22Jun 2026 by Post

The LDS Can’t Outrun Joseph Smith the Materialist

Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, https://drowenanderson.substack.com/, Joseph Smith, Latter Day Saints, LDS, materialism, Mormonism, Owen Anderson, Theology and Christian Apologetics
I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to look into the Mormons or not. I’m here in Arizona, and they tend to enjoy a state just north of me: Utah. I’m not super old, but I’m old enough to remember a few waves of Mormon advertisements, and I’m starting to notice a pattern, or is it a trajectory?  Their current wave is a pivot, if that’s the word I want, away from “we are restoring the church with this third testament we found buried in upstate New York” to “we’re evangelicals with a fun little twist about marriage.” Mormon apologist Jacob Hansen represents this new approach among the LDS in trying to become just one of the guys on the Christian theology social media pages. For some time now,…
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15Jun 2026 by Post

The Horrors of Euthanasia and the Problem of Suffering

2. Does God Exist?, Apologetics, bioethics, Christian Worldview, Christianity, euthanasia, Gospel, meaning of life, meaninglessness, problem of suffering, Secularism, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Thomas Moller, www.FreeThinkingministries
As I’m writing this blog, on March 26, 2016, a young woman by the name of Noelia Castillo Ramos is being euthanized in Spain.[i] Unfortunately, this is nothing new in our Western society. Medically assisted suicide has been legal in Canada for almost 10 years.[ii] Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States—yes, even the USA in some states—have legalized medically assisted suicide to some degree.[iii] You may wonder, as I did, what circumstances allow for assistance in suicide? In the United States, the law states that only mentally competent and terminally ill patients, whose illness will kill them within six months, allows for assisted suicide. It is fairly similar in Australia and New Zealand. Despite how extreme…
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08Jun 2026 by Post

Abortion Versus Sacrificial Living

abortion, Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, John Ferrer, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Matthew 16:24-25, pro-choice, pro-life, Take up your cross, www.AbortionMuseum.org
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’” Matthew 16:24-25, NASB Abortion isn’t just a surgical procedure. It’s not just an action, a choice, or a policy. It’s also a culture. Abortion-choice culture is a range of institutions and actions driven by a specific set of ideas about women, sex, motherhood, children, family, and liberty. Somewhere packed inside that culture is a set of expectations about what “normal” women and families should be like. Revolutionary Motherhood   Rachel Jankovic, a mother of seven children, is decidedly abnormal. She writes: “Everywhere you go, people want to…
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03Jun 2026 by Post

Did God Give Adam and Eve Enough Information to Make an “Informed Decision”?

Adam, Apologetics, Christianity, Eve, free will, garden of eden, Gospel, Hillary Ferrer, MamaBearApologetics.com, morality, original sin, Theology and Christian Apologetics
In my previous post, I partially answered the question, “Why did God create the tree in the first place?” This question is a big one for little minds to wrap themselves around. For a child, creating the tree in the first place sounds like God was just asking for trouble. For the hardened skeptic, it sounds like God tricked us into needing a Savior by creating the means for us to sin in the first place. I argued in my previous post that this objection does not hold true when you examine it in the context of a loving relationship. For both love and relationship to exist, there must be free-will. For free-will to exist, there must be legitimate means to choose otherwise. God made it as easy as possible for…
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01Jun 2026 by Post

When “Too Christian” Becomes a Metric: A Case Study in Academic Double Standards

academia, anti-Christian bias, Apologetics, Christianity, DrOwenAnderson.substack.com, Gospel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Owen Anderson, performance review, persecution
Although I am a tenured full professor of philosophy at ASU, I am still required to complete an annual review of my work each year (as the name suggests). At most universities, faculty evaluations are supposed to be straightforward. At Arizona State University, where I teach, we use an objective rubric. Faculty are evaluated annually in three categories: research, teaching, and service. Each activity earns points, and those points correspond to a score from 1 to 5. A 3 means you met expectations. A 1 or 2 means you’ll need to draw up a plan for change with the school’s director and then prove you succeeded in the next annual review. A 4 means you exceeded expectations and a 5 means you achieved excellence. It is very nice to have…
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27May 2026 by Post

A Divine Love Theodicy: Addressing James Sterba’s and Erik Wielenberg’s Problem of Evil Arguments

