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Here's a brief story about a young lady who agreed to submit herself to animal testing procedures in a London mall. Apparently animals are regularly subjected to these testing procedures... Read more
In the wake of Thomas Kinkade's tragic death a few weeks ago, Gregory Wolfe of The Wall Street Journal has offered a thoughtful critique of Kinkade's work and art in... Read more
In light of our recent look at the potentially darker side of impersonal entertainment - video games, particularly - it seemed worth looking at this post from The Atlantic. While some... Read more
We recently highlighted an excellent and insightful piece from Ross Douthat of The New York Times, and now he has written another article worthy of note - this time analyzing... Read more
Bob Smietana of Religious News Service recently spent some time looking at yet another English translation of the Bible, called "The Voice." The Voice - translated from the word "logos"... Read more
Here is a lengthy but insightful article written by Sam Anderson exploring the explosion of - and potential addiction to - "stupid games," as he puts it. A... Read more
David Gibson recently highlighted a story out of Afghanistan about a national guardsman who gave his life to protect a little girl from being hit by a truck. We will... Read more
Here's a very good piece from Ross Douthat of the New York Times that is superficially an analysis of the role of Christianity in the current GOP primaries and the... Read more
We've hinted at the importance of understanding the Holocaust on a number of occasions - particularly in relation to the new slew of books exploring the science of violence -... Read more
Sex trafficking is not an issue we've spent very much time discussing on the FIX, but that certainly doesn't mean it's unimportant; and with some added attention to this issue... Read more
From bumper stickers to road signs, bus campaigns to blessing highways, roadways seem to have become an unusually important platform for America's debate over God's existence. Is this the right... Read more
Since 2004 and the release of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, there has been a growing number of Christian theater releases, of which October Baby (discussed briefly on... Read more
Given our recent article about the Atheist Rally that took place this past Saturday, it seemed worth highlighting Cathy Lynn Grossman's report on what actually took place. The report itself... Read more
Here's a bizarre story out of Florida that The Guardian picked up earlier this week - representing dialogue at some of its worst. Indeed, the story might be amusing if... Read more
In the wake of Robert Bales' alleged massacre of civilians in Afghanistan, many are looking around feverishly for someone or something to blame; how is it that a supposedly "good"... Read more
About a week ago, a company in Austin, TX rolled out a new initiative they're calling "Homeless Hotspots." Here is a brief description of the project from David Gallagher of... Read more
Though a couple of weeks old, Sam Harris's discussion of his book at the Daily Beast is still worthy of note. Harris - unlike some of his other atheist colleagues... Read more
Though we rarely discuss issues this directly political, it seemed worthwhile to bring this article on governmental monitoring of social media to your attention - because we use social media... Read more
Have you seen Christopher Nolan's film Inception recently? Do you remember the moment when Cobb is explaining how dreams work, and he speaks about our minds creating and perceiving reality... Read more
As Jonah Lehrer chronicles here, altruism has always been a sticky subject for evolutionary biology. The first Darwinian explanation held that so-called "altruism" was actually a sham - ultimately, just... Read more
If you're looking for a brief but humorous distraction, you might take a look at Jack Handy's recent portrayal of Alexander the Great in The New Yorker. Though mostly meant... Read more
Here is a shocking - and yet, not so shocking - report from the Telegraph detailing a new bioethicist defense of infanticide. Taking a line right out of the pro-life... Read more
Recently, David Brooks wrote an article looking at NBA sensation Jeremy Lin and the intersection between faith and sports. His analysis is intriguing, and he certainly highlights a tension that... Read more
CNN recently posted a piece from Steven James that was mildly reminiscent of Jefferson Bethke's viral video (which we discussed here). If we put James' criticisms of the institutional church... Read more
