Wyatt Graham

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The Responses to John Piper’s Article Reveal Three Deeper Conflicts than Mere Politics

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John Piper’s recent explanation for why he chose to write-in his vote rather than choose one of the two main presidential candidates has resulted in a whole host of responses. Some partially seem to misunderstand Piper, while others have expressed well-reasoned counter-arguments.

In today’s politically charged climate, I think we can appreciate the differences of opinions. That said, I am not here interested in defining who Americans should vote for. I am entirely interested in pursuing the question of why Christians have agreed or disagreed with Piper. I think the answer to that question reveals quite a surprising set of undergirding differences.

The responses to John Piper’s article reveal deeper oppositions of:  

1. Utilitarian consequentialism and virtue ethics (which one takes priority)
2. Pietism and theonomistic reasoning (of a sort)
3. Metaphysics/real natures and nominalism

In this article, I want to briefly explain what I mean and why it matters. [Read more…] about The Responses to John Piper’s Article Reveal Three Deeper Conflicts than Mere Politics

Did John Piper Wrongly Compare the Sins of the Left with the Sins of the Right?

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John Piper recently explained that he will not vote for an egregiously immoral leader. Of the two main political parties in the USA, he finds neither presidential candidate viable. So he has decided to write-in his vote. 

Some however disagreed with his approach because they felt that the pro-choice actions of democrats amount to much greater evil than the arrogance and deceit of the republican president. The accusation amounts to this: Piper compares apples to oranges or equivocates on the seriousness of sin. 

He does not. The objection betrays a misunderstanding of what sin is and does. It further implicitly undercuts the metaphysical reality of sin. If that sounds too abstract, it is not. Let me explain in order to make this response concrete. [Read more…] about Did John Piper Wrongly Compare the Sins of the Left with the Sins of the Right?

Episode 15: Colin Redemer on the Crisis in Modern Education

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Colin Redemer and Wyatt Graham talk about modern education. We also talk about the Davenant Hall, a project that Colin has been working on.

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and/or Apple Podcasts. Also, see the host page at Anchor. And bookmark this page to see every episode. [Read more…] about Episode 15: Colin Redemer on the Crisis in Modern Education

Why Do So Many People Listen to Jordan Peterson?

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Jordan Peterson has left the cultural space that he had inhabited for years. Suffering from a physical dependency to benzodiazepine and most recently coronavirus, he has understandably receded from the limelight. 

Yet many have felt his absence—something difficult to achieve unless his presence had already made a deep impression on the souls of many. Evidence of this statement follows from a simple Google search for “Jordan Peterson” and the news articles that result from the query or from social media.

While some readers may have immediately made up their mind at this point about the article and Peterson himself since he represents (according to some) extreme-right views or some other unfavourable position, I would ask you to pause. I am not here to talk about Jordan Peterson nor to analyze his way of being in the world. 

I want to talk about why so many people have listened to Jordan Peterson and why his absence has made an impression on so many. While Peterson undoubtedly knows how to speak to hearts, I do not think that alone explains why he affects so many people. The answer is more fundamental.  

What he supplies, people feel that they need. [Read more…] about Why Do So Many People Listen to Jordan Peterson?

How Scholasticism Helps Us to Understand Gender Roles, Orientation, and Transhumanism

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Evangelical Christians face a threefold challenge concerning sex. First, many evangelicals have split over the issue of women in pastoral ministry. Second, gender identifies and gay marriage have challenged traditional evangelical understandings and caused yet another rift in the church. Lastly, transhumanism promises to soon create another theological chasm: ought Christians to remain in their natural bodies, or can they augment themselves via technology? 

Are we stuck in schism and statemate? How might we address these questions? As strange as it might seem, we already have powerful answers to these potent challenges. Scholasticism, a method to understand the truth, has provided us with the framework to understand these challenges and overcome them. Before explaining why that it is, it is worth surveying how the above three challenges typically work out in the church. [Read more…] about How Scholasticism Helps Us to Understand Gender Roles, Orientation, and Transhumanism