Spiritual Foundation #2 Intellectual Preparation

and Politics, Apologetics, Christian Mind, Christianity, College-Prep, Culture, Culture and Politics, discipleship Categories: Legislating Morality, Gospel, Julie Loos, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, MamaBearApologetics.com
In the previous blog in this series, we recommended starting spiritual college preparation with the faith-based foundation of Bible study and prayer. To that, we suggest adding several intellectual disciplines, which together help us love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We start with the faith-building strength training of apologetics. Intellectual Challenges Your Kid May Face    For a while now, the stats haven’t been good for Christian kids’ faith to come out intact after they hit the college campus or even after high school. (If you want the facts, just read a summary here.) In recent months there has been some better news about Gen Z: they are more open spiritually, and young men are attending church more. However, there are still questions about  that “spirituality” leading to Christianity and whether the habit…
Read More

Charlie Kirk’s Message Lives On

Apologetics, Charlie Kirk, Christian Apologetics, Christian Worldview, Christianity, Courage and Faith, Cultural Hostility, Culture and Politics, Faith in Jesus, free speech, Gospel, Standing for Truth, The FreeThinking Theist, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Tim Straton, Tim Stratton
I couldn’t sleep last night. I’ll never forget where I was when I first heard the news. I was at the dentist, sitting in the chair getting a cavity filled by my dentist—who, years ago, was in my youth group. After numbing me up, he left the room to let the medication set in. I pulled out my phone, opened Facebook, and saw Graham Allen’s post (seconds after he posted it) asking for prayers for Charlie Kirk. My heart sank. I immediately googled “Charlie Kirk.” Nothing came up. I refreshed it twice, and finally one lone article came up simply noting that Kirk was shot in Utah. No other details were given. A few minutes later, my dentist walked back into the room. His face was pale and shaken. He told…
Read More

A Guide To Choosing a Humanities Professor

academia, cancel culture, college, Culture and Politics, Goodness, https://drowenanderson.com/, humanities, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Owen Anderson, philosophy, wisdom
Why Does It Matter? I am currently a tenured full professor of philosophy and religious studies at Arizona State University where I have been teaching for 25 years.  During that time, I have seen many humanities professors who claim to be wise but who cannot even teach their students what is good.  They lie to these students and say that their classes and degrees will help them get a job better than other, much more useful degrees.  I wrote this Guide to help you choose a professor.  Choose wisely. If you’re planning to study philosophy, religion, literature, or history, you’ll be taking humanities classes. Even if you don’t major in these fields, you’ll still need to take general education courses in the humanities to graduate. A good humanities class should…
Read More

The Widening of God’s Mercy – Book Review

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Christianity, Christopher Hayes, Culture and Politics, Duke, Fuller, gay marriage, Gospel, Homosexuality, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, LGBTQ, New Testament Ethics, Progressive Christianity, Richard Hayes
In the mid-1990’s a Theology professor at Duke Divinity School, named Richard Hayes, wrote a book called The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation, A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics. It made waves in the Evangelical world because it was the first time a relatively liberal theological scholar took a definitive stance on the biblical sexual ethic. For decades conservative Christian scholars and pastors have cited Hays’s work in this book as evidence that scripture speaks clearly on issues concerning human sexuality and morality. There were other, more conservative, names that had come to the same conclusions as Hays prior to and after his book was published. However, the very fact that someone of his pedigree, hailing from such a scholarly institution as Duke University, so…
Read More

Is AI Dangerous? (Part 2)

Alexa Cramer, Apologetics, Artificial Intelligence, Christianity, cultural apologetics, Culture and Politics, Gospel, MamaBearApologetics.com, Science and Technology, Techie
In Part 1, we may have virtually scared the pants off our readers with our semi-dystopian view of the future. But everything’s going to be okay, mama. You’re fine. I’m fine. Everything’s FINE! No, really, we’re all fine. Let me ask you something: can you give me an example of any time the future wasn’t scary? I doubt it. On this side of heaven, the future will always be uncertain. So, what we can do is cling to that which we are certain of – absolute truth. And that truth is found in a person: Jesus. Seek truth, and you’ll find Christ and His promises. Seek Christ, and you’ll find truth and clarity. Consequently, it’s no surprise that God’s number one enemy is working relentlessly to distort our view of truth. Because that’s ALL…
Read More