Many of you may have already heard about the Christian pastor in Iran and the Iranian supreme court's order of execution for apostasy. This article from the International Business Times... Read more
A few days ago, the Daily Mail ran an article on Richard Dawkins and his supposed family links to the slave trade. It would appear, says the Daily Mail, that... Read more
A few weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal published a piece on parenting that caused a stir among its readers. Though I cannot speak to the virtues of French parenting,... Read more
In this thoughtful if misguided piece from The Wall Street Journal by Alain de Botton, we find another secular thinker lamenting the loss of what Christianity has given us: community, a sense... Read more
The science of violence seems to be en vogue at the moment; we already highlighted Steven Pinker's (silly) book at the end of last year, and now John Horgan has... Read more
It's long been an element of American lore that Thomas Jefferson took a razor to his Bible, ripping out pages that he found unpalatable while leaving intact most of Christ's... Read more
We've spent a great deal of time discussing the Richard Dawkins' version of secularism. There is, however, another version - what we might call "soft secularism" - that champions neutrality... Read more
Here is a short but fascinating piece of news from ABC about a woman who responded to a violent attacker by reading him Scripture. The woman's counter-intuitive response is itself... Read more
I must confess from the outset that I have not read Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, though I intend to at some point. I have read and heard and... Read more
Any student of American history will know that much of our law is derived from such historic court cases as Brown v. The Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Miranda... Read more Jefferson Bethke recently started a firestorm with his Youtube video, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" (which has over 18 million views), and since that time, many people have... Read more In the United States, we have this really quaint notion we like to call separation of Church and State. First articulated in a political letter by Thomas Jefferson, and institutionalized... Read more
Today, the Huffington Post published a piece from Sabrina Schaeffer bemoaning the current state of the feminist movement and their "equality means uniformity" philosophy. This comes in the midst of... Read more
Football, whether it be Penn State or Tim Tebow, has spent an unusual amount of time in the larger national spotlight this season, and as such we have spent a... Read more
Some of you may have noticed the Wikipedia "blackout" a couple days ago. Maybe you knew what it was all about, or maybe you didn't. Here's a short piece from... Read more
On MLK weekend, it seems fitting to remember the man who changed this country through his non-violent protests. Particularly in an age where dialogue often seems shrill or entirely lacking,... Read more
A couple of days ago, Bill Mears at CNN highlighted the controversy over court use of sharia in Oklahoma. "State Question 755" is a voter-passed amendment to the Oklahoma state... Read more
Here is an interesting article exploring the intellectual foundations of the "Arab Spring" and why they are tending to lead (through fair elections) towards Islamism and not away from it.... Read more
Here's a short film exploring the thesis of Lawrence Krauss' latest book A Universe from Nothing: Why there is something rather than nothing. The presentation is impressive, though the thesis... Read more
Gayle Trotter of First Things recently interviewed Fixed Point's Larry Taunton. Centering around his new book, The Grace Effect, we will let the content speak for itself. Click here to... Read more Here is a surprisingly articulate piece published today in the NewStatesman by Richard Dawkins. I say this is surprising because Dawkins is certainly not known for his nuanced treatment of... Read more
Since our Tim Tebow article went live in USA Today on December 2nd, it has been recommended on Facebook over 37,000 times, received hundreds of comments, been tweeted ... Read more
Here is an interesting article from the LA Times discussing a recent $80,000 move in the policy of the Air Force Academy - the creation of a pagan worship center.... Read more
Here is an interesting article looking at the response of (some) churches to the Occupy ______ movements. Given that the Occupy movements are anything but monolithic, a generalized yet in-depth... Read more
Here at Fixed Point, we like Tim Tebow. He is open and bold about his faith and continues to use his platform as a sports icon to honor God and... Read more
