13Apr 2026 by Post

Arguing from the Extremes

1. Does Truth Exist?, Apologetics, Argumentation, Christianity, fallacy, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, logic, Phil Kallberg, “arguing from extremes”
There is a very common type of fallacious reasoning that I have termed arguing from the extremes. Once you see this, you’ll notice that it’s everywhere in our society and especially political discourse. Roughly speaking it’s the idea that one or an extremely small number of counter examples disproves a whole theory. This is simply not how to do good reasoning. If you see x follow y 1,000 times you will rightly conclude that there is some type of causal link between x and y. If on try 1,001, x does not follow y, that should give you pause, but it shouldn’t prompt you to conclude that your established theory (x follows y) needs to be completely thrown out.[1] That would be stupid. But a lot of people do reason like this. So, for example, it has…
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02Mar 2026 by Post

What a Straw Man Argument is and What is Not.

Apologetics, Calvinism, Christianity, determinism, free will, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, logic, Molinism, Phil Kallberg, Straw Man Fallacy, Theology and Christian Apologetics
[Editor’s Note: in November 2025, at the Evangelical Philosophical Society meeting in Boston Massachusetts, Tim Stratton and Phil Kallberg presented a coauthored essay, “Is Divine Determinism a Different Gospel?”. You can see it here or listen to here. The provocative essay – critiquing a major brand of historic Christian thought: Calvinism – evoked some controversy. Phil responds here to one of the critiques.] I’m inspired to write this both for the accusations of “straw manning” that came from Tim’s and my essay at the 2025 EPS, and due to examples that I have seen. While no one accused me of this directly (all the interactions I had with people in relation to the essay were positive, even when they were pushing back), I heard through the grapevine that some people…
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02Feb 2026 by Post

Stranger Things: Was Vecna a Victim?

Apologetics, Christianity, cultural apologetics, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, Henry Creel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Netflix, Richard Eng, Stranger Things, Vecna
***This review of Stranger Things Season 5 contains major spoilers. Consider yourself warned. It’s a new year, and the end of an era. Stranger Things, the wildly successful Netflix show, has officially concluded. I watched the show as a fan but also as one who is interested in the underlying worldview. No piece of media is completely neutral. In fact, the arts are meant to be an imaginative exploration of ideas. In story, you don’t just observe beliefs, you inhabit them as an “insider.” If you are not familiar with the show, I would warn that it contains language, violence, and at times depictions of what I determine to be demonic. Season 4 was particularly demonic, and I almost stopped watching. But I was a youth pastor at the time,…
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21Jul 2025 by Post

100 Gorillas vs. 1 Man

100 Gorillas, Apologetics, Christianity, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, human exceptionalism, imago Dei, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, philosophical anthropology, philosophy of mind, Tim Stratton
The internet has been buzzing with a hypothetical: “Could 100 men defeat a fully grown gorilla in a fight?”   As a former MMA fighter and coach, I’ve seen the limits of human strength—and the power of teamwork. I’ve trained with Olympic medalist wrestlers and UFC champions. Based on that experience, I’m convinced that 20 heavyweight, Olympic-caliber wrestlers or UFC champions could bring down a gorilla. Not because they’re stronger pound-for-pound, but because they’re strong enough together, and—more importantly—smart enough to devise a plan and execute it. So, yes, 100 average men using their reasoning powers, coordination, and willpower could defeat one gorilla. But let’s flip the script: Could 100 gorillas outwit a single reasonable human? Absolutely not. Even with sheer numbers, gorillas lack the intellectual hardware and cognitive faculties to engage in metaphysics, abstract reasoning,…
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19Feb 2025 by Post

Christianity and Abortion, Part 2: The Early Church’s View of Abortion

abortion, Apologetics, Christianity, Church History, conception, ethics, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Peter Rasor, prochoice, prolife, Sanctity of Life
In Part 1 of this series on abortion, we discussed that abortion has been practiced for millennia. It is nothing new although the means of destroying a child in the womb have varied. We also briefly looked at why abortion has been a human preoccupation throughout history. For philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, they firmly believed it was to ensure that the best progeny would be born and eventually be leaders of the state. It was also because they feared possible overpopulation. For these reasons and several others, they thought abortion was justified. Contrary to these pro-abortion views was the Christian view. Throughout the history of the church, abortion has been viewed as a wicked, sinful act, specifically because it was considered murder (i.e., the unjustified taking of an innocent life).…
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17Feb 2025 by Post

Christianity and Abortion, Part 1: A Brief History of Abortion in Antiquity

abortion, Apologetics, Christianity, Church History, conception, ethics, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Peter Rasor, prochoice, prolife, Sanctity of Life
It is always a temptation in an industrial and technological society such as America to fall into what C.S. Lewis called “chronological snobbery.” This is the belief that the present ideas and practices are superior to, or could never have been imagined by, those who went before us. This is no less true concerning the practice of abortion. Many believe abortion is a relatively new idea and that those who preceded our advanced age could never have imagined having the means to abort a human person in the womb. They did not, after all, have the biological and medical knowledge we have today. Right? Nothing could be further from the truth. Abortion, or some equivalent practice, is just about as old as humanity. Those in antiquity may not have had…
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01Jan 2025 by Post

What is Logos? A look at John 1:1-3

Apologetics, Christianity, christology, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Jesus, John 1:1-13, logos, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Thomas Moller
Introduction One of my favorite passages in the gospels is the prologue of John (1:1-18). I particularly find the first three verses, John 1:1-3, and the use of the “Word”, or Logos in Greek, interesting. In those three verses, a type of creation narrative arises, revolving around Logos, in which Logos is described as being divine, eternal, and the creator. Later in the prologue, in John 1:17, Logos is revealed to be Jesus Christ, thus applying the description of Logos as divine, eternal, and the creator to Jesus Christ. John 1:1-3 states, “In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made…
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04Dec 2024 by Post

Jesus: Santa Claus for Adults?

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Atheism, Christianity, Christmas, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, Grinch, Jesus, Santa Clause, Tim Stratton
It’s common for atheists to be a “Grinch” over the Holidays and exclaim that Jesus is just a “Santa Claus for adults!” When I hear that claim, I immediately respond with a question: “What do you mean by that?” If one means that children often believe in fictional fairy tales and adults believe in fact-based evidence, then I agree – Jesus is for adults (and actually people of all ages)! But I don’t think that’s the intent behind this claim. I believe the intent of the atheist (“Grinch”) is to convey that little kids believe in a fictional Santa Clause and many adults believe in fiction too – Christianity. How the Grinch Stole Christ out of Christmas Well, why think a thing like that, Mr. Grinch? Is belief in Jesus —…
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07Oct 2024 by Post

Prioritizing FAT Christians: A Practical Theology for Pastors

Apologetics, Christianity, Church, discipleship, Faithful Available Teachable, FreeThinkingMinistries.com, Gospel, Great Commission, Pastoral Care, Paul Rasor, practical theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Several weeks ago, I was listening to the podcast “Wise Disciple” with Nate Salah ( “Is Voddie Wrong about Churches?”). He was discussing the need for pastors to focus on finding FAT Christians in their congregations. (Don’t worry. FAT is an acrostic.) This is to say, pastors need to prioritize their time and efforts upon Christians who are Faithful, Available and Teachable. There are multiple reasons why this principle ought to be followed by pastors. But before addressing those reasons, we need to understand what exactly a FAT Christian is.[i] What are F.A.T. Christians? FAT Christians are not just interested in Jesus but are committed to him as true disciples. Specifically, these are believers who are faithful in many things in the local church, such as attendance to Sunday worship, small group studies, and Sunday school. They are…
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