16Dec 2019 by Post

Was the Deity of Christ A Legendary Development?

Apologetics, Christianity, Deity of Christ, Deity of Jesus, Evidence, Gospel, history, Jesus Christ, JesusIsNotAFakeNews, Paul, Ryan Leasure, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Ryan Leasure Skeptics of all stripes vehemently deny the deity of Christ. Besides their a priori commitment to philosophical naturalism, a major argument they put forth is that the earliest Christians didn’t believe Jesus was divine. Rather, this belief in his deity was a legendary development, as evidenced by the four Gospels. It’s the skeptics’ contention that the earliest Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) don’t teach a divine Jesus at all. Instead, they portray a very human Jesus. It’s not until the Gospel of John, written some sixty years after Jesus’ death, that we find a clear reference to Jesus’ divinity. The argument goes; these Gospels reflect what the earliest communities believed about Jesus. Thus, the earlier Gospels, which don’t portray the deity of Christ, suggest that the earliest communities didn’t believe in…
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14Dec 2019 by Post

Was Jesus Married?

Apologetics, ApologeticsGuy, Christianity, Jesus, Mikel del Rosario, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Was Jesus Married?
By Mikel Del Rosario Every Christmas and Easter, I tend to get into conversations about Jesus with people who see Christianity differently. But I’ve also found that even Christians can ask questions raised by skeptics in the public square like, “Was Jesus married?” Often times, Christians find challenges to the Bible’s portrayal of Jesus in a popular book, movie, YouTube video, or somewhere online and wonder how to respond. Recently, the question of whether or not Jesus had a wife has come up again. So, was Jesus married? There is no ancient evidence that explicitly tells us that Jesus was married. But raising the question makes a good conspiracy theory. For example, think about popular conversations surrounding Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, and the alleged “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” fragment. Still,…
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07Dec 2019 by Post

A Neglected Proof for the Resurrection – The Sign of Jonah

Apologetics, Christianity, Erik Manning, IsJesusAlive, Jesus Christ, Proof for the Resurrection, Resurrection, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Erik Manning When arguing for the resurrection of Jesus, Christian apologists often make a historical case for the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus that occurred after his death. I’d certainly never say that isn’t a legitimate way to argue, but there’s an additional reason to believe in the resurrection that flies under the radar: Jesus’ resurrection was a fulfillment of Scripture. The New Testament writers are pretty emphatic on this point. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead… (Luke 24:45-46) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the…
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04Dec 2019 by Post

One Woman’s Quest for Straight Answers from Public Health Organizations

abortion, Apologetics, Breast Cancer, Christianity, Dr. Bennet Omalu, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, SalvoMag.Com, Terrell Clemmons, The American Cancer Society
After three years’ research on traumatic brain injuries he’d seen in prematurely deceased football players, Dr. Bennet Omalu wrote a paper in 2005 detailing his findings on the syndrome he named Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). He was hopeful that NFL doctors would build on his discovery for the well-being of NFL athletes. But instead of welcoming his data, an NFL medical committee called for it to be retracted. A thoroughgoing medical scientist, Omalu would do no such thing, and it took a full four more years of increasing pressure before the NFL publicly acknowledged the link between concussions sustained on the field and CTE. A similar kind of David versus Goliath challenge may be developing between investigative journalist Punam Kumar Gill and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). A…
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02Dec 2019 by Post

45 Quotes About Relativism vs. Truth

1. Does Truth Exist?, Apologetics, Christianity, Faithful Thinkers, Luke Nix, Quotes, relativism, Theology and Christian Apologetics, truth
By Luke Nix “When it comes to truth, the outcome affects not only individuals but nations and even civilizations. What starts looking like a small abstract issue ends with titanic, public consequences for all who love freedom and justice.” Os Guinness, Time For Truth: Living Free In A World of Lies, Hype, and Spin “Although someone’s beliefs and assumptions may not be true and do not describe reality, they will still drive their behavior. So if someone doesn’t believe in truth, count on him to lie. If someone says there are no objective facts, expect her to be careless with facts to further her own interests. If someone explains everything by referring to evolution and the ‘selfish gene,’ be sure that at some point, he will be extremely selfish on…
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27Nov 2019 by Post

