In response to your question Becky...
Well, I feel that in some ways David Hyams answered this well over dinner when you posed the same concern, "are we philosophers?"

David responded by asking, "Do you love wisdom?" Implying, of course, that if our answer is yes, then we are philosophers.

In some ways I agree with this assessment. For, although prima facie it certainly seems too broad (that is, you'd think everyone and their mom would qualify as a philosopher under this criteria), I think in reality it isn't that bad of a system. As I am sure you will agree, sadly, very few in our culture today actually do love the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. I'm not trying to be pretentious here; we really are in the minority by the simple fact that we pursue knowledge. The simple fact that we read difficult books, that we engage our minds to demanding concepts, that we stretch our intellects to intricate arguments for the ultimate reality of things, that we THINK, honestly, and yes quite sorrowfully, does set us apart.

But I think your concern Becky is over the issue are WE, a bunch of grad students studying a little philosophy really qualified to call ourselves Philosophers. I suspect your apprehension with this is because we call people like Socrates and Moreland and Kant and Groothuis and Nietzsche and Plantinga and Locke philosophers and then if we try to call ourselves by the same moniker it seems like a bit of a joke. Well, I see where you are coming from, but at the same time I would think that almost everyone of these people I listed, just as an example, would be fine with calling us “fellow” philosophers (except for Nietzche of course, who would take one look at Mitch and declare that Superman was amongst us). No, they wouldn’t call us philosophers in the sense that we are not “peers” with them; we don’t have our PhD’s and we don’t have the respect in the philosophy world that they command (nor should we). But I think they would call us philosophers in the sense that we are just as they all once were. Think about it: at one time Socrates was just some young pup thinking about these things like we were. They all started just as we are starting. And we all know where we are going.

I guess my answer, Becky, is Yes, I think we are philosophers. If that’s too ostentatious and conceited sounding…. So be it.

Becky,

Thanks for setting this up. I'm down. We need to establish lines of quality communication as fellow Christian philosophers in training. This should be a great forum for that.

As far as the PLO/Israel question... this is a very difficult topic for me to even form an opinion on. Clearly I am against the horrendous violence on both sides of the fence. But what is the answer? I don't know.

Last summer I was down in Biloxi, MS of all place (doing an Air Force thingy) and in a Shoney's (yes, a Shoney's) I met a very interesting man and his family. He had a strong foreign accent that I couldn't place. We spoke for a minute and soon discovered that we were both Christians. This guy was solid. Turns out, after I asked him, that he was from Israel. He said he was born and raised a Jew in Israel but then became a Christian as he discovered Jesus really was the promised messiah. An incredible story. This guy went on to become a Pastor and is now the pastor of a Christian Church in Israel. He was visiting family in the States.
After some more conversing with this brother I had enough courage to ask his opinion on the entire Isreal/Palestenian conflict. His answer truly astounded me.

He said, and mind you this is an Israel citizen, a CHRISTIAN Isreali, that Isreal should stop all this fighting and simply give the Palenstenian's the land they want. He says, and frankly I rather trusted his perspective, that the violence and evil that Israel pours out on the Palenstenians is much worse than their terrorists do to them (although he hated all of it). He holds a position that basically says Israel is wrong here and the Palestenians are right. He said they are just simple people who want their home and Israel (HIS COUNTRY) is the oppresive domineering country demanding land from poor people. He says he KNOWS that the violence would all stop if Israel would simply swallow its pride and give Palenstenians their land.

It was fascinating. I asked him about eschatology and its implications, and he claims that's inconsequential. He looks at it very simply. I'll never forget what he said to me, in a raspy foreign voice, "my friend, we are Christians. And as Christians we need to bring mercy, forgiveness, and love. We need to love these Palestenians, not kill them, and not return vengenance upon them. As Christians it is our job to end it. To stop the revenge cycle. We need to give them love in spite of their hate. We need to give them the land."

Well, of course, the main problem with what he says we need to do is that Israel is a Jewish nation, and not, by any stretch, a Christian one. However, this brother's words were very powerful for me. I still don't really hold a firm position on this. But I thought I'd share the story.

-BJ