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All (93) Mike Winger (93)
Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Romans 1:18-32 describes two divine judgments on those who suppress the evidence for God: sin and a debased mind

Q&A: Monica Poole asks how Street Epistemology relates to Romans 1

Romans 1:18-32 Romans 1:20 atheism Romans 1:18-32 cosmological argument
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Personal sympathy for the slogan: the desire not to be gullible

Mike acknowledges the psychological appeal of the slogan before dismantling it.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Gullibility vs. denial Epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Twitter respondents cannot define "extraordinary evidence" — shifting, subjective standard

Part of the data-gathering from Twitter, illustrating the definitional problem with the slogan.

Equivocation fallacy Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Problem 3: The slogan results in rejecting any claim you want — confirmation bias

Third of five critiques of the slogan.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Existence of God Epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Problem 5: The slogan misapplies prior probability — humans are bad at estimating probabilities

Fifth and final critique, focused on the prior probability dimension.

Epistemology Prior probability Human probability estimation
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Evidence can overcome even extremely low prior probabilities — the question is "did it happen?" not "what are the odds?"

Mike's positive epistemological alternative to the slogan's approach.

Resurrection of Jesus Epistemology Prior probability
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Practical illustration: reliable coworker Jeff missing work — evidence overcomes prior probability

Mike uses an everyday scenario to illustrate how evidence should override prior probability.

Epistemology Prior probability Confirmation bias
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Mike's positive replacement for the slogan: evidence makes a claim believable when data is better explained by the hypothesis being true

Mike offers a rigorous epistemological alternative to the slogan.

Resurrection of Jesus Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Methodological principle: dismissing miracle claims in historical sources reflects worldview bias, not following the evidence

Responding to the claim that miracle claims in historical sources can be safely dismissed

miracles epistemology naturalism
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Red flags for mythicists: fringe scholarly support + primarily internet bloggers = gullibility warning; comparable to moon landing denialism and Holocaust denial

Warning signs that a position may be a conspiracy theory

epistemology Jesus mythicism historicity of Jesus
Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Relativism — "there is no truth" is self-refuting; "no one can know truth" is also self-refuting

Viewer question from Isabell Chris

apologetics epistemology relativism
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Introduction to apologetic methodology and its complexity

Opening remarks framing the episode goal of simplifying a complicated theological debate topic

epistemology apologetic methodology
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Christians have confident, warranted belief in Christianity apart from evidence through the Holy Spirit

Core thesis introduced: knowledge of Christianity's truth comes primarily through the Holy Spirit, not evidence

Holy Spirit epistemology faith and reason
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Knowing vs. showing: two distinct epistemic tasks

The foundational framework distinction that organizes the whole presentation

epistemology knowing vs. showing apologetic methodology
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

The witness of the Holy Spirit is the primary means by which Christians know Christianity is true

Application of the knowing/showing framework to Christian epistemology

Romans 8 Romans 8 assurance of salvation epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

The inner witness of the Holy Spirit gives Christians warrant regardless of external evidence

Explaining how the witness of the Spirit functions as epistemic justification independent of external arguments

epistemology faith and reason warrant
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

When the Holy Spirit's witness conflicts with external evidence, Christians are warranted in trusting God over evidence

Addressing the case where scholarly or empirical evidence seems to contradict Christian faith

epistemology fideism faith and reason
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

1 John 5:9-10: the witness of God is greater than the witness of men; believers have it in themselves

Biblical grounding for the epistemological framework; key proof text for the witness of the Spirit

1 John 5:9-10 testimony epistemology witness of the Holy Spirit
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Nearly all human knowledge rests on testimony from credible witnesses, not direct personal observation

Defending testimony as a valid epistemological category in response to empiricist objections

testimony epistemology faith and reason
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

God's witness is categorically greater than human testimony because God has all knowledge and cannot lie

Logical grounding for why the Spirit's witness has epistemic priority

1 John 5:9-10 epistemology witness of the Holy Spirit 1 John 5:9-10
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

The German student scenario: a Christian surrounded by hostile scholarship still has warrant through the Spirit

Thought experiment to test the view's robustness in adverse intellectual environments

epistemology demythologization warrant
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

It is epistemically wrong to require Christians to answer every argument or question before their faith is valid

Critique of the epistemic standard often imposed by internet atheism

atheism epistemology faith and reason
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Internet atheism often operates by demanding unanswerable questions rather than engaging arguments honestly

Sociological and spiritual observation about common atheist engagement tactics

atheism epistemology witness of the Holy Spirit
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

