28Oct 2024 by Post

Why I am Pro-Life

abortion, Apologetics, Bellator Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, pro-life, S.L.E.D., Tony Williams
Before I go any further, I must state that this is not an attempt to apply guilt or condemnation to any woman who has had an abortion, or any man who has encouraged it. The Good News is that grace is extended to all willing to accept it by grace, through faith in Christ. With that said, I now hope to clearly explain why I am pro-life and hope to encourage you to consider your own views as you read further. Early Ambivalence I wasn’t always pro-life. I was more ambivalent than anything until I was in my 30’s. Yes, I am a man and I had never been in a scenario to have to consider the idea carefully. However, something happened to me to cause me to come completely…
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23Oct 2024 by Post

Dear Friend: To Those Choosing to Abstain or Vote 3rd Party in 2024

2024 Presidential Election, abortion, Abraham Lincoln, Apologetics, Christianity, Democrat, get out the vote, Gospel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Politics, Republican, Robert Gagnon, slavery, voting, www.FreeThinkingMinistries.com
Editor’s Note: This post from Dr. Robert A.J. Gagnon was originally posted on October 14, 2024 at FreeThinking Ministries, in the form of an open letter to everyone who is tempted to abstain from voting in the 2024 election. We’ve tried to preserve that format here at CrossExamined. Dear friend who is inclined not to cast a vote for either Harris or Trump, I agree that Trump deserves criticism for his weakened stance on abortion. His position on abortion has probably changed for the worse since coming to the conclusion that he can’t get elected by holding a consistently pro-life position. But consider Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Even Lincoln was not a declared abolitionist in 1860 (and also by our standards today a racist). He couldn’t have been…
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22Oct 2024 by Post

Personally Prolife, Politically Prochoice: A Response

abortion, Apologetics, Christianity, cultural apologetics, Gospel, John Ferrer, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, pro-choice, pro-life, Pro-Life Apologetics, www.IntelligentChristianFaith.com, “personally pro-life”, “politically pro-choice.”
Can we be pro-life personally but pro-choice politically? The quick answer to this loaded question is: No, we can’t really be pro-life personally if we are pro-choice politically. That’s because pro-lifers recognize that the child-in-utero is a human being, so the decision to abort isn’t a strictly personal decision at all, it’s an interpersonal decision. In that sense, it’s not a “private” decision (for just one person to decide). It’s a public decision (where at least 2 people are involved). Since abortion is an interpersonal act, it bears upon society and politics. Some people might not want to have an abortion, for themselves, but that does not qualify anyone as pro-life. Pro-choicers themselves recognize a “freedom to choose,” even when that includes choosing against abortion. In summary, if you are…
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16Oct 2024 by Post

Is AI Dangerous? (Part 2)

Alexa Cramer, Apologetics, Artificial Intelligence, Christianity, cultural apologetics, Culture and Politics, Gospel, MamaBearApologetics.com, Science and Technology, Techie
In Part 1, we may have virtually scared the pants off our readers with our semi-dystopian view of the future. But everything’s going to be okay, mama. You’re fine. I’m fine. Everything’s FINE! No, really, we’re all fine. Let me ask you something: can you give me an example of any time the future wasn’t scary? I doubt it. On this side of heaven, the future will always be uncertain. So, what we can do is cling to that which we are certain of – absolute truth. And that truth is found in a person: Jesus. Seek truth, and you’ll find Christ and His promises. Seek Christ, and you’ll find truth and clarity. Consequently, it’s no surprise that God’s number one enemy is working relentlessly to distort our view of truth. Because that’s ALL…
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09Oct 2024 by Post

Do Oral Cultures Operate the Same as the Telephone Game?

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Bellatori Christi, biblical apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, Inerrancy, Infallibility, inspiration, Liberty University, New Testament, reliability, Sherene Khouri
Secular scholars, especially those who attack the historicity of the New Testament, claim it is difficult to establish historical knowledge that is valid and reliable because of the infallibility of the human memory. People do not recall information accurately, especially if the account is written years after the event. However, historians and archaeologists have been able to make strong cases for their accounts considering several factors, such as the closeness of the written document to the event, multiple attestations to the incident, and so on. In this article, I will discuss the factor of oral tradition communities, how literate people recorded their history, and whether their methodology is reliable or not. Western and advanced societies might not realize that there is a pattern that oral communities usually follow to preserve…
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07Oct 2024 by Post

