Theology and Christian Apologetics – Page 18 – Christian Life Coaching Franklin Tennessee

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the NT True?, Apologetics, Bible, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Extrabiblical Evidence for the Gospel, Gospel, Historical documents, history, Jonathan McLatchie, New Testament, Skeptics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics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…

28Sep 2021 by Post

Who is the Leading Person of Interest?

A Person of Interest, Apologetics, Christianity, Christians, Frank Turek, history, J. Warner Wallace, Jesus, Jesus between other religions, Jesus Christ, Jesus Is God, Religions, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Why Jesus still matters today, Why to believe in Jesus

Why are murders so interesting to us? Some of the most popular podcasts, videos, and news headlines are about high-profile homicides. We are often consumed with the primary suspect the cops often call “the person of interest.” Right now, the headlines are obsessed with Brian Laundrie? Where is he? Did he do it? If so, why? And will he get justice? Unfortunately, over the long run, the person of interest is usually remembered much more than his victims. We remember names like Charles Manson, Jeffery Dahmer, and Ted Bundy, but we usually forget those they killed. But what if there is one huge exception to that typical outcome? What if the most remembered and influential name in human history isn’t a villain but actually a murder victim himself? Cold-Case Homicide…

27Sep 2021 by Post

Confronting Homosexuality in a Culture of Identity (Part 1)

Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Christians, Culture, FreeThinking Ministries, Homosexuality, Homosexuals, Josh Klein, lil nas x, The homosexuality in the Bible, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics

By Josh Klein Lil Nas X Do you know the name? I do not know why you would, but Lil Nas X has become a bit of a cultural icon in recent years. He wrote a hit country/hip-hop song in 2019 called “Old Town Road” with country star Billy Ray Cyrus. The success of the hit propelled Lil Nas X into the modern spotlight. The song, and its remix, won him fourteen awards spanning from the Grammys to Kids’ Choice Awards[1]. As a result, Lil Nas X toured the country singing for elementary-age kids and was even quoted as saying young kids were his “core audience”[2] in early 2021. Why am I writing about Lil Nas X on a Christian website? Well, this man that vies for the eyes and…

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…

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…

09Sep 2020 by Post

Do Your Spiritual Conversations Become Frustrating Arguments?

Apologetics, ApologeticsGuy, arguments, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Christians, Mikel del Rosario, spiritual conversations, Theology and Christian Apologetics

By Mikel Del Rosario We need to bring truth and love together in our apologetics I once had lunch with actor and filmmaker named Alex Kendrick. He’s best-known for his movies like Fireproof, War Room, and Overcomer. Few people realize what undergirds his ethos of engagement. Afterwards, we recorded an episode of the Table Podcast called “Faith, Work, and Filmmaking,” where he explained how 1 Peter 3:15 became his life verse. He told me this story: During college, I was talking to someone of the Baha’i faith. They believe there’s a number of ways to get to heaven…I found myself growing in frustration that he couldn’t see what I saw in the gospel. We began arguing and…we both left frustrated. But the Lord convicted me…when I saw 1 Peter 3:15. “But in your…

07Sep 2020 by Post

Is it Unbiblical to Argue for God?

Apologetics, Argue for God, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Christians, Doug Potter, God, Southern Evangelical Seminary, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics

In my earliest days of attempting to do apologetics, I was confronted in the church with the objection that relying on philosophy, particularly arguments for the existence of God, was not only unwise, it was unbiblical. Upon inquiring why, they attempted to persuade by pointing me to the Apostle Paul, who seems to discourage the use of philosophy. In I Corinthians, Paul wrote: And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified…and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest…

02Sep 2020 by Post

How Should The Church Engage Those With Same-Sex Attraction Or Gender Dysphoria?

Apologetics, Christianity, Christians, Church, Culture CrossExamined, Gender Dysphoria, JesusIsNotFakeNews, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Ryan Leasure, Same-Sex Attraction, Theology and Christian Apologetics

By Ryan Leasure How should the church engage those who experience same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria? In response, I want to highlight seven basic principles that the church must embrace. Affirm The Divine Image Genesis 1 is clear that everyone, without qualification, is made in God’s’s image. That is to say; whether someone is attracted to the opposite sex or the same sex, they are equally image-bearers of God. The same goes for individuals who experience gender dysphoria. One’s’s feelings or attractions in no way mitigates against this universal status. As Christians, we should enthusiastically embrace this truth. Nobody — not the government, the church, or anyone else — can bestow a higher status on each person than God already has. Moreover, not only did God create all people in his…

31Aug 2020 by Post

Can We Know Anything for Sure?

1. Does Truth Exist?, Apologetics, Can we know anything for sure, Christianity, Does truth exist?, Doug Potter, God, Gospel, reason, SES, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Theology and Christian Apologetics

By Doug Potter The following is an excerpt for our Why Trust the God of the Bible? Ebook. Many today fail to see the importance of grounding their reasoning process in reality in spite of the fact that whatever is not based on reality is un-reality, in other words, unreal. The slippery slope of subjectivism and relativism is the result of such “reasoning” manufactured in the imaginations of the mind rather than in reality, on Truth. This distinction is especially important for Christians who desire to share their reasonable faith. Sadly, subjectivism has crept its way into the church with the assumption that we do not need to defend our faith with reason; we only need the Bible. Despite the claims of subjectivism and “blind” faith, one of the most fundamental observations…

29Aug 2020 by Post

How to Build a More Discerning, Less Naïve, and Better Culturally Engaged Church

Biblically-sound articles, Christianity, ChristianMomThoughts, Christians, Church, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Natasha Crain, Politics and Religion, Social media, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Worldview

By Natasha Crain In my last article, Christian Naivety is Harming the Church’s Engagement with Today’s Culture; I identified four ways that I’ve seen many Christians respond with naivety to calls for discernment in today’s world. At the end, I asked, “How do we fix this?” and said my answer would be the subject of my next article. This is that article. Since this is a follow-up, please be sure to read my last post before this one for context. Let me start by saying that the title of this article is a rather sweeping proposition. Obviously, this is a single article, the issues are complex, and I’m not claiming that what I write here is a complete answer to all the problems we have. But I want to offer what I…

Category: Theology and Christian Apologetics