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Anthony's Faith Statement.

Discussion Forum

Anthony in the media

Video Ministry
(And on Youtube...)

A brief Introduction:

While studying to be a pastor in college I abandoned my faith. In fact, I abandoned everything I thought I believed and rebuilt.

To my own surprise at the time, I found that Christianity was much stronger than I had thought. As I rebuilt my belief system, I realized that there needed to be people out there responding to the questions people have. I had them myself. So, while not continuing on to be a pastor, I have focused on educating people about what Christianity is all about and responding to the various charges and accusations made against it.

There are some obvious challenges to being successful in that capacity, but a big part of it consists not in arguing with atheists and skeptics, but rather in providing Christians with accurate information in the first place to prevent them from leaving the faith in the first place.

Questioning is a very normal and natural part of growing up, and I am convinced that it is not wrong to ask questions of God at any age. God doesn't strike people down. On the other hand, if people are going to reject Christianity, it is my aim to at least make sure they reject the real Christianity and not a false view of it. Also, much heartache can be avoided by educating Christians properly to begin with. My experience has helped me... but it was unnecessary.

Paul said that some plant, some water, and others reap the increase. My job is to go out into the land and move rocks- or break them if necessary- till the land, and struggle through knee deep fertilizer... all in the effort to allow those who come later to plant, water, and reap the harvest. I look forward to the prospects of either serving you as someone who needs to haul rocks out of the field, or as someone who can look at the field, detect problems, and help farmers more effectively plant, water, and reap.

Prince Caspian and Open Theism

Posted by Anthony on May 19, 2008

Some friends took issue with a statement by Aslan to the effect: “We can never know what would have happened.”

Aslan of course is a type of Christ. And Christ is God. The idea that God could not know what would have happened smacks a great deal of some modern trend in theology called ‘open theism.’

The book, however, has Aslan saying something quite different: “No one is told what would have happened.” In the same package of insight, Lewis shares through Aslan, “One is only told their own story.” [these are paraphrases]

That comment was the only one I saw in the movie that came across as ‘open theistic’ so I suppose that some writer moved to try to condense some narrative without giving thought to what they just said. There is a difference between the ideas. The Book Prince Caspian is rock orthodox solid. The other is experimental… and most likely will fall away as most ‘innovations’ in theology do.

There is some wiggle room here for the movie quote. Aslan is a type specifically of the second person of the Trinity and that person asserted that there were some things known only to the Father. The quote could be construed as an example of Aslan’s kenosis. That is me being generous.

Anyway, I just wanted to set the record straight. I got some search hits on open theism and Prince Caspian so I was prompted to speak on it. The book communicates the notion that another possible ‘future’ is not known to us and will not be told, but God knows it. The movie communicates the notion that even God doesn’t know it. When in doubt, the Book is authoritative.

I don’t suppose we can expect Walt Disney to get every nuance of theology dead on, but I don’t see why they couldn’t have just lifted the direct quote without modifying it.