01Jan 2024 by Post

The Pulpit Apologist, Pt. 1

Apologetics, Bobby Conway, Christianity, Christianity Still Makes Sense, Church, Culture Apologetics, Gospel, pastors, Theology and Christian Apologetics
If apologetics has ever met its moment in our culture that moment is now. And it’s especially urgent for some good old-fashioned pulpit apologetics. We need preachers to rise to the occasion and equip their flocks with the apologetic know-how to reach this confused and collapsing culture. As the great wordsmith Carl Trueman put it: “Every age has had its darkness and its dangers. The task of the Christian is not to whine about the moment in which he or she lives but to understand its problems and respond appropriately to them.” [1] It’s no secret that ours is a country replete with problems, so much so it’s even harder to imagine a real United States again. And like those ancient Corinthians many in the church have joined the cultural…
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20Dec 2023 by Post

Making Sense of Christmas

3. Are Miracles Possible?, Apologetics, Bobby Conway, christian, Christianity, Christianity Still Makes Sense, Christmas, Culture, faith, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Miracle of Christmas, Theology and Christian Apologetics, truth
The Christmas season has a way of quickening the senses, doesn’t it? The taste of a kiss under a mistletoe tree, the flavor of nursing steamed Ghirardelli hot chocolate, or the sheer ecstasy of biting into that freshly made batch of flaky peanut brittle. Then there are the smells. Oh, the smells. The smell of Gingerbread houses, hot caramel apple pie, and the dreaded Turkish Delight. We cannot forget the sounds. The sounds of Christmas carolers, holiday bells and our favorite seasonal hymns and not so favorite ones too, like, Last Christmas. It’s also a sight fest. The sight of homes bedecked with multi-colored lights, lawns graced by nativity scenes, and Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells for coins in the coffer. And of course, we cannot forget the touch…
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18Dec 2023 by Post

Is Christmas Pagan?

3. Are Miracles Possible?, Apologetics, Christianity, Christmas, Culture, faith, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Melissa Dougherty, Miracle of Christmas, Theology and Christian Apologetics, truth
Tree decorating. Repetitive Christmas music on the radio. Sleigh bells ringing. Chestnuts burning. (Like, what does this even mean? Do people actually do this?) And the incessant cyber throat-punching over Christians who celebrate Christmas are actually celebrating an evil pagan holiday. Ah… it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is that magical time of the year again, full of bright lights, joyful music, and the warm and fuzzy feelings of family and gift-giving. But every so often, you might hear a claim tossed around that Christmas is rooted in pagan traditions. There are many people, especially online, who take this time of year very personally and feel the need to remind Christians that we are, indeed, participating in a pagan holiday. This can be very confusing for some…
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13Dec 2023 by Post

Is Your Church A Personality Cult, Part 2

Apologetics, Christianity, Church leaders, Church leadership, Culture, faith, Jesus Christ, John Ferrer, Leaving the church, pastors, Theology and Christian Apologetics, truth, Wisdom Chronicle
In part one, we looked at how “cult” can refer to a group’s heretical theology (“theological cult”) or to its dangerous practices (“sociological cult). A personality cult is the second type, with personality-driven problems centering on central leader. To discuss the signs of a personality cult, we used the name named Al, as he sees himself as the Alpha, the #1, the head-honcho. And depending on how narcissistic he is, he might honestly believe he’s the only hope for this church’s success. Then we looked six signs of a personality cult: 1. One Charismatic Leader Is THE Face Of The Church 2. Narcissistic Leader 3. Authoritarian Leadership-Model 4. Other Leaders In The Church Are “Yes Men” 5. “Lone Wolf” Approach To Decision-Making 6. Vindictive Church Discipline Now let’s look at…
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11Dec 2023 by Post

What Babylon Teaches The Church About Discipleship

Apologetics, Apologetics for Parents, Babylon, Christianity, Culture, Daniel, discipleship, faith, Her Faith Inspires, https://shandafulbright.com/, Israel, Shanda Fulbright, Theology and Christian Apologetics
When you hear the word “disciple” does your mind go back to the first century where a group of twelve men followed Jesus and helped him pass out baskets full of loaves and fish? The word “disciple” is often associated with Christianity, and for good reason. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 commands every Christian to “go out and make disciples of all nations.” It’s no wonder that people’s idea of discipleship is linked only to religious groups. My goal isn’t to change your mind that discipleship is a must when it comes to Christianity. My goal is to get you to think more deeply when it comes to what it means to disciple and be discipled. I’ll start with the claim that discipleship is not isolated to Christianity. And…
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06Nov 2023 by Post