The Mormon burning-in-the-bosom claim does not undermine the Christian's witness of the Spirit

Responding to the classic objection that the Spirit's witness is unreliable because others claim the same for false religions

Mormonism Book of Mormon epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

This view is not fideism; the Spirit's internal witness is genuine evidence, and the Spirit converts — not arguments

Responding to the charge that elevating the Spirit's witness over external evidence is mere fideism

epistemology conversion fideism
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Proper logic and reason will never contradict genuine faith; apparent conflicts come from reasoning errors, not from reason itself

Q&A: whether logic can grieve the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit epistemology faith and reason
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Presuppositional apologetics requires assuming Christianity true rather than proving it — Mike disagrees

Specific critique of presuppositionalism

apologetics presuppositional apologetics epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-30

Question about how to evangelize a friend who denies objective truth (relativism/anti-realism)

Question from Colby Hill about a friend with relativistic epistemological views who says Christianity is true for you but not for me.

evangelism epistemology relativism
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

Subjective truth is self-refuting -- every claim for it is itself an objective truth claim

Responding to Arno's question about how to respond to claims that all truth is subjective

apologetics epistemology self-refuting argument
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Epistemic humility in teaching: share conclusions only to the degree of confidence you actually possess

Question about how Mike knows when he has read enough secondary literature to teach a topic publicly.

epistemology humility biblical scholarship
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

The Bible neither affirms nor denies the existence of aliens; Christians can follow the evidence without a presuppositional commitment either way.

Does the Bible say anything about aliens?

epistemology aliens and Christianity biblical silence
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

Biblical faith is not groundless belief but trust based on revelation and evidence; the response to psychological doubt is to exercise trust grounded in good reasons.

How to respond to psychological doubt

Abraham faith fulfilled prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q12: Fear of studying theology — not studying is not safer; intellectual humility in study

Response to viewer afraid of making mistakes when studying eschatology

hermeneutics eschatology epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q14: "Don't lean on your own understanding" (Prov 3:5) — using understanding vs. leaning on it

Response to question about how to know truth when you can't trust your own understanding or tradition

Proverbs 3:5 Trinity epistemology faith and reason
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Calibrated theological humility: hold beliefs with appropriate confidence, expect some error, keep learning

Continuing Q14 on following heart vs. conscience vs. Scripture

epistemology theological error intellectual humility
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Demanding chapter-and-verse for every claim is an overreaction used to control discourse, not a legitimate epistemic standard

Question from Graham Weaver about how to respond to demands for chapter and verse on nuanced or situational claims.

Hermeneutics Biblical epistemology Sola scriptura
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Framing the question: Does one fraudulent religious figure (Brian Simmons) justify skepticism about all religious authors, including the Gospel writers?

Question from Robert asks whether Brian Simmons being a "nut" should make us skeptical of Paul and the Gospel authors the same way.

Brian Simmons Passion Translation Anti-supernatural bias
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Proper epistemology: compare the quality of evidence for each religious claim rather than treating all religious claims equally.

Conclusion of the Brian Simmons / apostles comparison section.

Mormonism Joseph Smith Comparative religious epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Confirmation bias accusations are themselves prone to confirmation bias; fear of confirmation bias is not sufficient reason to disbelieve something

Responding to a young Christian worried that his theism might be confirmation bias given that most atheistic arguments seem like straw men and ad hominem

straw man argument apologetics atheism
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Changing one's mind is not required for intellectual validity; core epistemic beliefs are foundational and need no further justification

Continuing the apologetics discussion about confirmation bias

confirmation bias knowledge epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-15

The "outsider test of faith" (apply your reasons for rejecting Thor to Christianity) backfires for informed Christians because the evidence for Christianity specifically doesn't work for pagan deities.

Responding to the street epistemology version of argument 1

Luke Barnes William Lane Craig biblical prophecy William Lane Craig
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-29

The four central tenets of CRT: (1) Racism is permanent, pervasive, and normal; (2) Racial disparities prove racial discrimination (disparities = proof of racism); (3) Dominant groups won't address racism because they benefit from it; (4) Lived experience of minorities is central to understanding racism.

Four core tenets of Critical Race Theory

systemic racism critical race theory white fragility
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-29

Biblical framework: impartiality in judgment (no favoritism for rich or poor), all humans of one blood in God's image, individual sin/accountability, Scripture as the authority over lived experience. CRT is incompatible with Christianity on every core tenet.

The biblical response to CRT

Leviticus 19:15 image of God image of God biblical justice
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