About the Christian Skeptics Society
The Christian Skeptics Society is an international, ecumenical nonprofit organization. We seek to explore how the life-changing message of Jesus Christ relates to, informs and even inspires a healthy, rational skepticism (and vice versa).
Likewise, contradicting much popular opinion, we investigate how these seemingly antagonistic philosophies are indeed generally quite compatible, and in fact complimentary.
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Preliminary Findings
We are not just another apologetics organization, "witnessing the Truth we know" to skeptics. We exist to answer their questions, on their grounds. We also ask Christians to critically examine, reflect on, and, finally, re-formulate Jesus-centered faith in meaningful terms accessible to critical thinkerss (and thus relevant to themselves).
Based on a careful examination of history, skeptical Christians generally believe Christ's true historical message, overall, is very compatible with a skeptical outlook in general, and often not only supports it, but demands it.
Christians often quite prominetly debunk much nonsense, like astrology, ESP, Tarot, and other 'occult' practices in the same way, and with fundamentally the same grounds, and similar presuppositions, as skeptics. (This implies a rejection of the ridiculous, grounded in concepts of sanity, not mindless religion.) Christians and skeptics should cooperate in educating society to think critically, with shared principles of disciplined investigation and inquiry.
Although superstition and nonsense often flourish and otherwise abound among Christians, there has always been a core of rational believers who insist they do indeed have faith, but it is a faith grounded in reason: a reasonable faith, not a blind faith (see William Lane Craig's Reasonable Faith). These people who are simultaneously Skeptics and True Believers (as Chet Raymo's book title famously put it) often read Free Inquiry and Skeptic Magazine with Carl Sagan's Demon-Haunted World and the Bible hand in hand, and frequently, in head - and, more importantly, in heart.
There is a profound, accessible core of truth to (especially Christian) religious thought that is indeed compatible with science and skeptical inquiry. However, it is first oversimplified then ridiculed by many who consider themselves skeptics. Those who live the oversimplified (yet simultaneously over-extended) fundamentally non-Christian religion that skeptics condemn need to have their eyes opened.
We also defend core Christian principles and even doctrine (not superficial superstitious ritualistic nonsense) from an eminently rational, even skeptical perspective -- that will be accessible to anyone who truly thinks rationally (that is, skeptically).
Many skeptics are repulsed from conventionals presentation of the Christian faith (ethical and belief system), and they seek an adequate response. Similarly, many Christians are, ironically, suspiciously skeptical of skeptics. We hope to provide a response to both groups that may help to better integrate the too-often-hostile camps, with their enormous common ground.
Board of Directors
Nathan Braun
Former Presidential Scholar
(Religion, Culture and Ethics)
Augustana University College
Claud C. Crawford, Ph.D.
Author, Why This Skeptic Is A Christian, 1989
three.seas@netstarcomm.net
Brian Allan Wooters, D.Min.
Professor, Philosophy
Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, Nebraska)
Pastor, Plattsmouth Baptist Church (Plattsmouth,
Nebraska)
awooters@metropo.mccneb.edu
Benjamin Franklin Armstrong, Jr., Ph.D. (Philosophy)
Professor, Philosophy and Religion
Central College (Pella, Iowa)
armstrongb@central.edu
E-mail
css@skeptical.faithweb.com
