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Professor John Lennox at Harvard. An excellent explanation of the basic principles of Christianity.
Artificial Intellegence will soon become the greatest problem the Church has ever faced in its entire history.
CIP will post the latest video and articles that address this subject.
Eric Liddle was a young Scotsman who became famous at the 1924 Olympics because he refusd to run on Sunday.
Eric was a devout Christian and his story is fascinating. It reminds us that God controls world events and that we must stay with Him and Trust Him no matter what the cost.
This video shows that God has His people everywhere. If you have a temperament for excitment and challenge, and you think God has no place for you - think again. This man found what God had for his life. God will have a place for you too.
If you are old enough to remember the Vietnam War, you will remember the iconic picture of the little girl burned by napalm running down the road. Here is what God did in that little girls life.
Dinesh D'souza is a writer, producer, philosopher, and political commentator. He is also a Christian and does an excellent job of analyzing world events within a Christian context.
3 minutes
Excellent message for all Christians.
3 minutes
Dale Ahlquist is a philosopher and writer who has done excellent work on the writings of G. K. Chesterton. In this video he has some fun - using satire to deconstruct several world system philosophies.
Kevin Obrian tells an intersting story about his son's encounter with the new fad of being an atheist.
Kevin is the same person you see in the bright colored sweater in the video above.
Nabeel was once a devout Muslem and then converted to Christianity. The story of his life is fasinating on many levels. Nabeel died in his mid thirties from cancer but God's work through him continues by way of the many videos he produced.
If you are into philosophy, you will be familar with the allegory of Plato's Cave. Plato wrote the allegory in his famous treatise "The Republic". To Plato it was a way of contrasting the difference between the enlightened life of truth, knowledge, and reason, and the life of the common man in misery and drugery.
But, the allegory works even better to illustrate the difference between the Christian life and the life lived totally in the world system.
As you watch this video, think of the people chained in the cave as those living totally in the world system - without the meaning, security, love, and beauty that God gives to those that seek Him.
15 min
This is an absolutely excellent video on the relationship between Science and Christianity.
If you have a son or daughter caught up in the modern athest movement, it is critical that they see this video.
The biggest problem people have today who propose atheism and making science a god, is not that they know so much but they know so little.
Study the complexity of the cell and viruses, and study the replication of the DNA code and protein formation - then see if you don't tell yourself - secretly - "Oh, there is something else going on here that is way beyond non-teleological evolution.
Excellent message on the love of God.
8 min
Vide 12 min
CIP has no denominational affiliation, this site is about Christian Philosophy. But if you are looking for a quick summation of church history, this young man seems to do an excellent job. I have not yet seen all his videos, but for now he is recommended. He is fair, smart - note the comments under the video also. I usually do not recommend someone so young but in this case I think he has a gift.
Excellent video regarding the use of alcohol. He gives you all the information and lets you decide.
CIP would fall into the abstinence category. The problem with alcohol is that a person does not know if they have an addictive temperament until they are indeed addicted. Since alcohol is not necessary for the happiness of a Christian, it seems logical to simply avoid it's use.
Watch the video and make your own decision.
Christian Institute of Philosophy
"... for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
I Corinthians 2:10
Short Course:
Depression
CIP explores the philosophical significance of Christianity. We are not affiliated with any denomination. On this site, you will be given a great deal of information. You must then decide what information applies to you and what does not. I leave that process to be work out between you and the Holy Spirit of God.
" He will guide you into all truth". John 16:13
The Glory of God
Dealing with Pornography
The least of these
More than Dust
Plato and Christianity
A deeper look at the Christian life.
"Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love,
Do not accept anything as love if it lacks truth."
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6
Christian Institute of Philosophy
Edith Stein: Nun and Christian philosopher. Died in the gas chambers of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp - August 9, 1942.
Welcome to CIP
A website dedicated to helping all Christians grow in their Spiritual Life.
Wisdom: The application of
knowledge in such a way as to
choose the Blessing in life rather than the curse.
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed (children) may live."
Deuteronomy 30:19
Dealing with Pornography
Dust in the Wind.
Plato's Cave
The most important attribute God gave to us in creation was the abililty to choose.
