--Has modern science made philosophy obsolete? --Is the soul real? --Do we have a free will? --Why should we be moral? --Does God exist, and if so, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? --What is the relation between faith and reason? Ric Machuga takes a holistic approach to these questions. No philosophical idea, no matter how small, can live alone. Ideas always gain their force, power, and life from their surroundings--their "ecosystem." The ecosystem of ideas defended in this book comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and his medieval interpreter, Thomas...

- Is the existence of God a matter of faith or knowledge? - Does God sometimes act miraculously or are there physical causes for everything? - Is morality absolute or relative? - Are humans truly free or does God's sovereignty determine everything? - When bad things happen, is God the cause or are they the fault of humans? Too frequently Christians answer these questions with a Yes to one side and a No to the other side. Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth answer Yes to both. Following their model, Machuga defends a ""third way"" which transcends the Enlightenment dichotomies of fideism vs....

Having a careful ear and an open heart is vital to understanding the big ideas of the Universe. Two friends, Distefano and Machuga, put this on display here, vulnerably exploring some of humanitys most robust topics: what it means to be human, what it means to be saved, what it means to be lost, and what the meaning of life is. And while the authors agree on many things, including the ultimate fate of humanity, they do not necessarily agree on all the details of how we get there. But instead of ""agreeing to disagree,"" they model for their readers what conversations of this variety should...