25Jan 2020 by Post

Judaism 101 with Dr. Michael Brown

AFR, Apologetics, app, cross examined, cross examined official podcast, CrossExamined, crossexamined podcast, Frank Turek, google play, iTunes, Judaism, Michael Brown, Podcast, podcasting, Radio, Radio Show, Spotify, stitcher, Weekly Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window Here is our list of questions (we might not get to them all, but we will try to give people an overview of what Jews believe today and how we can best reach them for Jesus). What were the major sects of Judaism in the first century? Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Zealots Others Where did they come from and how did they differ in what they believed? When did synagogues begin, and why did they exist during the Temple period? Once the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, how did Judaism change? How can one obey the OT law if the Temple does not exist? What are the current denominations of Judaism and how do they differ from one another? What are the writings outside the…
Read More
22Jan 2020 by Post

Apologetics and a Different Kind of Persuasion

Apologetics, ApologeticsGuy, apologist, Christianity, Christians, debate, Mikel del Rosario, Persuasion, Skeptics, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Mikel Del Rosario A Different Kind of Persuasion Have you ever found yourself “in debate mode” while talking to a skeptical friend about Christianity? Perhaps this is because many of us have been equipped with apologetic content (arguments for God’s existence, the reliability of the Gospels, etc.) with less of a focus on an apologetic method for use in everyday conversations. Sometimes, we can get so concerned about winning or making a certain point, that we lose the credibility that an ambassador of Christ should have. Others you don’t notice may be watching and listening to your conversation. If the exchange gets heated, some may be thinking, “I don’t care if Christianity is true if it’s not good.” So, is there a different kind of persuasion to employ? At…
Read More
20Jan 2020 by Post

Natural-ly There Is A Problem With Evil

Alex McElroy, Apologetics, Atheism, atheist, Christianity, responding to the problem of evil, the problem of evil, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Alex McElroy One of the most difficult issues to reconcile in life is the presence of evil. This is the case whether one has a theistic, agnostic or atheistic worldview. The existence of evil is undeniable both in our witness and experience but is evil objective in nature or merely an apparition. Even atheist J.L. Mackie recognized a dilemma. In one book, he writes, “There are no objective values.”[1] Elsewhere, he writes, “We might well argue…that objective, intrinsically prescriptive features, supervenient upon natural ones, constitute so odd a cluster of qualities and relations that they are most unlikely to have arisen in the ordinary course of events, without an all-powerful god to create them.”[2] This poses a problem for the naturalist or the atheist because whatever evil does exist…
Read More
20Jan 2020 by Post

How to Respond to People who Mock Christianity

AFR, Apologetics, app, Christianity, cross examined, cross examined official podcast, CrossExamined, crossexamined podcast, Frank Turek, google play, iTunes, Podcast, podcasting, Radio, Radio Show, Spotify, stitcher, Weekly Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window How would you answer these questions? How do you know what is important in the Bible? How can I find out if someone is a Christian without sounding confrontational? How can I deal with coworkers who mock Christianity? Does design lose its meaning if you’re saying everything is designed? What do you say to people who claim God is a bad designer? Should Christians boycott certain businesses? These are questions sent in by listeners that Frank answers on this show. While Frank can’t get to all of them if you have a question you can submit it to Hello@Crossexamined.org.  Also, check out these resources: the CrossExamined YouTube channel has answers to hundreds of questions, and several others are answered on the CrossExamined app and CrossExamined…
Read More
18Jan 2020 by Post

Putting God on Trial

Al Serrato, Apologetics, Atheism, atheist, Christianity, evil, God, responding to the problem of evil, Skeptics, Suffering, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Al Serrato “I can’t believe in a God who would allow so much evil and suffering in the world.” Have you encountered this challenge? Most anyone who has tried to defend the Christian worldview surely has. The person bringing this challenge will often claim to be atheist, but when you dig in a bit this challenger is more often someone who knows there is a creator but who is deeply offended by the world, and angry at the God who set all this – the carnage, the anguish, the pain – in motion. In my last post, I restated the traditional Christian response to this problem of evil.  God did not create the evil that surrounds us because evil is not a thing.  Evil is a departure- a deviation-…
Read More
15Jan 2020 by Post

How I Got into Apologetics (And How You Can Too!)