The Least of These
CIP is a website dedicated to helping all Christians build a deeper more mature Spiritual life. Building a mature Spiritual life requires access to a broad range of knowledge that includes common sense, logic, medical information, emotional understanding, and most importantly - Spiritual understanding. This site has been designed to help you pursue all of these different forms of knowledge and integrate them into your own personal history and unique experiences of life. This site has also been designed to help you develop skills for problem solving; so you can deal effectively with the many difficult issues of life.
CIP is not affiliated with any denomination. All denominations, both Catholic and Protestant, are welcomed and respected on this site.
CIP is not an authoritative source of information for doctrine or severe psychological problems. You should feel completely comfortable in critiquing this site and disagreeing with any essay or other presentations (video or writings) that you review .
CIP has one mission - to help you think about the physical, psychological, and Spiritual affects of Christianity at high resolution. This I call Christian Philosophy.
CIP proposes that knowledge is critical for building a stable and vibrant Christian life.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6
"For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." Proverbs 2:5
CIP proposes that a deep Spiritual life does not "just happen". A Spiritually rich and satisfying life must be built, much like one builds a house.
"Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them,... He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock." Luke 6:48
The words of Christ
"And digged deep"
CIP will help you to dig deep into knowledge, reality, and self understanding.
Digging deep to lay a
foundation on solid rock.
To build a life of Spiritual richness, we must first establish a strong foundation that will support us during the hard times and the many storms of life. This requires digging deep - down to the bedrock of who we are as a person. We must then do some honest soul searching and self-analysis. It is at this deeply honest level of understanding that we can find God and learn to love Him. When we get honest with God, we will find that Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart; (Revelation 3:20) ready to come in to our lives and build an extraordinary life. In Christ, we can find the ability to build the essential infrastructures of life including identity, self-worth, dignity, patience, wisdom, and love. We also learn how to develop Spiritual awareness and sensitivity, which allows us to understand the scripture and hear God speak to us in our heart. CIP posits that only Jesus Christ can give us a foundation that will support these internal structures and sustained them for a lifetime.
If you are looking for a much deeper and richer quality of Christian life, this site should be a great help to you. If you have a son or daughter who is questioning the reality of God and their Christian faith, this site should be a great help to them also. Or, if you are a Christian trying to understand and deal with the cultural changes presently occurring in western societies, this site will help you analize these changes from a Christian perspective.
Important:
Please keep in mind that CIP does not propose to be an authoritative source of Christian doctrine nor is it an authoritative source for psychiatric help. If you want help with doctrinal issues, you should consult your church pastor. If you are looking for help with severe psychotic or emotional issues, you should contact a professional Christian psychologist or psychiatrist. The mission of CIP is very simple. CIP has been developed to act as a catalyst for deep Christian thought and philosophy. You should feel completely comfortable with critiquing, analyzing, and disagreeing with any information you read on this site. All I ask as the writer, is that you take the time to think through your positions carefully. I encourage you to stay close to the Lord and ask Him to help you to understand the great depths of Spiritual truth in Christ. Make sure to be persistent. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit of God would lead you into all truth and teach you about God. I count on that fact in these writings. Only you know your own life - and your own needs - and only you can seek your own relationship with God. CIP has been developed to assist you in that pursuit.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth ..."
John 16:13
If you are not a Christian, you are certainly welcomed on this site. But, please keep in mind that CIP is written primarily to the church ("The Church" being defined as all sincere Christians of all denominations around the world). If you keep this fact in mind, it will help you to understand the context of the articles. The underlying assumption of this site is that the reader is a Christian and that he or she is interested in developing a deep Spiritual life in Christ. CIP posits that this Spiritual life (reality in Christ) can be found by any person who sincerely seeks it with an honest heart - no matter what their denominational background may be.
This site is based on the axiom that God is the answer to the needs of our existence, and that He fills life with meaning and beauty - even in suffering. CIP also proposes that you can develop an intimate personal relationship with God, and know that you will have an eternal future with Him.
CIP is also designed to help the church improve its understanding of philosophy. In the early part of the 21st Century, the church is facing a massive onslaught of philosopical attacks from many different sources. These attacks are actually good for the church because it makes us think through our belief system and go deeper with the Lord. But, it also means that the church must become more knowledgeable about philosophical thought so that it can effectively answer these new attacks. Most of the challenges are coming from a culturally powerful system of thought (a zeitgeist) which has its genesis in the new technology. This new system of thought is referred to on this site as "screen-think". Screen-think is rooted in groupthink, post-modern thought and hedonic philosophy.
