25Sep 2024 by Post

Three Bad Arguments for Euthanasia

Apologetics, assisted suicide, bioethics, ChristianConcern.com, euthanasia, Gospel, imago Dei, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, mercy killing, Sanctity of Life, Sean Redfearn
Polling sometimes suggests that the UK public is in favor of ‘assisted dying.’ This is an illusion, caused in many cases by people not knowing what ‘assisted dying is.’ A recent poll showed that only 42% of the public understood what ‘assisted dying’ refers to, with 10% thinking it meant hospice-type care and 42% believing it meant stopping treatment. There is no legal or ethical mandate that a terminally ill person must be kept alive “at all costs.” There is, however, a major difference between withdrawing medical treatment and thereby allowing a patient to die of his or her own medical condition and intentionally ending a patient’s life. What Is Euthanasia? Euthanasia (as well as assisted suicide) is most basically understood as the lethal dose of drugs to deliberately end…
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16Sep 2024 by Post

The Early Martyrs Were Cross Examined to Death

4. Is the NT True?, Al Serrato, Apologetics, Early Church, Gospel, historical apologetics, Martyrdom, New Testament, Persecution. Evidential Apologetics
Skeptics often challenge believers by claiming that the “evidence” for Christianity would never hold up in a courtroom. It’s hearsay, they contend, and since these witnesses can’t be cross-examined, the case would never even see the inside of a courtroom. For many unfamiliar with the legal system, this challenge seems solid. After all, why should we trust our eternity to a message that wouldn’t pass muster in a court dealing with comparatively less important issues? Christianity On Trial A bit of reflection shows the problem with this line of reasoning. First, it doesn’t take into consideration that we know many things that could never be “proven” according to the rules of evidence in a courtroom. Just about any historical event that is beyond the lifetime of living persons would suffer…
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11Sep 2024 by Post

What If I Don’t Like Either Candidate?

Apologetics, Christianity, cultural apologetics, Gospel, Harris, How should Christians vote, How would Jesus Vote?, John Ferrer, Legislating Morality, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Trump, Who Should I vote for?
If you’re like me, this upcoming election feels like a choice between which electric outlet to jab a fork into. I’m not a big fan of either candidate. It may be tempting to just sit-out this election. But we shouldn’t give up that easily. This November, you won’t be voting for a pastor, or a personality. You’re just voting for a president either. You’re voting for a package deal. We’re going to get the president and everything that comes with them. So, we owe it to ourselves to look past their personality and consider the rest of the caravan that’s coming along with them. Here are eight reasons why you and I should still vote in this election even if we don’t like either candidate. If You Won’t Vote for…
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09Sep 2024 by Post

The Scandal of Elite Evangelical Compromise

academia, Apologetics, Big Eva, Bill Dembski, BillDembski.Sustack.com Shepherds for Sale, Christian culture, Christianity, Evangelical, Gospel, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Megan Basham
A blogger I read regularly alerted me to Megan Basham’s new book Shepherds for Sale, subtitled How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda. It was released [at the] end of July. I was intrigued by the book because it claimed to be exposing compromise infecting many evangelical elites, especially among Southern Baptists. As it is, she is a Southern Baptist, and for over a decade I had moved in that world both at the more liberal Baylor University (the “largest Baptist university in the world”) and then at two of the main Southern Baptist seminaries (in Louisville and in Ft. Worth). Baylor president Robert Sloan had hired me in 1999 to found and run an intelligent design think tank (the Michael Polanyi Center). The backlash from Baylor faculty was intense,…
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04Sep 2024 by Post

Becoming Skeptical of Modern Skepticism

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, bellatorchristi.com, Brian Chilton, Charles Darwin, Christianity, cynicism, David Hume, Doubt, faith, Gospel, Michael Licona, rudooph Bultmann, skepticism, Stephen Meyer, Theology and Christian Apologetics, william lane craig
Some skepticism is warranted. None of us want to live within a paradigm of naivety. No one wants to blindly accept every foolish notion that comes down the pipeline. A quick glance at social media along with the acknowledgment of the tweaks and twists that artificial intelligence can bring to videos and audio files only intensifies our need for discernment. Even still, as believers, we must differentiate between discernment and all-out skepticism. Discernment evaluates data to see whether the information is valid and trustworthy. In contrast, skepticism doubts or denies claims that seem to be grandiose or beyond the status quo. Even more to the point, skepticism can deny propositional claims. When left unrestrained, skepticism could lead to doubt, which in turn can lead to the denial of propositions (i.e.,…
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02Sep 2024 by Post

