Was the Messiah Predicted in the Old Testament?

Adam Lloyd Johnson, Apologetics, biblical apologetics, Christianity, christology, ConvincingProof.org, Gospel, Jesus, messianic prophecy, Old Testament, Theology and Christian Apologetics
In Galatians Paul wrote that the Law served as a “tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). Even though Paul was specifically referring to the Mosaic Law, the same could be said concerning the Old Testament as a whole. The Messiah, His person, His work, and His ministry were anticipated through allusion and imagery, not the least of which was the establishment of a theology concerning substitutionary atonement. This laid the groundwork for understanding our need for a Messiah because it explained how we came to be the wretched beings that we are, why God’s moral righteousness means our situation is so dire, and what must be done to reconcile us back to the loving relationship with God we were created…
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Ambiguous Islam

Apologetics, Caliphate, Christian Research Journal, Christianity, Extremism, fundamentalism, Gospel, Islam, Islamism, Jihad, John Ferrer, Muslim, Quran, Religion of Peace, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Usama Bin Laden
[Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in 2011 in Christian Research Journal, vol. 34, no. 6, and reprinted online in 2014 at: https://www.equip.org/articles/ambiguous-islam/. Any additions are in [brackets]]. Usama Bin Laden was a moderate. Right?    Was he not a tragic peace-loving hero with a grand vision for a democratic Afghanistan? Like a photograph overexposed, zeal overcame him, his greatness o’er shadowed by bright dots of violence. Seal Team Six made sure his violence met violence and his vision was ended. We might expect that portrayal from Afghan extremists or Hamas radicals. But that’s also the Bin Laden you find in the short-lived May 4 press release from moderate group Muslim American Society (MAS). They say of him, “I do not believe that any human being relished the terror and the…
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The Role of Apologetics in Student Ministry

Apologetics, Bellator Christi, Christianity, Daniel Sloan, Gospel, Intro Apologetics, Student Ministry, Theology and Christian Apologetics
I have recently become involved in student ministry as a Family Life Pastor over the last few months. As a trained academic with a PhD in Apologetics, I wondered how much of my training I would really be able to use in this capacity. Would students care about apologetics? Would they even need it? What I quickly learned is that apologetics can and really should have a major role in student ministry. Students Have Access to More Challenges than Ever Before           As someone that had mainly been involved with college students for the past decade plus, I was shocked at some of the questions that I received within weeks at the new ministry. One student said she had seen someone on TikTok claim that the New Testament was untrustworthy. Others…
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The Bible Tells Us That We Need Apologetics

Apologetics, Bibliolatry, Blind Faith, Christianity, Conversion, Evangelism, fideism, Gospel, Sean Redfearn, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Paul met the Lord on a road (Acts 9:1-9), Peter fell down before him by the sea (Luke 5:1-11), the Ethiopian eunuch came to him after having the scriptures explained to him (Acts 8:26-40), and the man possessed by a legion of demons believed after experiencing a liberating miracle on his life (Mark 5:1-20). The same gospel which unites us reaches us in different ways. Many people encounter Jesus and come to faith immediately when the Bible is preached and explained to them. Becket Cook is an example that immediately springs to my mind. Others encounter Jesus after a long and detailed analysis of the evidence, and after having their friends engage them with the evidence for Christianity. Nabeel Qureshi is a big example here. Still others encounter Jesus after…
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How To Prepare Your Kids Faith Before They Leave For College, Part 2: Faith-Based Preparation

Apologetics, Christianity, College-Prep, cultural apologetics, discipleship, Gospel, Julie Loos, MamaBearApologetics.com, Prayer, Theology and Christian Apologetics
It’s doubtful parents would send their kids to college without some sort of meal plan, but are parents as diligent in helping set up a spiritual meal plan for their children? Once that dorm key is issued, there will be no more spoon-fed lessons by the youth group. When our kids head to college, it’s time for them to feed themselves, or they could spiritually starve to death. In our previous blog, we addressed the top four preparations to keep your kids on FIRE for God: faith-based, intellectual, relational, and environmental. In this blog, we’ll discuss how to prepare your kids spiritually for college, specifically through spiritual disciplines. Developing Good Faith Habits   Helping your child establish the habits of personal Bible study and prayer while they are still living in your home is…
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How Do I Help People Care About Truth, Not Just Know About It?

1. Does Truth Exist?, Adam Lloyd Johnson, Apologetics, Caring About Truth, Christian Apologetics, Christian community, Christian Teaching, Christianity, Convincing Proof, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Power of Prayer, sharing the Gospel, Spiritual Gifts, Theology and Christian Apologetics
If a person knows about God and knows about absolute truth, how does he come to accept it? How can I help that person care about that truth, not just know about it? That is a good question. I’m so glad God brought this question my way because I’ve been struggling through this myself lately too. I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll share with you what He’s been teaching me. I struggle with this question often because I’m a teacher at heart. I love to learn, assimilate, process, summarize, and pass it on to others. God has just built me to do that very thing. Granted, I’m not the best in the world at it, but I do the best I can for the glory of God. What…
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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…
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What is the Meaning of Life?

Adam Lloyd Johnson, Apologetics, biblical anthropology, christian, ConvincingProof.org, Gospel, imago Dei, meaning of life, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Trinity
Ancient philosophy began when people started thinking about ultimate reality. These early philosophers proposed theories about the ultimate elemental stuff which everything else comes from or is made of. Some of the early theories were earth, air, fire, or water. One ancient philosopher, Democritus, even suggested that everything is made up of tiny particles he called atoms. If Christianity is true, however, and I believe it is, then when the final curtain of reality is pulled back, we won’t find earth, air, fire, water, or atoms. Instead, we’ll find loving relationships between three divine persons. Ultimate reality, from which everything else comes, is a God which exists as a Trinity: three divine persons united in one essence and united in Their loving relationships with Each Other. I’ve become convinced that…
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Four Ways that Middle Knowledge Helps to Explain Unanswered Prayer

Apologetics, bellatorchristi.com, Brian Chilton, Christianity, Gospel, Luis de Molina, Middle Knowledge, Molinism, Theological Apologetics, Theology and Christian Apologetics, unanswered prayer
Country singer Garth Brooks popularized the song, “Unanswered Prayers.” The song recounts how he prayed to have the love of a young woman earlier in his life. His prayer, however, was declined. While he didn’t understand why God did not allow him to have the love of this young woman when he was young, he later reflected on why God did not answer his prayer when he looked upon his wife and valued the love they had for one another. Brooks then sings, “One of God’s greatest gifts is unanswered prayer.” In his book Luis de Molina: The Life and Theology of the Founder of Middle Knowledge, Kirk MacGregor recounts the life and belief system of Luis de Molina. Unfortunately, much of Molina’s works are still left untranslated. MacGregor, who is able to…
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A Trinitarian Moral Argument

Adam Lloyd Johnson, ConvincingProof.org, Divine Command Theory, moral argument for god, objective morality, Theistic Ethics, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Trinity
[Editor’s Note: The following blog is a scholarly article presented, in full, with only minor formatting edits. It is longer, and more academic, than what we normally publish at Crossexamined.org, but we think you can handle it 😉. Crossexamined does not necessarily endorse every philosophical or theological position represented in blogs and articles like this, but we do try to offer a sample of some of the different orthodox options available within the “big tent” of Christian thought. We welcome your feedback, especially if you see anything that can be improved, or that needs correcting. Thank you! The Editorial Staff at Crossexamined.org] Both Christians and Muslims affirm the following argument: There are objective moral truths. God is the best explanation for objective moral truths. Therefore, God exists. However, which understanding…
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