Book Review: How Reason Can Lead To God by Joshua Rasmussen

Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Free Thinking Ministries, God, How reason can lead to God, reason, Stelman Smith Jr., theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Stelman Smith Jr. “I write for a specific sort of person. You value reason, science, and independent thinking. You question beliefs propped up by ‘faith’ without sufficient evidence. Maybe you would like your life to have a deeper purpose, but you cannot believe something based on a mere wish. Whether you are a student, an academic, or just a curious person, you want one thing: the truth. If you can relate, this book is for you” (Rasmussen).  In what promises to be one of the great Christian Apologetics books of all time, Dr. Josh Rasmussen leads us across a bridge of reason. A bridge that begins with his own doubts and questions as a teenager. A bridge built by the tools of reason, on which we can learn to think…
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God is the Good

Apologetics, Bellator Christi, Bible, Brian Chilton, Christianity, God, God is the Good, Good, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Brian Chilton At our church, we often say, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” But do we really contemplate what that means? What is the good? What does it mean to say that God is good? Around 420 BC, the famed Greek philosopher Socrates conversed with a gentleman named Glaucon about the nature of goodness and justice. Socrates held that an objective standard of the Good existed which transcends personal opinion and belief. Plato, Socrates’s student, analyzed their conversation in his book The Republic. Plato likened the Good to the sun as both provided individuals clarity of sight. As the sun allows one to see in the visible realm, the Good allows one to see in the realm of rationality and metaphysical truths. Like…
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From Christianity To Atheism: Parenting Millennials Under A Biblical Worldview

Apologetics for Parents, Bible, Biblical Worldview, Jason Jimenez, Parenting Millenials, Stand Strong Ministries, theology
By Jason Jimenez This article is adapted from Jason’s book Abandoned Faith. Clayton, a sophomore in college, was influenced by a couple of classes taught by a professor from The Jesus Seminar. Clayton shocked his family by announcing, at his brother’s birthday party, that he was now an atheist. “Dad, I know you may not like this, but I don’t believe in the Bible anymore. I’ve come to learn that the Bible can’t be trusted. The church has doctored it up through the centuries. It’s all a lie.” The family was shocked, and Clayton’s “coming out as an atheist” put a damper on the birthday party. “Don’t worry,” Clayton said, “I am still religious. I worship Richard Dawkins.” I remember sitting with a (different) college student over a cup of coffee.…
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Were There No Camels During the Time of Biblical Patriarchs?

Abraham, Apologetics, ApologeticsGuy, Bible, Camels, Camels in Ancient Egypt, Evidence, history, Mikel del Rosario, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Mikel Del Rosario Camels in the Bible? Engaging skeptical challenges to the Old Testament and Camels in the Bible Most people I knew growing up had no problem saying most Old Testament stories were based on some kind of real event. Even those who were skeptical about supernatural parts of the Scriptures didn’t question basic details of ordinary events like Abraham’s travels or even the presence of camels in the Bible. Today, not so much. Many archaeologists and historians are challenging the reliability of biblical stories in the public square. From college classrooms to YouTube, many people get their views on the Bible from books, articles, and documentaries that try hard to undermine the truth of Scripture. This is probably why even the ordinary details of Old Testament narratives…
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Have You Thought About Marriage Lately?

Bible, Bob Perry, Bride, Bridegroom, Church, Covenant, Culture, Eternal Life, Familiy, Husbands, Jesus, marriage, The Grand Story, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, True Horizon, Wedding, Wives
By Bob Perry Have you spent much time thinking about marriage lately? You should. It doesn’t matter if a wedding is something in your future or in your past. It doesn’t even matter if you have no intention of ever getting married. The fact is that the institution of marriage is important to us all. Our culture has devalued it in many ways, but marriage is the foundation of a healthy society. For that reason, we all ought to contemplate the true meaning and value of marriage. An Honor And A Privilege My wife and I have been happily married for 33 years. When you’ve done anything for that long, it’s easy to think you have it all figured out. But in July, my son and his fiancé asked me to perform…
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Without Training, The Church Will Create More Jon Steingards

