purpose of ph...

Is Carl Trueman's analysis of our problem accurate? And is the solution he offers the correct one? Or will his solution repeat the mistakes of the past? Here, Professor Anderson discusses why we must go deeper in our response to the philosophies of modernity in order to demolish all arguments raised up against the knowledge of God. "Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave...

Most philosophers and theologians overlook how the Bible uniquely bridges faith and reason, and that misunderstanding has profound consequences for your view of truth. Owen Anderson, a philosophy professor and minister, unveils how the biblical doctrine of God’s revelation demolishes common philosophical blind spots, offering clarity on the nature of truth, human limitations, and the purpose of ph...

Toynbee and Solzhenitsyn both warned the West that it had lost a coherent and compelling moral and spiritual vision. If all it has is the left’s “do what thou wilt” and “diversity is our strength,” this leaves a vacuum of meaning that will be filled by Marxism, Islam, or Hinduism. Generic theism is no answer. The only answer is Christ and Biblical revelation. The West had this once but turned away...

What is Scholasticism—and is it the high point of Christian philosophy, or does it contain a fatal flaw? In this first video of my new series on Scholasticism, I explore one of the most influential intellectual movements in Christian history. We’ll look at where scholasticism came from, what it aimed to accomplish, and why it continues to shape theology and philosophy today. But this isn’t just a...

Does it matter if a person has "goodwill" toward you? There is one secret thing you need to learn about how to know if a person has goodwill or not.

How can we know that the Bible we have in front of us contains the same message as what Moses or Paul wrote down? Do we need to do textual criticism and find older and older copies? Until we do that, are we left with doubt that we have the Word of God? The answer is that we can know with certainty that we have the same Word of God as given to the authors of the Bible.

There are so many religious books. Every religion tries to stand out and say its book is from their god. Isn't the Bible just another example? Can we know if it really is the inspired Word of God?

As part of my ongoing study of the history of philosophy and philosophers, this lecture explains 3 things you must know to give context when learning about any philosopher. 1. Clear general revelation; 2. sin and the fall of man; 3. the curse and especially physical death.

Is the human will really free? In this episode of  Ten Minutes in the Doorway , Dr. Owen Anderson continues his discussion of Molinism by turning to a deeper assumption shared by pagan philosophy and modern humanism: the idea that the will is neutral, detached, and capable of calmly choosing between options without inclination. Drawing on pagan thinkers, Renaissance humanism, and modern assumption...

The Jesuit Counter-Reformation offered Molinism as the way to explain God's foreknowledge and defeat the Reformation. The problem is that the "God" of Molinism is contingent, and the "free will" of Molinism is incompatible with counterfactuals of freedom. The God revealed in both scripture and general revelation is the God of the Reformation, who is eternal and decrees all...

You can find Evangelical philosophers today advancing the cause of the Counter-Reformation. Here we examine why Molina and the Jesuits opposed the Reformation, and how that same cause is championed by contemporary Molinists. The essence of the Counter-Reformation is an argument against  sola Scriptura  and  sola gratia . This discussion leads us into the distinction between primary and secondary c...

This video breaks the 10-minute rule, but I think you'll be happy I did. I explain what I observed as a philosopher at this year's AmFest.

Do you have free will? What is it? And how does it relate to God's eternal decree? The Jesuit and Arminian view of free will insists that there are uncaused events. The Reformed view teaches Sola Christus and Sola Gratia.

Molinism, like Pelagianism, medieval sacramentalism, the Jesuits, and the Arminians, confuses two important ideas and because of that has a core problem: it rejects sola gratia.

Molinism, also known as middle knowledge, is one of the most popular explanations of God's predestination and human free will among Evangelicals. In these 10 minutes between classes, I explain who Molina was, why he did not like sola gratia, and how he developed a system that makes God depend on man's answer.

Can we be clear in our thought and speech? Can we ever be perfectly free from ambiguity? Analytic philosophy began with the desire to find perfect clarity. Did it succeed?