Here's an interesting study from the Barna Group examining the state of visible Christian leadership in America by asking the open-ended question, "who is the most influential Christian leader in... Read more
Here is an article from Fox that sounds like the punch-line to a joke: PETA, long known for their controversial advertising and protest tactics, is now protesting.... Super Mario? You... Read more
Though there are many fields where naturalistic atheism struggles to form a coherent account of reality, one of the more interesting areas has been in the tension between... Read more
If you follow sports even marginally, it's hard not to know who Joe Paterno and Penn State are - and it's also difficult not to know about the horrible... Read more
Here is another article from The Atlantic, this time highlighting the horrific story that has made its way through the media about the Chinese toddler who was hit by a... Read more
Here is an interesting - but fittingly mediocre - piece from the Atlantic examining one artist's new (lack of) vision and pursuit of the universal average. In the words of... Read more
Here's an interesting article from the Huffington Post looking at Matthew Modine's new mockumentary "Jesus was a Communist." Though Modine himself is no Christian, he nonetheless is expressing a sentiment... Read more
Are transgender costumes immoral? A Mormon church in Salt Lake City is taking flak for precisely this insinuation - or at least for banning transgender costumes at their church-hosted Halloween... Read more
Though we generally abstain from commenting on public policy and certainly don't comment on general politicking, policy becomes fair game when it sounds off on areas of theology,... Read more
In what has been described as a "surreal" episode by CNN, some 56 wild animals (lions, tigers, grizzly bears, and monkeys, among others) escaped from a private zoo... Read more
The Atlantic recently interviewed former soldier and atheist Jason Torpy, who is now president of Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. It's often said that "there's no such thing as... Read more
Here is a moving and thoughtful piece from Emily Rapp, published in the New York Times. For the most part, the story speaks for itself, but there are a few... Read more
Of all fields of worthy inquiry, the one on which modern atheism appears to be most illiterate is history. The lengths to which many headlining atheists have gone to erase,... Read more
Despite our post yesterday considering the significance of death, it seemed worth revisiting today in light of the announcement that tech industry giant Steve Jobs died last night of pancreatic... Read more
After our modest mention of the church/state dialogue last week, it is interesting to focus on an issue that (so far) continues to remain firmly in the domain of the... Read more
Melanie Phillips has an insightful article out right now about how cultural agendas are being enforced by the policing of language. In a world where truth is increasingly elusive -... Read more
There is no doubt that the relationship between secular and religious institutions has become increasingly tenuous of late. How tenuous? Perhaps this Fox News article examining the recent conflict between... Read more
Richard Dawkins has a new book out, this time aimed at a younger audience. This is, of course, highly ironic given Dawkins' crusade against "corrupting the minds of the young,"... Read more Though there are not necessarily any great philosophical take-aways to be mined from this article by Leslie Horn, the concept of video games being used to further top-level microbiological research... Read more
As the decade commemoration of 9/11 has just passed, it's worth reflecting on what it all meant (and still continues to mean, quite honestly). This brief piece from religion journalist... Read more
Attacks on the Bible's truthfulness are, of course, not new or uncommon. They come in a variety of forms, sometimes claiming that the whole book is an exercise in lies... Read more
Some experiences and emotions are universal to human existence - love, anger, fear, joy, etc. As such, deep and weighty consideration is often given to these topics, and rightfully so.... Read more
On several occasions, we have highlighted the dangers of dependence upon technology and some of the human elements than can often be lost in our digital age, but it is... Read more
All of us hold beliefs and assumptions - some basic and fundamental philosophy that colors our thoughts and interpretations of the world around us. Some assumptions are simple, some are... Read more
In the wake of the recent London riots, many questions are left unanswered. One, argues Jonathan Sacks, is not: What can we learn?