Apologetics, Atheism, Bible, Christianity, Church, Doubts, Erik Manning, Evidence, Is Jesus Alive, Jon Steingards, objections, skepticism, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Erik Manning Recently Jon Steingard made headlines after he announced over Instagram that he had lost his faith. Steingard was the lead vocalist of the Christian music group Hawk Nelson, which became popular in the early 2000s. Since they had so many fans, this obviously sent shockwaves over social media. In the post, Steingard gives several reasons why he no longer believes. He does ask some challenging questions when he writes, “If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why is there evil in the world? Can he not do anything about it? Does he choose not to? Is the evil in the world a result of his desire to give us free will? OK then, what about famine and disease and floods and all the suffering that isn’t caused by humans and our free will?” Philosophers call this…
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Is Homosexual Behavior Consistent With The Bible’s Teachings?

Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Homosexual Behavior, Homosexuality, Homosexuality and the Bible, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Wintery Knight
By Wintery Knight Here’s a post from Christian writer Terrell Clemmons about efforts by gay activists to redefine Christianity so that it is consistent with homosexual behavior. This particular post is focused on Matthew Vines. She writes: In March 2012, two years after having set out to confront homophobia in the church, Matthew presented the results of his “thousands of hours of research” in an hour-long talk titled “The Gay Debate.” The upshot of it was this: “The Bible does not condemn loving gay relationships. It never addresses the issues of same-sex orientation or loving same-sex relationships, and the few verses that some cite to support homophobia have nothing to do with LGBT people.” The video went viral (more than three quarter million views to date) and Matthew has been disseminating the…
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The Word Of Truth

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Bible, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, God, Jason Jimenez, Skeptics, Stand Strong Ministries, The Word of Truth, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, truth, Word of God
By Jason Jimenez The Bible has been bashed, terrorized, and burned more than any other book of antiquity!  It has faced enormous challenges of its literal expression as well as the debates over its validity and accuracy from God.  And yet, despite the growing hostility of the Bible, it still remains the most translated, bought, and read book in all of history! The word bible literally means book, which comes from the ancient Greek Papyrus plant, biblos.  Of course, the Bible is not just any book…it is the Word of Truth!  R.A. Torrey explains the Bible as “a revelation of the mind and will and character and being of an infinitely great, perfectly wise and absolutely holy God. God, Himself, is the Author of this revelation. But to whom is the revelation made? To…
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Did Israelites ever live in Egypt?

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, ApologeticsGuy, Bible, Egyptian, Evidence, Mikel del Rosario, Skeptics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Mikel Del Rosario Engaging Skeptical Challenges to the Exodus When I was growing up, a lot of people I knew believed the Biblical narrative of the Exodus was at least based on a true story. Even skeptics accepted basic details like the Hebrews being enslaved in Egypt. Today, not so much. Skeptics now challenge the possibility of the Exodus even happening. And since many people get their views on the Bible from popular articles that try to undermine the truth of Scripture, there’s a big question mark in some people’s minds when it comes to even the basic details of the Old Testament: Did the Israelites really live in ancient Egypt? Shlomo Sand’s book, The Invention of the Jewish People, is one that challenges the historicity of the Exodus. He says…
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EPS Panel Discussion On Divine Simplicity

Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Divine Simplicity, God, J. Brian Huffling, Richard Howe, Stephen Davis, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, william lane craig
By J. Brian Huffling In November of 2018, I was on a panel with Richard Howe, Stephen Davis, and William Lane Craig at an Evangelical Philosophical Society session hosted by the American Academy of Religion. The topic was “Divine Simplicity.” It can be viewed here. Howe argued for why it is true, Davis argued why it is not necessary, Craig leveled various critiques of it, and I defended it. (You can read this article for a discussion of what divine simplicity is.) Craig brought up the same basic objections in our panel as he did with Bishop Barron in January of 2018 on another panel on the same topic. I have addressed several of those objections in a previous post but would like to elaborate further on some of those objections, as well as address some of his points…
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