I have been a professor at Biola University in the MA Christian Apologetics program since summer 2000. I have a BA in Political Science/Public Affairs and Administration from California State University at Hayward (now Cal State East Bay) in 1980. I returned for graduate school, earning my MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology at Biola in 1995. J. P. Moreland and Scott Rae were my primary mentors. Then I went on to USC, earning my Ph.D. in Religion and Social Ethics in 2000, and my primary mentor there was Dallas Willard.
My interests have grown over time, often revolving around issues of knowledge. I first focused on virtue ethics, especially as it has been embraced by postmodern authors, such as Alasdair MacIntyre and Stanley Hauerwas. In turn, that opened a door to study the claims of two of the emergent leaders, Tony Jones and Brian McLaren. In the meantime, I started to see connections with naturalists’ thought and problems with having knowledge. And, I began to see issues with nominalism and knowledge.
These main topics have allowed me to address both academic and more popular audiences, and within them, both secular and Christian audiences. You can see how I have addressed secular audiences in some of my academic publications and blogs.
Yet, I also really want to speak to the church, especially in these kinds of areas, including one that currently is most on my heart and mind. That is to help Christians see that we have been deeply influenced by naturalism, which subtly has eroded our mindset that the Christian life is truly to be a supernatural one, marked by the presence and power of the living Lord. John 15:5 hits me forcefully:
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Yet, all too often, in our daily lives, I am afraid that we believers in the west (and the U.S. in particular) don’t really take that to heart, living practically in ways as though God is irrelevant to our daily lives. That is a kind of “preternaturalism” – a kind of Christianity that has been de-supernaturalized and doesn’t really expect the Lord to show up in His power and presence.
So, please feel free to browse my blogs and other resources!
And, yes, I love to fish!