06Oct 2021 by Post

Extrabiblical Evidence for the Veracity of the Gospel History

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Bible, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Extrabiblical Evidence for the Gospel, Gospel, Historical documents, history, Jonathan McLatchie, New Testament, Skeptics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
In a previous article, I reviewed several arguments that are typically raised in support of the historicity of Jesus but, upon closer inspection, turn out to be of extremely limited evidential value. In this article, I will discuss an approach to arguing from extrabiblical sources that I consider to be much more robust. Whereas in the previous article, I critiqued appeals to direct testimony to the historicity of Jesus (which, at best, only attest to the broad outlines of the gospel story), in this article I will consider incidental allusions in the gospels that are indirectly and undesignedly confirmed by extrabiblical secular sources. The data surveyed in the ensuing discussion are of varying evidential weights, though all are (in my assessment) significantly more probable on the hypothesis of historical reportage than on its falsehood. The case for…
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22Sep 2021 by Post

Serpents, Dragons, and the Bible

Apologetics, Bible, Dragons, gospels, Questions about the Bible, Ryan Leasure, Satan, Skeptics, The Serpent, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Ryan Leasure If you’re from an Appalachian snake-handling church, I’m sorry to disappoint. This is not THAT kind of post. Instead, it’s a post about how the Bible portrays snakes, serpents, and dragons. More than that, it’s about how a mighty warrior defeats the serpent to rescue his precious bride. If that story sounds familiar to you, it’s because so many great children’s tales of the past echo this same story. You see, the Bible presents three main characters:[1] 1) The Serpent (the villain—Satan), 2) The Damsel in Distress (the people of God), and 3) The Serpent Slayer (the hero—Jesus). It’s worth noting that “Serpent” is a biblical catch-all term that includes both snakes and dragons.[2] In other words, serpent is an umbrella category while snakes and dragons are more specific. Also worth…
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13Aug 2021 by Post

Croft, Continued: More Thoughts on Meyer’s Debate with a Skeptic

aliens, background knowledge, car break-in, debate, Fran Lebowitz, IBE, inference to the best explanation, Intelligent Design, James Croft, motives, philosophers, philosophy, reductio ad absurdum, Return of the God Hypothesis, sensory experience, Skeptics, Stephen Meyer, Substack, William Dembski, windshield
I think he’s mistaken my emphasis in the specific car break-in examples I gave, namely that the burglars’ behavior was odd and unpredictable. Source
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07Dec 2020 by Post

Excerpt: Letter to the Journal of Chemical Education

A Mousetrap for Darwin, biochemical pathways, Darwinian theory, Darwinism, DNA, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Journal of Chemical Education, Junk DNA, letter to the editor, molecular machinery, philosophy journals, polymerase, random mutation, science journals, Scientific American, Skeptics, students
Unlike philosophy journals — or high school newspapers — many science journals are unwilling to publish responses by people attacked in their pages. Source
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12Sep 2020 by Post

What Best Explains The Desire for Moral Transformation?

Alex McElroy, Apologetics, Christian Apologetics, Moral Argument, Moral Transformation, Skeptics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Alex McElroy The reality of a moral law as well as the implications of immoral decisions is all too apparent. History is rife with the fallout from moral disagreement and disengagement. Embedded within the realm of moral epistemology is the problem of evil. Not only does the problem of evil loom large, but also cannot be reduced to a unilateral issue. Feinberg writes, “There is a final respect in which there is no such thing as the problem of evil. In recent years, philosophers have distinguished between a logical form of the problem of evil and an evidential form. Problems about moral evil, natural evil, the quantity of evil, evil’s intensity, apparently gratuitous evil, animal pain, and the problem of hell can all be posed in either a logical…
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24Aug 2020 by Post

Why It Is Foolish To Insist There Is No God

Al Serrato, Apologetics, Atheism, atheist, Christianity, Christians, Evidence, Objections to the existence of God, reasons to believe, Skeptics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, There is no God
By Al Serrato  “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” If this passage from Psalms is correct, then many people today – including numerous scientists and other well-educated folks – are fools, for they insist that God does not exist. While name-calling is never productive, is there a way in which one might conclude that a person who denies God’s existence is indeed a “fool,” and not merely someone with whom we disagree? Well, let’s begin with a look at the definition of “fool,” which includes “a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid.” Now, sometimes we trick ourselves and thereby make fools of ourselves. We might insist that a steady diet of fast food isn’t the reason that our…
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11Jul 2020 by Post

An Intro to Arguments for God’s Existence

2. Does God Exist?, Apologetics, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Doubts, Evidence, existence of God, faith, God’s existence, J. Brian Huffling, Questions, Reasons, Skeptics, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By J. Brian Huffling Does God exist? This has been one of the most asked questions in history with the most profound implications. As Norman Geisler used to say, our view of God’s existence is most important since it determines what we think about everything else. There are many arguments for God’s existence. This article will examine the standard classical proofs with typical objections and evaluations. The proofs for God are varied and different, but they can be classified as either a posteriori or a priori. The former means the proofs are based on (or after/post) experience, while the latter are allegedly not based on experience, but prior/apart from it. A posteriori proofs are empirical in nature and take it that we can trust our senses. A priori proofs start…
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20Jun 2020 by Post

The Word Of Truth

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Bible, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, God, Jason Jimenez, Skeptics, Stand Strong Ministries, The Word of Truth, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, truth, Word of God
By Jason Jimenez The Bible has been bashed, terrorized, and burned more than any other book of antiquity!  It has faced enormous challenges of its literal expression as well as the debates over its validity and accuracy from God.  And yet, despite the growing hostility of the Bible, it still remains the most translated, bought, and read book in all of history! The word bible literally means book, which comes from the ancient Greek Papyrus plant, biblos.  Of course, the Bible is not just any book…it is the Word of Truth!  R.A. Torrey explains the Bible as “a revelation of the mind and will and character and being of an infinitely great, perfectly wise and absolutely holy God. God, Himself, is the Author of this revelation. But to whom is the revelation made? To…
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03Jun 2020 by Post

Did Israelites ever live in Egypt?

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, ApologeticsGuy, Bible, Egyptian, Evidence, Mikel del Rosario, Skeptics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Mikel Del Rosario Engaging Skeptical Challenges to the Exodus When I was growing up, a lot of people I knew believed the Biblical narrative of the Exodus was at least based on a true story. Even skeptics accepted basic details like the Hebrews being enslaved in Egypt. Today, not so much. Skeptics now challenge the possibility of the Exodus even happening. And since many people get their views on the Bible from popular articles that try to undermine the truth of Scripture, there’s a big question mark in some people’s minds when it comes to even the basic details of the Old Testament: Did the Israelites really live in ancient Egypt? Shlomo Sand’s book, The Invention of the Jewish People, is one that challenges the historicity of the Exodus. He says…
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