Navigating the American Political Landscape

Apologetics, Christianity, Culture and Politics, Democrat, election, Gospel, Heaven Not Harvard, How should Christians vote, Jennifer Defrates, Law, MamaBearApologetics.com, Politics, Republican
Surviving political landscapes as a Christian has always been challenging (ancient Rome was harsh, y’all!). However, this U.S. presidential election cycle feels like the most difficult in recent history, and the American political landscape seems to grow more contentious every year. So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not easy, but it can be simple. [If you know how to coopt this “click-to-tweet” function so it redirects to the CE article go ahead, otherwise, let’s Block Quote these] So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not easy, but it can be simple. Let’s talk about how. Click To Tweet Should we get Political at all? First, let’s address the elephant (and donkey) in the room. Should Christians even get…
Read More

What is Woke?

Apologetics, christian, Christianity, Critical race theory, CRT, Culture and Politics, Gospel, Heaven Not Harvard, Jennifer Defrates, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Social justice, Woke, wokeness
A recent Huffington Post article about homeschool moms left me flabbergasted. I know, it’s HuffPo. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but this article was truly shocking . . . because of the comments of the homeschool parents. In the article, a curriculum developer is selling her books at homeschool conventions. She calls her trade a “girl-empowerment business.” Homeschool parents were rightly curious about the political slant of a historical curriculum and asked if this particular series was “woke.” The authors of the curriculum, asked “What do you mean by that?” (hat tip to Greg Koukl).[i] Now here is the troubling part. The homeschool parents didn’t know the answer. They knew they didn’t want woke, but they weren’t sure what they were rejecting or didn’t know how best to explain it.…
Read More

Pro-Life Apologetics from Scott Klusendorf’s The Case for Life

abortion, Apologetics, Christianity, Culture and Politics, Gospel, Jason Jimenez, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, pro-life, Pro-Life Apologetics, Scott Klusendorf, Stand Strong Ministries, The Case for Life, www.standstrongministries.org
The debate over abortion remains one of society’s most divisive issues. Pro-life advocates argue for the rights of the unborn, emphasizing the sanctity of life from conception and advocating for policies to protect fetal humans. On the other hand, pro-choice advocates defend the right of individuals to make autonomous decisions about their bodies and reproductive health. Amid these deeply held convictions are discussions about the moral status of the unborn, making it a debate that is both intimate and public, personal and political. Everyone Has An Equal Right to Life . . . Or Not In his book, The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture, pro-life apologist Scott Klusendorf writes, “The question of truth and of human value are driving our national debates on abortion, cloning, and…
Read More

How To Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Soul: A Survival Guide For Diversity Training

Apologetics, Christianity, critical theory, CRT, Culture and Politics, DEI, Diversity Training, Gospel, John Ferrer, strategy, Theology and Christian Apologetics
You’ve been at your job for almost a year. You enjoy your work. You’re planting roots. Soon you’ll qualify for a pay raise and new benefits. Things are looking up. Except, at today’s business meeting, the boss announced a mandatory diversity training[i] for all employees. He made it sound harmless, perfunctory, just a hoop to jump through. No one asked questions. Everyone just nodded. Since you’re new here, you held your questions. You don’t want to cause a stir. Still, something smells fishy. Maybe you’ve heard stories about DEI, SEL, CRT, or Unconscious Bias training.[ii] Maybe you’ve been through this before, and you know what’s coming. But whatever is bothering you, there’s a decision to make. What will you do about this diversity training? You’ve got options. But before picking…
Read More

Here Comes the He Gets Us Campaign Again: Why Its Portrayal of Jesus is Still a Problem

Apologetics, Christianity, Culture and Politics, Evangelism, Gospel, he gets us, Jesus, Marketing, Natasha Crain, Practical Apologetics, Superbowl, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Last year, I wrote an article called “7 Problems with the He Gets Us Campaign,” in which I critically responded to the $100 million advertising campaign featuring a website, billboards in major cities, a book, and ads that have been viewed more than 300 million times. Perhaps most visibly, the campaign’s ads were featured in last year’s Super Bowl. When thousands of people went searching for more information on it, my article came up, and it went viral—actually pulling down my site at one point! Clearly, a lot of people are interested in knowing more about the nature of these ads. Fast forward to 2024. Super Bowl Sunday was on February 11. And He Gets Us once again ran ads generating widespread curiosity. Given the reach of the campaign and…
Read More