What a Non-Christian Taught Me about the Gospel

Apologetics, Christianity, Conversion, Dr. David Oldham, FreeThinking Ministries, Gospel, Non-Christian, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
A number of years ago, a young woman came to our church for counseling and talked to me. She poured out her story of disappointment with her husband’s unfaithfulness, his unwillingness to change, and the mess her life had become, not only because of him but also because of her own unwise choices. She felt she was in a hole and wanted to know how to get out and begin afresh. While she was sharing and I looked into her searching eyes, I was asking myself and God how he and the healing he alone could bring might fit into her life. I knew she needed Jesus and the forgiveness and hope he would give, but I struggled with how to tell her she needed him. How did “accepting Jesus…
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25Nov 2019 by Post

Did Paul really change his tactics after Athens and begin to take a dim view of apologetics?

Acts, Apologetics, Christianity, Erik Manning, Greeks, IsJesusAlive, Jesus, Paul, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Erik Manning Some Christians have argued that apologetics is a waste of time. We aren’t supposed to be arguing with unbelievers; we’re just called to preach the simple gospel. If we’re faithful to do that, the Holy Spirit will supernaturally come to our aid — either in supernatural conviction, or performing signs and wonders through us that no one can gainsay. To support this view, these well-meaning believers will point to Paul’s so-called ‘failure’ in Athens. Paul debated with the thinkers of Mars Hill, using natural theology and quoting their own philosophers in order to persuade them of the truth of the gospel. Paul’s results were modest. Acts 17:32-34 reads: “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you…
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23Nov 2019 by Post

Reactions to John Crist’s Moral Failings Demonstrate Our Culture’s Confusion about Christianity

Apologetics, Apologetics for Parents, Christianity, ChristianMomThoughts, Christians failures, John Crist, Natasha Crain, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Uncategorized
By Natasha Crain News broke yesterday that popular Christian comedian and YouTuber John Crist has come forth with an admission of ongoing “sexual sin and addiction struggles” after multiple women exposed years of his sexually immoral behavior. Honestly, my heart sank when I saw this. I love Crist’s videos. We watch them with our kids. In fact, our family had just watched one of his most popular ones, “Church Hunters,” this week! If you’re not familiar with Crist, he pokes fun at evangelical culture through his videos, and in a way that you can typically nod along with because they (unfortunately and humorously) hit close to home. Church Hunters, for example, is a parody that features a couple searching for a new church, but they’re considering all the wrong criteria…something…
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20Nov 2019 by Post

Was Apollonius of Tyana a Jesus Parallel?

4. Is the NT True?, Apollonius of Tyana, Apologetics, Christianity, Evidence, Gospels Report, history, Jesus Christ, Jesus resurrection, New Testament, Skeptics, The Skeptics’ Best Parallel, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Ryan Leasure Bart Ehrman is the most popular skeptic in America today. Writing at super-sonic rates, his books seem to find their way on the New York Times Bestseller list about every other year. Because of his rapid output and wide popularity, his views are spreading like gangrene across the American landscape (and beyond). Additionally, Ehrman is a professor of religion at UNC-Chapel Hill where he works to cripple the faith of every young Christian who enters his classroom. He shares one of his faith-crippling tactics in his book How Jesus Became God. Ehrman tells the story of beginning his class by sharing this description of a famous man from the ancient world. “Before he was born, his mother had a visitor from heaven who told her that her…
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18Nov 2019 by Post

LGBT activist calls for “hardball” “fight” to empty the church pews of Christians

Agenda LGBT, Apologetics, Christian Right, Christianity, Culture, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, LGBT Activist, Politics, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Wintery Knight
By Wintery Knight Transgender woman calls for “hardball” “fight” to “empty the pews” Previously, I blogged about how transgender activists shut down a discussion of transgender issues on a university campus in Canada. You might think that suppressing debate and disagreement is something that only happens north of the border. But an LGBT activist with 50,000 Twitter followers is being re-tweeted by prominent people on the left after demanding a “fight” to “empty the pews”. Look at this Twitter thread from “Chrissy Str00p“, a transgender woman: The Christian Right has won its culture war under the noses of “liberal elites.” Long before Trump, abstinence-only #FakeSexEd came to dominate public schools. Abortion became effectively inaccessible in most areas. We’re fighting to take ground back and even to realize rights that have…
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