Apologetics, Books, Christian apologetics books, Christianity, Erik Manning, IsJesusAlive, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Erik Manning I am often asked, “how did you get into apologetics?” For some believers, they’ll get interested in apologetics because of a crisis of faith. They’ll have intellectual hurdles that come up that they have to overcome. For me, I never was plagued with doubts. While I spent several years of my life as an atheist, I had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit. As I walked with God, the inner witness of the Holy Spirit was a real and regular experience. After coming to faith, I felt burdened to share my faith. I would share my testimony with anyone who would give me the time of day and led several of my friends to Christ. (And even a handful of strangers.) I felt, for the most part,…
Read More
13Jan 2020 by Post

Jesus: The Greater Moses

Apologetics, Christianity, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus the Only Way, JesusIsNotAFakeNews, Moses, New Testament, Old Testament, Ryan Leasure, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Ryan Leasure An untrained eye might miss it, but the Old Testament, properly read, points to Jesus. From Genesis forward, we see reference after reference to a coming Messiah who would one day crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Certainly the covenants with both Abraham (Gen. 12, 15, 17) and David (2 Sam. 7) point to a coming Messiah, but it’s another covenant mediator I want to draw our attention to — Moses. Outside of Abraham, Moses is probably the most significant figure in the Old Testament, because it was through Moses that God gave his Law to the nation of Israel. As special as Moses was, though, God promised Israel that he would send another prophet who was going to be just as, if not more, significant than…
Read More
13Jan 2020 by Post

Did Jesus Really Claim to Be God?

AFR, Apologetics, app, cross examined, cross examined official podcast, CrossExamined, crossexamined podcast, Frank Turek, God, google play, iTunes, Jesus, Podcast, podcasting, Radio, Radio Show, Spotify, stitcher, Weekly Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window Sometimes you’ll hear Muslim apologists and other skeptics of Christianity ask, “Where does Jesus say, ‘I am God, worship me’”?  You won’t find Jesus using those words anywhere in the New Testament documents.  Instead, we read Jesus kept calling Himself “The Son of Man.”  On the face of it, that sounds more human than divine.  Is that right?  Did Jesus really claim to be God in words and actions other than “I am God, worship me”?   And if He did claim to be God, why wasn’t He more overt about it?  Why not just come out and say it plainly? Frank invites Crossexamined.org board member, and budding apologist, Ryan Crews to the show to answer those questions and more.  Join them for a fascinating discussion…
Read More
11Jan 2020 by Post

How Jeremiah 29:11 is Far Better When You Properly Interpret It

Apologetics, Bellator Christi, Bible, Brian Chilton, Christianity, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 29:11, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Brian Chilton Certain verses in the Bible have become so popularized that they are often removed from their context. In so doing, the biblical passage loses the impact that it holds. Worse yet, the text may be given a message that it never intended to carry. Jeremiah 29:11 is one such example. The verse is a promise of God which states, “For I know the plans I have for you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jer. 29:11, CSB). The verse has been often misapplied as it has become a staple for graduation Hallmark cards, plaques, and knick-knacks. For some, the verse holds a promise that God will never allow the person to suffer bad experiences or…
Read More
08Jan 2020 by Post

Living In A Post-Truth Culture

1. Does Truth Exist?, Apologetics, Bob Perry, Christianity, Culture, Post-Truth Culture, Postmodern Relativism, relativism, Theology and Christian Apologetics, True Horizon, truth
By Bob Perry I’ve made the case that truth, goodness, and beauty are objective features of the world we live in. Hopefully, you’ve found that to be interesting. But please don’t think this is just an esoteric triviality. It’s not. We are living in a post-truth culture. But it’s a place where the objective nature of truth, goodness, and beauty are deeply relevant. Our view of objective truth affects everything about how we live our lives. It’s the antidote to moral relativism. Truth matters. And understanding the profundity of that simple fact will revolutionize the way you interact with our world. Here’s why. The Assumptions of the Culture Consider the three topics I’ve been talking about. And think about how you’re used to hearing about them: Truth — “That may be true for you, but…
Read More