Why Did God Put That Tree in the Garden of Eden?

determinism, free will, free will theodicy, garden of eden, Problem of Evil, Problem of Hell, Punishment, rebellion, Theology and Christian Apologetics, tree of the knowledge of good and evil
God created humans in a state of sinless perfection, but all of that changed when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:15-17 ESV). So why did God put that tree in the Garden in the first place? Not only that, He put it right in the middle of the Garden! It wasn’t…
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23Oct 2023 by Post

Where Rebellion Against God Leads

Al Serrato, Battlestar Galactica, Divine justice, eternal conscious torment, Hell, Problem of Hell, Punishment, rebellion, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Imagine a time in the not-too-distant future. Trying to compensate for a declining population, scientists use advanced technology to build a “race” of robots, giving them not only human appearance and abilities, but also increasing amounts of AI. Things work smoothly in the short run, as the robots’ nearly limitless energy for work transforms Earth into a near paradise. But the programmers, seeking to give their creation a chance at true relationship with their human masters, give the robots freedom of will, grafting it on to their ability to think independently. Chaos soon ensues, as the robots rebel and rise up against the human population… This is standard fare, of course, in science fiction circles. Shows like Battlestar Galactica explored the philosophical issues surrounding this scenario, and play out possible…
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16Oct 2023 by Post

The Danger of Promising Universal Salvation

4. Is the NT True?, Bobby Conway, Christianity, Christianity Still Makes Sense, Heaven, Hell, One Minute Apologist, salvation, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, unversalism
If you’re going to contend that universalism is true, i.e., the belief that everyone will eventually end up in heaven, then you best beware of the consequences of doing so. Evacuating a Dying Planet To illustrate. Imagine you live on a planet called Elpis (in Greek this means “hope” or “expectation”). You have been tasked with evacuating your entire civilization to another planet because of a life-threatening emergency. Due to an increasing level of CO2 in the atmosphere, ELPIS has limited time before there’s not enough oxygen to sustain life. So, you are developing a plan to transfer your fellow residents, via spaceships, to a safer environment. You’ve chosen a planet called Earth as your destination and have already been in touch with the humans there. The earthlings are happy…
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15Aug 2023 by Post

Why God Can’t Be the Universe

2. Does God Exist?, eastern religion, Melissa Dougherty, mysticism, Panentheism, pantheism, Parmenides, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Thomas Aquinas, universe, World Religions
Most people believe in God. The question is, which God? Who is this God? Is He personal? Impersonal? An “it”? A vague source or amorphous energy? It’s important to think this through because if God exists, then there are spiritual ramifications for this. Christians understand God to be personal. They’re not pantheists or panentheists where God is equal or a part of His creation, but that He’s separate yet still personal with His creation. In other words, the Christian God is above His creation, not equal to it. There’s a difference between God and what He has created. Many Christian theologians and philosophers believe this isn’t only biblical but logical. Let’s look at a few of these arguments. It’s pronounced parh-MEN-i-deez Let’s start with Parmenides, a 6th-century Greek philosopher who’s…
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31Jul 2023 by Post

Why We Praise God

Al Serrato, awesome, Divine justice, divine perfection, eternal conscious torment, Hell, Holiness, Praise, Problem of Hell, Punishment, Theology and Christian Apologetics, worship
Christian apologists are accustomed to dealing with the “straw man” fallacy. This is where the skeptic paints a false picture of a theistic position, making it easier to ridicule or defeat, and then concludes, triumphantly, that his skeptical view prevails. But not every challenge that misstates our views is intentional. At times, the challenger simply fails to grasp what it is that Christianity holds. Take for instance the doctrine of Hell – the concept of eternal punishment. Many atheists take this doctrine as evidence that primitive men invented Christianity to control others by threat of eternal punishment. They then reject Christianity because they believe that any God who would punish someone for “failing to worship him properly” would be unworthy of worship. I have heard this argument presented a variety…
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