Voting as a Kingdom Ambassador

abortion, Apologetics, Christian Nationalism, Christianity, cultural apologetics, FreeThinkingMInistries, Gospel, How should Christians vote, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Politics, Tito Santiago
During the presidential elections there are many voices “crying out in the wilderness,” as it were, proclaiming all sorts of weird ideas. One of those ideas is the thought that within this seemingly hostile and divided political and cultural climate even within the church, Christians who hold to a particular view are looking to crown a new political messiah and usher in some sort of a new kingdom. Voting for President, not a Messiah I cannot speak for all who claim to follow Jesus Christ. Perhaps there is some odd and rare breed of believers who sees the presidency as salvation. I do not! So I will speak for myself as to how I view the privilege and honor of voting not only as an American citizen, but more importantly…
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28Aug 2024 by Post

The Ethics of AI in Writing

Academic Integrity, Apologetics, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, cheating, Christianity, Gospel, John Ferrer, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, plagiarism, publishing, Writing ethics
When it comes to Artificial Intelligence, I’m a luddite. I’m analog over digital. Forget Pandora® and Spotify® or even CD’s. Vinyl LP’s rule them all. I grew up playing outside, climbing trees, chasing things, reveling over sticks – not joysticks, just sticks. If they look like a sword or a gun, even better. I’m a Labrador retriever, but literate. I have the tech-savvy of your average canine too. That’s because I’m Gen X. I was raised before the interweb, before social media and Netflix. I remember Atari, Nintendo, and Sega, and Alladin’s Palace. I slogged through the dial-up era. I even met my wife on Myspace. Rock on! When Sunday comes, I actually leave my house to go to church! I turn my phone off to listen to the sermon.…
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26Aug 2024 by Post

In the Gospels, Jesus is Pro-Life

abortion, Apologetics, bioethics, ChristianConcern.com, Christianity, Gospel, Jesus, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, New Testament, pro-choice, pro-life, Sean Redfearn
When you encounter Jesus in the gospels, it’s not hard to see why the world would be a better place if everyone was more like him. And in the gospels, Jesus is pro-life. In fact, life is the issue for Jesus. ‘Life’ is why Jesus came into the world. The Bible is About Life The Bible’s most famous verse even says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV) Humans weren’t originally created to face death (Romans 5:12), and Jesus hates death – that’s why he conquered it (Romans 6:9; 2 Timothy 1:10). Jesus’ mission is to bring dead people to life (Mark 10:45; John 5:24; 1 Timothy 1:15)…
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14Aug 2024 by Post

Dealing with Hurt and Trusting God: Biblical Tips for Overcoming Pain

Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, grief, Jason Jimenez, Problem of Evil, problem of pain, Stand Strong Ministries, StandStrongMinistries.Org, Suffering, Theology and Christian Apologetics, trusting God
Life presents numerous trials and challenges, many of which result not from our own actions but from the behavior and transgressions of others. Betrayal, injustice, or rejection can inflict profound emotional pain and distress. The overwhelming nature of the suffering, particularly when caused by another individual, prompts natural questioning of how an omnibenevolent God could permit such affliction during the darkest moments. I can tell you from my own personal pain that it’s tough to be at peace in life after being wounded and betrayed by someone you trusted. The emotional pain can leave you feeling as though you cannot trust God and forgive others. However, it’s essential to recognize that this pain does not reflect the absence of God’s love or presence in our lives. Instead, it offers a…
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07Aug 2024 by Post

The New Cultural Christianity

Apologetics, Christianity, Culture, FreeThinking Ministries, Gospel, Josh Klein, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, LGBTQ, Nietzsche, Post Christian, Progressive Christianity, Ubermensch
A few months ago I wrote an article on the West’s move towards a post-Christian culture (Post-Christianity: What’s That?). Since the article’s publication at least two prominent atheists decried the fall of Christianity in the West. One claims to have converted to Christianity (Ayaan Hirsi Ali) and the other maintains atheism but embraces “cultural Christianity” (Richard Dawkins).[1] They, along with fellow atheists Bret Weinstein and Tom Holland recognize that the fall of the West will be accomplished with the dismantling of the Church. The New Atheists of twenty years ago assumed that logic, reason, and science would provide the basis for a moral society as it abandoned God and moved into the post-Christian era. Much to their chagrin, however, this has not been the case. Dawkins began to recognize the threat radical…
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