Prioritizing FAT Christians: A Practical Theology for Pastors

Apologetics, Christianity, Church, discipleship, Faithful Available Teachable, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, Great Commission, Pastoral Care, Paul Rasor, practical theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Several weeks ago, I was listening to the podcast “Wise Disciple” with Nate Salah ( “Is Voddie Wrong about Churches?”). He was discussing the need for pastors to focus on finding FAT Christians in their congregations. (Don’t worry. FAT is an acrostic.) This is to say, pastors need to prioritize their time and efforts upon Christians who are Faithful, Available and Teachable. There are multiple reasons why this principle ought to be followed by pastors. But before addressing those reasons, we need to understand what exactly a FAT Christian is.[i] What are F.A.T. Christians? FAT Christians are not just interested in Jesus but are committed to him as true disciples. Specifically, these are believers who are faithful in many things in the local church, such as attendance to Sunday worship, small group studies, and Sunday school. They are…
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04Oct 2024 by Post

Were the Gospel Accounts Reliably Recorded?

4. Is the NT True?, : Telephone Game, Al Serrato, Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Gospel, manuscripts, NT Reliability, Oral Tradition, Uncategorized
A common challenge to believers is the contention that the gospel accounts we read today are not particularly reliable. Referring to the “telephone game,” the skeptic will claim that since the gospel accounts were penned three to five decades after the life of Christ, the accounts they portray are probably much different than the original accounts, just as the tenth telling of what was said in the “telephone game” is much different than the first. This analogy resonates with many people, who realize how hard it is to memorize in exact order a string of words that are spoken once. By the time the sentence is repeated to that tenth person, it will indeed bear little resemblance to its original form. But does this analogy aptly describe what occurred with…
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04Oct 2024 by Post

Navigating the American Political Landscape

Apologetics, Christianity, Culture and Politics, Democrat, election, Gospel, Heaven Not Harvard, How should Christians vote, Jennifer Defrates, Law, MamaBearApologetics.com, Politics, Republican
Surviving political landscapes as a Christian has always been challenging (ancient Rome was harsh, y’all!). However, this U.S. presidential election cycle feels like the most difficult in recent history, and the American political landscape seems to grow more contentious every year. So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not easy, but it can be simple. [If you know how to coopt this “click-to-tweet” function so it redirects to the CE article go ahead, otherwise, let’s Block Quote these] So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not easy, but it can be simple. Let’s talk about how. Click To Tweet Should we get Political at all? First, let’s address the elephant (and donkey) in the room. Should Christians even get…
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25Sep 2024 by Post

How The After Party Curriculum Is Sowing Political Confusion in the Church

After Party Curriculum, Apologetics, Christianity, Curtis Chang, David French, Democrat, freedom of religion, Gospel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Natasha Crain, NatashaCrain.com, Politics, Progressivism, RINO, Russel Moore, separation of church and state
For those who haven’t heard of it, The After Party (TAP) is a small group curriculum and corresponding book that is being heavily promoted this election year to individuals, churches, and Christian institutions (such as colleges) to counter the “dangerous trend” of evangelicals having their political identity formed by “partisan forces, not by true Biblical faith.” What is The After Party Curriculum? The curriculum was developed by David French (New York Times columnist), Russell Moore (Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today), and Curtis Chang. Fewer people are familiar with Chang than with French and Moore, but for context, his most notable project was called “Christians and the Vaccine,” through which he led a national effort to convince Covid vaccine-resistant evangelicals that their “anxiety, distrust of institutions, and political polarization” was threatening the vaccine’s potential for “healing…
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25Sep 2024 by Post

Three Bad Arguments for Euthanasia

Apologetics, assisted suicide, bioethics, ChristianConcern.com, euthanasia, Gospel, imago Dei, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, mercy killing, Sanctity of Life, Sean Redfearn
Polling sometimes suggests that the UK public is in favor of ‘assisted dying.’ This is an illusion, caused in many cases by people not knowing what ‘assisted dying is.’ A recent poll showed that only 42% of the public understood what ‘assisted dying’ refers to, with 10% thinking it meant hospice-type care and 42% believing it meant stopping treatment. There is no legal or ethical mandate that a terminally ill person must be kept alive “at all costs.” There is, however, a major difference between withdrawing medical treatment and thereby allowing a patient to die of his or her own medical condition and intentionally ending a patient’s life. What Is Euthanasia? Euthanasia (as well as assisted suicide) is most basically understood as the lethal dose of drugs to deliberately end…
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