2. Does God Exist?, Adam Lloyd Johnson, Apologetics, Christianity, ConvincingProof.org, Divine Love Theodicy, evidential, Gospel, Gratuitous Evil, Logical, Problem of Evil, Suffering
Abstract: James Sterba claims my Divine Love Theodicy does not address the working parts of his new logical problem of evil. In this paper I summarize Sterba’s new logical problem of evil, respond to it with an explanation of my Divine Love Theodicy, and point out how my theodicy does address the working parts of his logical problem of evil in that it satisfies the moral requirements he lays out. In addition, I will show that my Divine Love Theodicy also defeats Erik Wielenberg’s revised version of Sterba’s problem of evil argument which was published in 2022 in the journal Religions. Introduction James Sterba, Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame, has made a tremendously strong claim. He has not claimed that ‘because there is horrendous suffering, it is difficult to believe God…
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25May 2026 by Post

Why did God Create the Tree in the First Place?

Adam & Eve, Apologetics, Christianity, Genesis 3, Gospel, Hillary Ferrer, MamaBearApologetics.com, original sin, Sin, Temptation, Theology and Christian Apologetics
A few weeks ago, our church’s 3rd-5th graders were learning about the creation story from Genesis, and I was brought in to the planning process to help address common science misconceptions that the kids will encounter as they get older. (i.e. “Science can disprove God,” “Natural processes alone can produce design,” or “Science uses facts, religion uses faith.”) After completing the unit, the kids were given the opportunity to submit questions about the creation story, so today I went back to answer them. Some questions were simple like, “Why did God create animals and not just people?” Other questions were more theologically gritty, and required longer explanations. One in particular was, “Why did God create the tree in the first place?” (Another student asked “Why couldn’t Adam and Eve eat the…
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20May 2026 by Post

If I Were a Mormon: A More Coherent View of God

2. Does God Exist?, Apologetics, Christianity, God, Gospel, Molinism, Mormonism, Philosophical Theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Theology Proper, Tim Stratton, Who is God?, www.FreeThinkingMinistries.com
Over the past several years—especially since 2018—I’ve made multiple trips to Utah every year. I’ve honestly lost count of how many times I’ve been out there, but it’s starting to feel like a second home. I can understand why Brigham Young reportedly said, “This is the place.” It’s beautiful. One of the things I appreciate most about Utah is the culture of open conversation. In many places, people are told to avoid discussing politics or religion. But that’s not the case in Utah. From a young age, Utahns are encouraged to think about what they believe—and to share it with others (often culminating in a two-year mission going door to door). That creates an extremely unique environment where meaningful conversations can actually happen. Because of this culture, those who reject…
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18May 2026 by Post

Why Is ASU’s New College Requiring Confessional Rituals?

anti-Christian, Anti-western, Apologetics, Christianity, Decolonization, DrOwenAnderson.substack.com, Land Acknowledgment, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, liberalism, Marxism, Native Americans, Owen Anderson, Progressivism, Woke
At Arizona State University’s New College (where I serve as a tenured full professor of philosophy and religion) the faculty recently voted to make a Native American Land Acknowledgment the official college policy. Until now, these statements were read at the beginning of faculty meetings. At times, faculty were even asked to bow their heads and close their eyes during the reading. What was once a practice has now become policy. That should raise an obvious question: Why is a state university (supposedly committed to political neutrality) requiring what looks very much like a public confession? What Is Actually Being Claimed?           The justification provided by the college reads: “Therefore, be it resolved, the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences adopts the official land acknowledgment of Arizona State University in…
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13May 2026 by Post

Dialogue and Christian Apologetics: A Biblical-Theological Overview

Apologetics, bellatorchristi.com, Christianity, dialogue, Evangelism Categories: Theology and Christian Apologetics, Gospel, Leo Percer, Practical Apologetics, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Christian apologetics is often understood as the task of defending the faith—giving reasons why believing in Christ is rational, true, and worthy of commitment. Scripture itself urges believers to be “ready to give an answer” for the hope that is in them (1 Pet. 3:15). Yet the Bible presents this defense not merely as the delivery of arguments, but as something that takes place within dialogue: real conversations with real people. A biblical-theological view shows that dialogue is not a compromise of apologetics, but one of its essential forms. The Pattern    From the start, God’s revelation to humanity unfolds in a dialogical way. God speaks, humans respond; God questions, humans answer; God rebukes, invites, and restores. This pattern reaches its fullness in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Jesus rarely preached…
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