The Anatomy of Deconversion

Anatomy of Deconversion, Apologetics, apostasy, Christianity, Deconstruction, discipleship, Doubt, Evangelism, Gospel, John Marriott, JonathanMclatchie.com, Theology and Christian Apologetics
For many years, I have had a fascination for the reasons why people deconvert from the Christian faith. I have, without exaggeration, viewed many hundreds of deconversion testimonies on YouTube, purchased and read books by deconverts, followed the blogs of deconverts, and personally interacted with many who have either given up their Christian faith or are considering doing so. I was therefore interested to pick up The Anatomy of Deconversion: Keys to a Lifelong Faith in a Culture Abandoning Christianity, by John Marriott, a professor of philosophy at Biola University. [1] Marriott’s doctoral dissertation focused on the subject of deconversion, so he is certainly well qualified to speak about the issue at hand. In this book review, I will offer a summary of the research conducted by Marriott (outlined in the first…
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Where Do You Go When Your Child Asks a PhD Level Question?

Apologetics, Christianity, Doubt, Family Apologetics, Gospel, Hillary Ferrer, Jonathan McLatchie, MamaBearApologetics.com, moms, Relational Apologetics, TalkAboutDoubts.com, Theology and Christian Apologetics, tough conversations
[Editor’s Note: This blog was originally posted at MamaBearApologetics, so its tone and original audience and intent are for moms ministering to their children. That said, the content applies to all sorts of discipleship settings – pastors, parents, teachers, and more]. We all know those conversations are coming. Whether it’s from your college freshman, agnostic uncle, deconstructing niece, or a seasoned atheist brother-in-law, you’re dreading that conversation. You may feel intimidated or just ill-equipped. But guess what!? You are not alone! Too many of us are under the misconception that we have to have the answers for every question, every challenge to Christianity that could come our way. But not having the answer doesn’t mean you have failed, and it doesn’t mean that the answer isn’t out there. We are…
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Nine Clarifications Before Critiquing Old Testament Slavery

Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, Is God Good? Biblical Ethics, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Old Testament, Sean Redfearn, slavery, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Slavery in the Old Testament is a favourite topic among critics who wish to denigrate the moral character of the God of Israel. In my experience, critics will predominantly cite Exodus 21:20-21 or Leviticus 25:44-46 to appeal to a notion of horrendous oppression towards foreign slaves within the nation of ancient Israel – even though there are, by my count, at least 20 other passages in the Torah that are relevant to having a well-informed conversation on the topic. Still, the above two passages need to be engaged with, and I refer readers to a host of excellent resources that respond to the claim that the Old Testament endorses chattel slavery.[1] What do you mean by Old Testament slavery? In this article, I wish to propose a simple tactic for…
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4 Rebuttals to the Muslim Case Against Christianity

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Christianity, christology, debate, Gospel, Islam, Jason Jimenez, Jesus, StandStrongMinistries.Org, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Trinity
What if someone boldly claimed that Jesus himself said He wasn’t God? How would you tackle this intriguing challenge? Let’s dive into this thought-provoking dilemma together. Recently, a viral video titled “Christianity DEBUNKED in Less Than 1 Minute” sparked this very debate presented by a Muslim named Hamza. Essentially, here’s how Hamza frames his argument: If the Father is the only true God, then Jesus cannot be God. If Jesus is God, he must be lying about the Father being the only true God. If Jesus is lying, he cannot be God. Therefore, Jesus debunks Christianity. In this article, I will present four rebuttals to Hamza’s case concerning John 17:3. These responses aim to provide a solid counterargument while offering a reasonable defense and explanation of the divinity of Jesus…
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Struggling with Prayer? 5 Reasons You Lack the Desire to Pray (and How to Overcome Them!)

Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, https://smartfaith.me, Miguel Rodriguez, Prayer, Theology and Christian Apologetics, unanswered prayer
Have you ever felt like prayer is as elusive as losing weight or getting in shape? You know it’s good for you, you know you should do it, but somehow the motivation to bend your knees, clasp your hands, and close your eyes is as elusive as Waldo. Frustrating, isn’t it? But here’s the thing: You already know how to pray. You could stop reading right now and start praying. It’s that simple. So why are you here? It’s not that you don’t know how to pray. It’s that you don’t want to pray. You’re not alone in feeling this way. In his insightful book, “When You Pray… and Nothing Happens,” Maurice Berquist likened prayer to a man’s shadow.[1] If he runs after it to capture it, it flees. If he runs from it to…
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Who Do You Say That I Am, James Talarico? Part I: Two Key Reasons Why Talarico Has Missed the Divine Jesus

Apologetics, Christianity, christology, Deity of Christ, Gospel, James Talarico, Jesus, Ryan M. Crews, Son of God, Son of Man, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Series Introduction: James Talarico is not the first politician to invoke the Christian faith or the Bible to score political points. He is, however, the first I am aware of who has been enrolled in seminary while running for office. Talarico is certainly popular among prospective voters, but he has received significant scrutiny by pastors and academics because of his theological statements. He may be a faithful representative of his denomination, but he has brought the views of that denomination into the limelight due to the widespread publicity of his senatorial race. We do not elect political candidates for their religious beliefs, though we may have reason to support or oppose a candidate when their religious beliefs affect their policy positions. Talarico is a politician and not a pastor, and…
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Be Fruitful and Multiply: A Case Study in Natural and Divine Revelation

alarmism, Apologetics, bellatorchristi.com, Christianity, climate change, family, Genesis 1, Gospel, image of God, population, Stewardship, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Tony Williams
My thesis is this: The consequences of defying God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply” are becoming visible in the modern world. I recently heard a pastor say, “Reality is undefeated.” That line captures a powerful apologetic truth: the world God made behaves according to the design God gave. In Christian apologetics, one of the most underused tools is simply pointing to reality: the observable consequences of obeying or rejecting God’s created order. One of the first commands God gave humanity was, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28, ESV). After the flood, God repeated the same mandate to Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:1, 7). The theme continues throughout Scripture as a covenant blessing to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the nation of Israel (Genesis 17:2; 26:4; 28:3; 35:11; Exodus…
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The LDS Can’t Outrun Joseph Smith the Materialist

Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, https://drowenanderson.substack.com/, Joseph Smith, Latter Day Saints, LDS, materialism, Mormonism, Owen Anderson, Theology and Christian Apologetics
I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to look into the Mormons or not. I’m here in Arizona, and they tend to enjoy a state just north of me: Utah. I’m not super old, but I’m old enough to remember a few waves of Mormon advertisements, and I’m starting to notice a pattern, or is it a trajectory?  Their current wave is a pivot, if that’s the word I want, away from “we are restoring the church with this third testament we found buried in upstate New York” to “we’re evangelicals with a fun little twist about marriage.” Mormon apologist Jacob Hansen represents this new approach among the LDS in trying to become just one of the guys on the Christian theology social media pages. For some time now,…
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The Horrors of Euthanasia and the Problem of Suffering

2. Does God Exist?, Apologetics, bioethics, Christian Worldview, Christianity, euthanasia, Gospel, meaning of life, meaninglessness, problem of suffering, Secularism, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Thomas Moller, www.FreeThinkingministries
As I’m writing this blog, on March 26, 2016, a young woman by the name of Noelia Castillo Ramos is being euthanized in Spain.[i] Unfortunately, this is nothing new in our Western society. Medically assisted suicide has been legal in Canada for almost 10 years.[ii] Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States—yes, even the USA in some states—have legalized medically assisted suicide to some degree.[iii] You may wonder, as I did, what circumstances allow for assistance in suicide? In the United States, the law states that only mentally competent and terminally ill patients, whose illness will kill them within six months, allows for assisted suicide. It is fairly similar in Australia and New Zealand. Despite how extreme…
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Did God Give Adam and Eve Enough Information to Make an “Informed Decision”?

Adam, Apologetics, Christianity, Eve, free will, garden of eden, Gospel, Hillary Ferrer, MamaBearApologetics.com, morality, original sin, Theology and Christian Apologetics
In my previous post, I partially answered the question, “Why did God create the tree in the first place?” This question is a big one for little minds to wrap themselves around. For a child, creating the tree in the first place sounds like God was just asking for trouble. For the hardened skeptic, it sounds like God tricked us into needing a Savior by creating the means for us to sin in the first place. I argued in my previous post that this objection does not hold true when you examine it in the context of a loving relationship. For both love and relationship to exist, there must be free-will. For free-will to exist, there must be legitimate means to choose otherwise. God made it as easy as possible for…
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