These philosophies have existed for millennia, but have only become a powerful unified cultural force in the early part of the 21st century. The formation of this unified philosophy is a direct result of the internet and other commmunication technologies. The new communication technology allows groups of people to create their own virtual worlds in a way that is completely new to the human race - so new, "as to be of another kind". By the use of ear phones, cell phones, I pads, and internet, people can now live in their own worlds most of their waking hours creating a whole new sense of human reality.
This ability, to carry our own virtual world with us, has raised the status of the arts (television, movies, internet, virtual reality, music, etc.) to the level of a religion. CIP posits that the only way to understand the cultural changes which are now occurring in western civilization is through the lens of religious ideology. In other words, the virtual culture which is now forming in the West, is in fact not a secular movement, but rather a new religious movement. This new virtual religion is referred to on this site as Virtualism. You can find these definitions by clicking on Terminology.
Many writers, commentators, and philosophers are now referring to this new movement as a religion. An interesting phenomenon of the Virtualism movement is that it sees Christianity as an "out of touch" cult, "on the wrong side of history." This is fascinating, because that is precisely how all religious movements in the past have seen their opponents (the other - in sociology terms). So we are seeing history being repeated - as it so often does - but this time with a new and powerful technology. The techonlogy is new but the essence of the new religion is very old and demonic in nature. This new techno - religion has lead to huge numbers of people opening themselves up to ancient demonic forces - forces that were previously contained and restricted by Christian culture. Once these forces envelop the mind, thoughts and actions which previously seemed absurd and immoral now seem normal and even preferable. This is the "darkening of the mind" described in the book of Romans chapter 1. This chapter is amazingly descriptive of todays world, because the spirits of that time in Rome are now resurfacing - 2000 years later - in the new "American Rome".
Always remember: when dealing with spiritual forces - At first you have IT, and then you wake up one morning and IT has you.
This is true for the individual and it is also true for a culture.
One of the goals of this site is to provide the church with several treatises (essays) that will analyze this new way of thinking. By understanding the dynamics of these philosophies, the reader will be able to understand the origins and motivations of this new virtual religion. The reader will also become aware of the uniqueness of Christian philosophy and how it profoundly answers the great questions of life.
Lets get started with some random thoughts.
When dealing with life's problems, it is critical to remember that we live life in 3 dimensions at the same time - the physical, the psychological, and the Spiritual. We must seek God's guidance to build solid structures in all three dimensions.
Question: But why do I need God?
Answer: Simple - You cannot understand yourself without Him.
Holiness is not the way to Christ. Christ is the way to holiness.
Funny how we think posting world-system scriptures on the wall is normal and posting Bible scriptures on the wall is strange.
Teach your children the word of God, "speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."
Deuteronomy 11:19
"You become what you gaze upon". (author unknown)
If you understand the following statement you have discovered one of the most important secrets of life.
"The essence of life is not in the living, but in the answers."
I ask God for all things that I might enjoy life, but God gave me life, that I might enjoy all things.
"That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life ... " Deuteronomy 30:20
You are right, God does not make "no junk". But we sure can!
" I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." Deuteronomy 30:19
"then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:15
Christianity is something that should not be - but is.
As western culture goes down, make sure to get as far away from the ship as possible. In World War 2 sailors were instructed to swim away from a sinking ship as far as they could, because as it went down a vortex is formed - and that vortex will take you down with it.
Tell your family! Swim away from the ship. Find solid ground! This site is designed to help you do that.
How do I ever put this life together? There are so many pieces to the puzzle and I don't even have a picture to help me figure it out!
How do I ever put this marriage together? There are so many pieces to the puzzle and I don't even have a picture to help me figure it out!
"In thy light shall we see light." Psalm 36:9
The Jews did not kill Jesus nor did the Romans. I killed Jesus. Look at the world through Spiritual eyes and you will see that I killed Jesus and so did you.
1 Timothy 6:10
Watchout for the love of money in religious clothing. Money is nice but it is also dangerous. It can deprive you of the most valuable things in life. It can deprive your children of their parents when they needed them the most. It can deprive you of the fires of life that God intended for you to go through, so you could understand Spiritual reality.
