For the past several weeks, we have been engaged in a rigorous philosophical exercise. We have excavated the foundations of Stoicism, admired its ethical architecture, and stress-tested its worldview against the Christian doctrines of God, man, and the universe. We have argued that we should “plunder the Egyptians”—taking the gold of Stoic insight while leaving… Continue reading The Apostle on Mars Hill: Paul’s Critical Engagement with Stoic Thought
Category: Philosophy & Worldview
Duty Without a Lawgiver
In the lexicon of modern Western culture, few words have fallen as far or as fast as the word Duty. We live in the age of “rights,” “passions,” and “self-actualization.” To speak of duty—of an obligation that binds us regardless of our feelings or desires—is to speak a foreign tongue. We are told to “follow our… Continue reading Duty Without a Lawgiver
A Universe of Chance or a Created Order?
We have now reached the final stage of our demolition work. In this series, we have engaged in a presuppositional critique of the Stoic worldview, testing the structural integrity of its ethics and its epistemology. We have seen that the Stoics wanted a moral law without a Lawgiver (ethics) and a trustworthy reason without a… Continue reading A Universe of Chance or a Created Order?
Whose Reason? Which Logos?
In our previous article, we exposed the fatal crack in the foundation of Stoic ethics. We demonstrated that their noble pursuit of virtue was ultimately unintelligible because it demanded a moral law without a moral Lawgiver. They wanted the fruit of righteousness without the root of a personal God. But the Stoic might object. He… Continue reading Whose Reason? Which Logos?
The Unintelligible Virtue of the Stoics
In our previous articles, we have laid the necessary groundwork for this series. We have diagnosed the fragility of our age, excavated the historical foundations of the Stoa, and established our theological warrant for engaging this pagan philosophy through the doctrine of General Revelation. We have argued that where the Stoics stumbled upon truth, they… Continue reading The Unintelligible Virtue of the Stoics
General Revelation and Common Grace: A Theological Warrant
In our first two articles, we have laid essential groundwork. We began by diagnosing the spiritual malaise of our age and proposing Christian Stoicism as a robust framework for a resilient, masculine faith. We then excavated the foundations of the Stoa, seeking to understand classical Stoicism on its own terms as a comprehensive worldview. This… Continue reading General Revelation and Common Grace: A Theological Warrant
What Is a Stoic? Excavating the Foundations of the Porch
Before a master builder lays the first stone of a great cathedral, he must first understand the ground upon which he builds. He must know its composition, its contours, and its load-bearing capacity. To do otherwise is to build on sand, guaranteeing the collapse of even the most magnificent structure. In our last article, we… Continue reading What Is a Stoic? Excavating the Foundations of the Porch