"Much can and must be done by governments,... Read more
The seismic shift in gender roles and identity in the West over the past fifty years has been the focus of a great deal of study, discussion, and debate. Sometimes it... Read more
Yesterday, Maria Popova highlighted the 40th anniversary of the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment in an article on her blog. As she explores, the SPE was an extremely controversial experiment where... Read more
"It’s not our devices that wear thin, it’s our patience with them," claims Rob Walker in this piece from The Atlantic. While consumers typically complain when products wear out quickly,... Read more
Here is an interesting piece from the AP looking at a new court case surrounding the role of the Ten Commandments in public life. As the article points out, this... Read more
After last week's discussion of the Discovery channel's pilot episode of "Curiosity," which featured Stephen Hawking discussing "Did God Create the Universe?," we thought we would post a recording of... Read more
Prayer seems to be one of the single most misunderstood aspects of Christianity. Unfortunately, much of that misunderstanding originates with Christians, who struggle to articulate a coherent explanation of prayer. It... Read more
A few evenings ago, the Discovery channel premiered its new series "Curiosity" with an episode titled "Did God Create the Universe?" Featured in the episode is world-famous scientist Stephen Hawking,... Read more
As we've highlighted before, debates have a way of revealing both the best and the worst that each side has to offer, and that applies to discussions on the national... Read more
To most of you familiar with Fixed Point's work, John Lennox is a familiar face, and rightfully so. An Oxford professor and mathematician with three doctorates who still manages to... Read more
The writer of Ecclesiastes was really on to something when he said, "what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new... Read more
Recently Rupert Murdock, CEO of News Corp., was attacked in the middle of a Parliamentary hearing by an activist, whose weapon of choice was... a pie. And though it reads... Read more
Our most recent debate featuring John Lennox and Peter Singer took place this week in Melbourne, Australia - Singer's home-town. Described by one prominent evangelical as a "watershed moment for... Read more
Earlier this week, Christian apologist and Professor John Lennox joined in a lively panel discussion for a popular Australian talk show: Q and A. The discussion that followed covered topics... Read more
Perhaps the single most contested issue in the secularism/religion debate is the issue of moral foundations. Where do they come from? What justifies our actions? And of course, tied intricately... Read more
An investigation of Atlanta's public education system was recently published and found cheating taking place at every level - probably not a surprising find to anyone who graduated from high... Read more
On several occasions we have had the opportunity to highlight the science/religion debate, and more specifically we have highlighted the absurdity of associating atheism with reason and science while associating... Read more
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? It's a fun question to contemplate, but for most people it remains completely hypothetical. Sure, there are those... Read more
Here is an interesting piece from USA Today's Cathy Lynn Grossman looking at a possible new amendment to California's social studies curriculum: the inclusion of a section on LGBT contributions... Read more
These days - where space flight, smart phones, and x-rays are all old news - it's increasingly hard to distinguish science fiction from reality. As the author freely admits, such... Read more
"I have never been more depressed than when I tried to be a hedonist," confesses Johann Hari in a recent article critiquing today's homosexual culture. As a prominent homosexual and... Read more
As much as each and every one of us thirsts for the real, we all - in some sense - perpetuate the enterprise of the fake. We guard our public... Read more
Coming out of last week's "In the Beginning: A Conference on the Days of Creation" (available for pre-order here), it seems appropriate to highlight this review from the Christian Post... Read more
Behind every argument, there tends to be at least a sliver of truth (though occasionally very small), and that goes for the atheism/religion debate as much as any other. As... Read more
The question of origins is as controversial inside the Church as it is outside of it. There is an intense debate among believers about how to interpret the... Read more
A.C. Grayling (previously highlighted as author of "The Good Book: A Secular Bible"), is making news again, but this time as the frontman for New College of the Humanities. A... Read more
As another school year ends and summer begins, graduation is not far from the minds of many students and adults across the country. And along with all the celebrations and... Read more
Sometimes the line between sanity and insanity is not as clearly defined as people might like to think. This fascinating piece from Jon Ronson and the Guardian explores this in... Read more