How strange - Beginning in the 1960s we preached that sex is a good thing no matter what, and there should be no limits placed upon it. And then we promoted porn for half a century declaring ourselves to be liberated and a "mature audience". Then fast forward 60 years and we find the culture emotionally exhausted doing very strange things. Such as - using a word meaning sexual intercourse as its favorite term for attacking and cursing someone.
I think this is called cognitive dissonance. I think this is called the darkening of the cultural heart. I think this is called seeing scripture fulfilled right in front of our eyes. Romans 1:21
If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. John 7:37
R. W. Ford
Founder and Editor
The Christian Institute of Philosophy (CIP)
I pray daily for everyone who reads this site. I ask God to bless you and draw you closer to Himself. It is my prayer that this site will assist you in developing a rich and deeply Spiritual life in Christ.
CIP
The Credulity Problem
The Myth of Authenticity
Dealing with the Working World
What is Philosophy
Christianity, Culture, Government, and
the End of the Age.
Video
5 min
Excellent video about truth and culture. She nails it concerning the end of religion and the end of rationalism. The secularism movement of the last half of the twentyth century thought that if western culture removed God from the equation of life, only reason and rationalism would remain - and it would be a much better world. The startling discovery of 2023 is that when Christian culture disappeared, so did truth and reason. In its place arose a new religion to fill the void. A new religion (Virtualism) that is taking us back into the dark ages.
Video
Jonathan Cahn's theory is intriguing. A close analysis of the American culture (2023) strongly suggests he is right. He is not saying that the ancient religions are true. He is saying that there were real demonic spirits behind these religiions - and because America has forsaken the Christian faith, these demonic spirits have returned in a new, more sophisticated form.
This falling away from God and then being inhabited by pagan religion is nothing new. It also happened to ancient Israel.
"They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up; ..." Deuteronomy 32:17
Video
Billy Graham on the end of the age. A poignant message for 2023.
Circa 1965.
Edited for quick viewing.
11 minutes
Video
John MacArthur does an excellent job of connecting the dots regarding scriptural truth and the collape of American culture.
Edited for quick viewing. 6 minutes
Video
Mark Goring tells the Chruch to be faithful to the word of God. Very important message for Christians in 2023.
5 minutes
Video
A message that applies to all Christians - no matter what our denominational affiliation may be.
1 min 38 sec
Video
Video: Edited for quick viewing. 4 minutes
Every Christian should listen to this 13 minute video. Glen's conclusions about our time in history in 2023 and the work of demonic forces, should be obvious to every Christian. Notice at one point he says that he never thought people really believed what they were saying. This is true of most Christians. We always thought that the culture's embrace of Molock and the occult was basically just a rebellious taunting to the Church and no one really believed it. And at first that was true. But now, they do believe it. This is a perfect example of the truth in the saying: "At first you have IT, then you wake up one morning and IT Has You!" This is true of an individual and of a culture.
Video
Radio Interview
Tucker Carlson has also noted something very unusual and evil is going on in the culture. This is not politics and it is not normal life as we have known it for the last 50 years. There is something spiritual and evil happening in the culture.
3 minutes
Video
Excellent video about how we are on the verge of fulfilling Huxley's predictions of a "Brave New World" It is 15 min long, but every Christian should take the time to see it - so that we are aware of where Satan is taking western culture.
Video
Franklin Graham is Billy Graham's son and CEO of Samaritan's Purse - an organization that helps people in need. He talks about the end of the age and what Christians should do in this time of history.
Video
14 min
If the Lord has given you a heart for philosophy, I think you will find this video very interesting. It has excellent research and production. The points made about civilizational decline and collapes can be clearly seen in the America of 2023.
Don't be troubled with the use of the word "Myth". It is an attack word which we will deal with later.
Video
Excellent discussion about AI. Every Christian needs to see this video. Your world is about to change. You need to know this information in order to protect your family. AI will take over many things including education.
Christians must be thinking seriously about how they will get children out of public schools. AI will be the new man made God and most people will worship it. AI will be the new high tech Golden Calf.
Make sure to keep in mind that God is in control and all of this is very likely the end of the age - as described 2000 years ago in the book of Revelations. Also keep in mind, that if Revelations could so accurately describe the end of the age 2000 years ago - if that is true - then it is all true. The coming of the Lord will bring a new day for His people, and great joy for us.
