24Jul 2024 by Post

Promise of Genuine Immortality: AI or the Divine

AI, Apologetics, Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Christianity, Gospel, Heaven, immortality, salvation, Theology and Christian Apologetics, transhumanism, Utopia, Utopianism
Do we have a genuine promise of immortality? This is a question that impacts all of us. When I was growing up as a kid, I wanted to be taken seriously. Therefore, I could not wait to grow up to have a seat at the intellectual table. It seemed like it took forever to get out of grade school and high school. My wise grandmother told me, “Don’t rush your life away. The older you get; the faster time passes.” She was absolutely right! Because it seems like life is passing by at light speed, especially the closer I get to 50. As we age, we begin to contemplate our own mortality, and rightfully so. The older we get, the closer we get to the time of our death. Our…
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29May 2024 by Post

How Apologetics Helps Through Times of Grief

Apologetics, Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Christianity, Comfort, evil, grief, Pastoral Care, problem of pain, Suffering, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
If we live long enough, grief is something that we will all experience at one point or another. Grief is difficult. Some have even said that “grief is a challenging beast.” It impacts each person differently. Grief is a sense of sorrow that one feels when a person experiences a form of loss. More frequently, this loss is associated with those who have had loved ones who passed away. However, grief can also include the loss of a job, friendship, hobby, or position. As I have dealt with loss in my personal life, I have surprisingly found how beneficial apologetics is when going through times of sorrow. Apologetics—that is, the defense of the Christian faith—may seem like an unlikely ally of bereavement and psychospiritual care, as many associate it with…
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12Jan 2023 by Post

Cómo Jeremías 29:11 es mucho mejor cuando se interpreta correctamente

Apologética, Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, clama a mi y yo te respondere, Cristianismo, Español, Iglesia, jeremias 29:11
Por Brian Chilton Algunos versículos de la Biblia se han popularizado tanto que a menudo se sacan de su contexto. Al hacerlo, el pasaje bíblico pierde el impacto que tiene. Peor aún, el texto puede recibir un mensaje que nunca pretendió transmitir. Jeremías 29:11 es un ejemplo. El versículo es una promesa de Dios que dice: “Porque yo sé los pensamientos que tengo acerca de vosotros, dice Jehová, pensamientos de paz, y no de mal, para daros el fin que esperáis.” (Jer. 29:11, RVR60). El versículo se ha aplicado mal a menudo, ya que se ha convertido en un elemento básico de las tarjetas Hallmark, placas y chucherías de graduación. Para algunos, el versículo encierra la promesa de que Dios nunca permitirá que la persona sufra malas experiencias o problemas.…
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11Jul 2022 by Post

Is the Law of First Mention a Proper Biblical Hermeneutic?

Apologetics, Bellator Christi, Bible interpretation, Brian Chilton, Christianity, Gospel, Hermeneutic, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Brian Chilton Recently, Curtis Evelo (Bellator Christi Podcast co-host) told me about a conversation he had with an individual about biblical interpretation. Apparently, the individual held that the wine that Jesus miraculously brought forth out of water in John 4 was merely unfermented grape juice. When asked why he held this view, he contended that to hold that the wine held fermented content was to argue that Jesus was a sinner because wine is said to be a mocker in Proverbs 20:1. Curtis asked him what this had to do with Jesus’s miraculous transformation of water into wine. The unnamed individual then said that he used the law of first mention. According to the law of first mention, the interpreter first examines the initial place where the term or…
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24Jun 2022 by Post

La duda emocional y cómo combatirla

Apologética, Apologética cristiana, Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Cristianismo, Cristianos, Duda emocional, Dudas, Español, Preguntas sobre la fe
Por Brian Chilton En una clase reciente en la Universidad Liberty, se observó que  el 80% de las dudas de una persona no se derivan  de problemas intelectuales con el cristianismo, sino más bien de la duda emocional. La duda emocional es un problema para todas las  personas, pero parece ser un concepto más difícil de combatir para los hombres. La razón es que la mayoría de los hombres se abstienen de hablar de sus emociones. Muchos suprimen la duda emocional y la ignoran. Sin embargo, estas acciones no eliminan la duda. La duda emocional puede tratar cuestiones relacionadas a  la pérdida de un ser querido, una oración sin respuesta o frustraciones en la vida por las cuales uno culpa a Dios. Curiosamente, la duda emocional puede combatirse con una…
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05Nov 2021 by Post

Cómo la comprensión de la omnisciencia divina ayuda a la ansiedad

Ansiedad, Apologética, Atributos de Dios, Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Cristianismo, Cristianos, Dios, Español, Jesucristo, Omniciencia de Dios, Teología, Vida cristiana
Por Brian Chilton Aunque la apologética es uno de los principales objetivos de mi vida, sólo se ve eclipsada por el amor a la teología. Soy un tipo de visión general. Por eso la teología sistemática siempre me ha intrigado. La teología sistemática examina los principales temas de las Escrituras y los organiza en patrones y estructuras. Se podría decir que me he vuelto un poco loco con mis estudios teológicos. Mientras que tengo más de 18 horas de posgrado en apologética, estudios bíblicos e historia de la iglesia; tendré más de 30 horas en estudios de posgrado de teología para cuando termine mi doctorado. Se podría decir que me gusta un poco la teología. Otro aspecto de mi vida que es importante señalar para este artículo es que también…
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19Aug 2020 by Post

Don’t Lose the Person When Winning an Argument

Apologetics, apologist, argument, Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Evangelism, Gospel, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Winning an Argument
By Brian Chilton 1 Peter 3:15 is a classic prooftext for the defender of the faith, otherwise known as the Christian apologist. Peter writes, “But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15). While this verse is imperative to the modern Christian, we must also remember the next verse where Peter states, “Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame” (1 Pet. 3:16). Peter emphasizes how a Christian does apologetics as much as he stresses the need for apologetics. Many times,…
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25Jul 2020 by Post

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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27Jun 2020 by Post

Society in the Hands of an Angry God

Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Culture, forgiveness, God, Grace, Jonathan Edwards, Judgment, looting, men, Riots, Sin, Sinners, society, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards, famed pastor and theologian of colonial America, delivered one of his most famed messages of all-time at a church in Enfield, Connecticut. The title of his message was “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Using Deuteronomy 32:35 as his text, Edwards argued that sinners are kept in the hands of God. Their sin pulls them to hell, whereas God tries to save them from their awful fate in hell. Using vivid language and descriptive adjectives, Edwards notes that the normal state of humanity leads toward destruction. That is, if humanity is left to its own devices, human beings drag themselves to hell. Three important truths are found in Edwards’s classic declaration. The weight of our sin drags us toward destruction. Edwards writes,…
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25Apr 2020 by Post

What COVID-19 Reveals About Us: Four Categories of People Surfaced from the Pandemic

Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Christianity, Christians, COVID-19, Culture, life, society, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Brian Chilton COVID-19 has brought great panic across the globe due to the rapidity of its transmission and the danger it poses to seniors and those with compromised immune systems. However, COVID-19 has done more than just bring panic. It has also catalyzed several truths about American people, revealing a more troubling underbelly of the American way of life. COVID-19 may prove to be a sociologist’s dream as it has shown what we as American people are like, what we are truly like when a crisis transpires. Because of the virus, comments on social media reveal four types of responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The comments begin to repeat over time. From the overlapping discussions, we can discover four categories of people. As a caveat, this information merely comes…
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