Brand loyalty is not a new phenomenon, but a recent study of people's brain activity is giving a whole new meaning to the idea of "following a brand 'religiously.' "... Read more
"If everyone else decided to jump off a cliff, would you?" A recent study puts this age-old question in a new light, suggesting that groupthink is, once again, on the... Read more
What would you do if you had the resources of the world at your disposal? Take a vacation to that distant land you've always wanted to visit? Further a cause... Read more
In the wake of last month's controversy, another story has brought questions of gender identity back into the spotlight. In the name of freedom and independence, a couple from Toronto... Read more
After last weekend's failed rapture prediction, it's not hard to see why Christians are so often caricatured in the media. This report traces the aftermath of those who planned for... Read more
After last week's interview with Stephen Hawking, the renowned physicist and his beliefs have once again become the subject of much discussion. Hawking long remained outside of the fray of... Read more
Earlier this week, world-renowned scientist and atheist Stephen Hawking answered a series of questions about purpose, beauty, and the afterlife in an exclusive interview with UK's Guardian. While the interview... Read more
Are Marxism and religion compatible? Religion Dispatches recently posted Theo Hobson's engaging review of Terry Eagleton's latest book, Why Marx was Right. Despite the internal debate taking place throughout the... Read more
Efficient and affordable, e-books and e-readers are continuing to thrive. Yet despite the obvious gains afforded by these modern literary developments, some dissenters have raised concerns over what will be... Read more
A new book is out discussing the mechanisms that the brain uses for belief in God. We will leave the discussion of this book's scientific accuracy and value to someone... Read more
A.C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at the University of London, has been making waves recently with his new holy book for secularists - "The Good Book: A Humanist Bible." Despite... Read more
This interesting piece from USA Today's Peter Eisler examines the complicated relationship between a church's contractual and spiritual obligations. A church has a legal responsibility to cooperate with its business... Read more
Mubarak's fall from power in Egypt has been hailed as a huge victory for democracy and a great step forward for the Middle East in general. But as Egypt wades... Read more
The movie Thor is out and topping the box office right now, but not everyone is pleased about that. Why? Thor was actually a pagan god before he became a... Read more
A recent poll asked Christians if they saw Christianity and capitalism as complementary or competing ideologies - an interesting question, made all the more so by the wide variation in... Read more
With the royal wedding just recently past, it seemed like a good time to draw some attention to this interesting piece from British journalist Melanie Phillips. Regardless of what her... Read more
Here's a thoughtful piece from Andy Crouch examining Steve Jobs, Apple, and what he calls "the gospel of a secular age." That Apple has a broad and fiercely loyal fan-base... Read more
The Constitution of the United States enshrines the concept of “inalienable rights.” These rights apply to human beings, of course. Indeed the United Nations Human Rights Council - if... Read more
While most people tend to think of video games as little more than mindless entertainment, there has been a subtle but significant shift in the gaming world over the past... Read more
After seeing this ad in J.Crew’s online catalog, one is reminded of how an idea, however unnatural and potentially monstrous, once planted in the culture, isn’t easily uprooted. The idea... Read more
Sir Martin Rees does not lack for scientific accolades. A renowned cosmologist and recently retired president of the prestigious Royal Society (Britain’s National Academy of Sciences), one would expect Rees... Read more
“…We are probably the first society in history to make people unhappy for not being happy.” This article points to a major fault line in modern society: we feel guilty... Read more
Here's an interesting piece from Katherine Rosman and The Wall Street Journal that explores the effects of social media on everyday relationships. Unlike so much dialogue on the effects of... Read more
Are we losing our religion? This article presents the hard numbers from a study by the American Physical Society. It reveals how a number of prominent countries show trends that... Read more
A controversy has arisen around a small Illinois community, and people aren't sure whom to support. The Department of Justice has filed suit against a school in Berkeley, IL which... Read more
This article from the Toronto Sun looks at the debate about how the practice of honor killings should be described by the Canadian immigration guide. Should the description of honor... Read more
This article really speaks for itself as The Telegraph examines the recent ruling of an English court against Christian foster parents. As an unvarnished secular assault on Christianity in the... Read more
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