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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23May 2020 by Post

Jeff Hester Debates William Lane Craig On The Topic “Is Belief In God Rational In A Scientific Age?”

2. Does God Exist?, Apologetics, Atheism, Christian Apologetics, debate, Evidence, existence of God, Jeff Hester, Reasons, science, Skeptics, Theology and Christian Apologetics, william lane craig, Wintery Kinght
By Wintery Knight  I was very excited to see a recent debate by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig against atheist astronomer Jeff Hester. When I summarize a debate, I do a fair, objective summary if the atheist is intelligent and informed, as with Peter Millican, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, or Austin Dacey. But the following summary is rated VS for Very Snarky, and you’ll soon see why. The debate itself starts at 29 minutes: [embedded content] The audio is very poor. Dr. Craig’s opening speech Dr. Craig went first, and he presented four arguments, as well as the ontological argument, which I won’t summarize or discuss. He later added another argument for theism from the existence of the universe that does not require an origin of the universe. A1. Counter-examples Theists who…
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20May 2020 by Post

No, Dan Barker. Covid-19 Doesn’t Disprove God

Apologetics, Atheism, atheist, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Erik Manning, evil, God, If God, IsJesusAlive, Theology and Christian Apologetics, why Evil?
By Erik Manning Not one to let a good crisis go to waste, former minister and atheist activist Dan Barker tells us that the coronavirus proves that the Christian God doesn’t exist. Why? Because God promises to answer prayer. People have prayed for COVID-19 to stop. The virus continues to spread and people continue to die. Therefore Christianity must be false. Here’s Barker in his own words: The Christian god makes a crystal-clear pledge: “I will answer your prayers.” Jesus stated boldly: “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”(Matthew 21:22) There is no ambiguity here. “All things” means “all things.” He even clarified: “Even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.” Jesus, who said “I and…
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16May 2020 by Post

There’s More Than One Way To “Trust The Science”

Apologetics, Bob Perry, Christianity, faith, Philosophy of Science, science, scientists, Theology and Christian Apologetics, True Horizon
I have made the case before that scientism is a dangerous belief system. And the COVID-19 Pandemic has done nothing but prove the point. In their response to the virus, many in power exhort us to “trust the science.” Listen to the doctors. Their wisdom should guide the trajectory of our collective futures. But accepting that view greatly depends on your understanding of what science is … and whose science you’re trusting. The truth is that science never provides answers to anything. Scientists do. And that means we not only have to know what branch of science they’re representing, we also have to trust the scientists’ judgment. Our leaders can make decisions using science as a tool. But we accept those decisions on other grounds. That’s because science is not the arbiter of anything.…
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11May 2020 by Post

Three Actions You Can Take to Address Emotional Doubt

Apologetics, christian, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Doubts, Jeremy Linn, Reasons, Theology and Christian Apologetics, TwinCitiesApologetics
By Jeremy Linn A few weeks ago, my ministry had a Livestream discussion on the topic of doubt. I thought it would be a great idea to pull in the principles that came from the discussion into a short, sharable source. To explain the principles we covered, I’m going to bring in my own struggle with doubt, and trace through the principles to see how they can help my own struggle with doubt. My doubt is the following: When I get close to death, I’m not sure if I will really be confident that God is real and that heaven exists. The first thing to filter this doubt through is the question – Does this doubt have a primarily intellectual nature or an emotional nature? Identifying the nature of the…
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09May 2020 by Post

When Is “Good” Good Enough?

Al Serrato, Apologetics, Christianity, God's Holiness, Goodness, Gospel, men, Sin, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, To be good
By Al Serrato Your son walks in test paper in hand. You glance over and wince, seeing the big “60” in red ink at the top. “Don’t worry,” he says, “I did good on this test.” You ignore the faulty grammar. One problem at a time, you think, mulling over in your mind just how long you will ground him. “No, really,” he persists, “you should have seen the other scores. Mine was really good!” “Good,” you think out loud, “how can you call a sixty good?” “Check it out,” he calls out over his shoulder as he walks away, “you’ll see.” He’s seems confident, and he may have a point, so you call the teacher. After all, without knowing more about the class and the test, how can you…
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06May 2020 by Post

Secularism, COVID-19, & the “Non-Essential” Church

Christianity, Church, COVID-19, Culture, FreeThinking Ministries, Laws, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Politicis, Rich Hoyer, Secularism, society, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Many have asked the question, “Why are churches considered ‘non-essential’ during the Coronavirus shutdown and places like restaurants considered ‘essential’? Why are churches closed while grocery stores and restaurants remain open (at least for carry-out orders)?” The insinuation is NOT that food isn’t necessary, but the focus of the inquiry is on why churches are not considered ‘essential.’ After all, if social distancing is practiced in the church building and if surfaces are sanitized, how is being around people in a church building any different than being around a few hundred people in the Walmart or Meijer or the grocery store (especially since most church gatherings in the US number 100 people or less)? Part of the answer lies in worldview analysis. Everyone, whether a person realizes it or not,…
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04May 2020 by Post

The Separation Doctrine Between Church And State

Christianity, Church, Culture, Jason Jimenez, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Politics, society, Stand Strong Ministries, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Jason Jiménez In 1830, upon arriving to North America from France, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote, “The religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things.  In France, I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in opposite directions.  But in America, I found they were intimately united and that they reigned in common over the same country.”[1] The Constitution of North Carolina (1776) proclaims: “…all men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.”[2] It is astonishing to think that despite all the evidence indicating our nation was…
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02May 2020 by Post

Why Religious Freedom Should Matter to Absolutely Everyone

Apologetics, ApologeticsGuy, Christianity, Culture, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Mikel del Rosario, Politics, Religious Freedom, society, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Mikel Del Rosario Religious Freedom in a Pluralistic Society Why should religious freedom matter to everyone? Because the value we put on religious liberty shows how much we really care about freedom. If you’re going to be able to work for the common good—with people from all sorts of backgrounds—the law has got to protect your freedom to live by your convictions. But what is religious freedom? Religious freedom is a civil right that comes from God, not the government. Why should it matter even to people who aren’t religious? Because religious freedom upholds freedom of conscience for both religious and non-religious people. What is Religious Freedom? Religious freedom is a civil right that doesn’t ultimately come from the government. The founders of our nation knew this. All they…
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29Apr 2020 by Post

EPS Panel Discussion On Divine Simplicity

Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Divine Simplicity, God, J. Brian Huffling, Richard Howe, Stephen Davis, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, william lane craig
By J. Brian Huffling In November of 2018, I was on a panel with Richard Howe, Stephen Davis, and William Lane Craig at an Evangelical Philosophical Society session hosted by the American Academy of Religion. The topic was “Divine Simplicity.” It can be viewed here. Howe argued for why it is true, Davis argued why it is not necessary, Craig leveled various critiques of it, and I defended it. (You can read this article for a discussion of what divine simplicity is.) Craig brought up the same basic objections in our panel as he did with Bishop Barron in January of 2018 on another panel on the same topic. I have addressed several of those objections in a previous post but would like to elaborate further on some of those objections, as well as address some of his points…
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