Which Atheists Would You Like to See Interviewed?
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Interviews, News
This summer, we've been working on some new plans for Strange Notions, and one of the ideas is to launch a new series of interviews with leading atheists. We've interviewed a handful of skeptics in the past, including Bob Seidensticker, Chana Messinger, Dr. Michael Ruse, and Doug Shaver, but we'd like to hear from many more. These interviews would be purely inquisitive. We're not looking to surreptitiously convert them through the questioning, or start a debate. They're friendly, casual,... Read More
Proofs of God: An Interview with Dr. Matthew Levering
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Interviews, The Existence of God
In his newest book, Proofs of God: Classical Arguments from Tertullian to Barth (Baker Academic, 2016), leading theologian Matthew Levering presents a thoroughgoing critical survey of the proofs of God's existence for readers interested in traditional Christian responses to the problem of atheism. Beginning with Tertullian and ending with Karl Barth, Levering covers twenty-one theologians and philosophers from the early church to the modern period, examining how they answered the critics... Read More
Galileo was Right—But So Were His Critics
by Carl Olson
Filed under Christianity and Science, Galileo, Interviews
Ever since the seventeenth century, the celebrated “Galileo affair” has been one of the featured items on the list of dark moments in the history of Catholicism. That the Church mistreated the Italian astronomer—or at least misjudged his claims concerning the structure of the solar system—seems clear. Pope John Paul II, for example, apologized for the Church’s condemnation of Galileo in 1992. No one now disputes the fact that the earth revolves around the sun rather than the... Read More
Scholasticism vs. Scientism: An Interview with Dr. Edward Feser
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Christianity and Science, Interviews, The Existence of God
Dr. Edward Feser is one of today's foremost Catholic philosophers who specializes in Aristotelian/Thomistic metaphysics and the philosophy of religion. He's an associate professor of philosophy at Pasadena City College and the author of several published articles and books, including The Last Superstition, Aquinas, and Philosophy of Mind (A Beginner's Guide). He's also written several articles here at Strange Notions. Dr. Feser's newest book, which I'm discussing with him today, is... Read More
From Faith to Atheism: An Interview with Doug Shaver
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Atheism, Interviews
We've posted several recent interviews with Catholics like Vatican astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, atheist convert and professor Dr. Holly Ordway, and theologian and convert Dr. Stephen Bullivant. Although we have featured interviews with atheists in the past, such as with Dr. Michael Ruse and Chana Messinger, many commenters wondered when we would see more atheist interviews. Therefore, I issued a (still-standing) invitation for any atheists interested in being interviewed. The... Read More
Would You Baptize Aliens? An Interview with Two Vatican Astronomers
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Christianity and Science, Interviews
Today I sit down with two Catholic scientists, Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J. and Father Paul Mueller, S.J. Both men work for the Vatican Observatory, which is based at Castel Gandolfo, Italy. And together they wrote a new book, Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? and Other Questions from the Astronomers' In-box at the Vatican Observatory (Image Books, 2014). Read More Read More →
From Atheist Professor to Catholic: An Interview with Dr. Holly Ordway
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Atheism, Conversion, Interviews
Growing up, Holly Ordway was convinced God was little more than superstition, completely unsupported by evidence or reason. She later attained a PhD in literature, traveled the country as a competitive fencer, and became a college English professor, none of which left room for God. But one day a smart and respected friend surprisingly revealed he was a Christian. That sent Holly on a search for the truth about God, one that weaved through literature, aesthetics, imagination, and history.... Read More
Faith and Unbelief: An Interview with Dr. Stephen Bullivant (Video)
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Atheism, Interviews
Dr. Stephen Bullivant has long been one of our most popular contributors here at Strange Notions. Atheists appreciate his respectful, fair-minded articles while Catholics value his careful articulation of what Catholicism actually teaches about atheism. Stephen has authored two books, The Salvation of Atheists and Catholic Dogmatic Theology (Oxford University Press, 2012) and Faith and Unbelief (Canterbury Press, 2013; Paulist Press, 2014). He also just released a massive tome that he... Read More
From Atheism to Catholicism: An Interview with Jennifer Fulwiler (Video)
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Atheism, Conversion, Interviews
In Augustine's Confessions, the first Western autobiography ever written, we discover the probing journey of a brilliant man, traveling through a maze of philosophies before emerging into the light of Christianity. The destination brought him to tears for though he sensed Christianity to be true, it was the last place he expected to turn. Years later, when Oxford professor C.S. Lewis embarked on his own pursuit of truth, he too ended up at Christianity, converting with great hesitancy:... Read More
Atheism, Philosophy, and Science: An Interview with Dr. Michael Ruse
by Brandon Vogt
Filed under Atheism, Christianity and Science, Interviews
As a young undergraduate at Florida State University, studying mathematics and engineering, I had no idea that one of the world's leading philosophers of science worked just a couple buildings away. Had I known about Dr. Michael Ruse then, I would have jumped at the chance to meet him. He's since become one of my favorite atheist writers, displaying a sharp mind and a good will, free of needless polemics. (He's also not afraid to tattoo extinct marine arthropods on his arm if dared.) This... Read More