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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27Apr 2020 by Post

6 Ways Atheism Is A Science-Stopper

Apologetics, Atheism, Bible, Christianity, faith, Faithful Thinkers, God, Intellectual Faith, Luke Nix, Philosophy of Science, science, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Luke Nix Introduction: Science vs. Christianity? It is commonly claimed that Christianity is a science-stopper. What is usually put forth to justify this claim is that many Christians are content to look at nature and say, “God did it,” without looking further to discover how God did whatever “it” happens to be. For many Christians, questions about the origin and function of the natural world end with that answer. However, for many others, while they recognize that God did indeed do something, they seek diligently to discover how God did it. Christianity does not stop science, a lack of curiosity or concern (not necessarily a bad thing if those are not a person’s passion or pursuit) is what could stop science if no Christian exists who possesses that curiosity. Individual Christians can choose…
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25Apr 2020 by Post

What COVID-19 Reveals About Us: Four Categories of People Surfaced from the Pandemic

Bellator Christi, Brian Chilton, Christianity, Christians, COVID-19, Culture, life, society, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Brian Chilton COVID-19 has brought great panic across the globe due to the rapidity of its transmission and the danger it poses to seniors and those with compromised immune systems. However, COVID-19 has done more than just bring panic. It has also catalyzed several truths about American people, revealing a more troubling underbelly of the American way of life. COVID-19 may prove to be a sociologist’s dream as it has shown what we as American people are like, what we are truly like when a crisis transpires. Because of the virus, comments on social media reveal four types of responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The comments begin to repeat over time. From the overlapping discussions, we can discover four categories of people. As a caveat, this information merely comes…
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20Apr 2020 by Post

God Uses Our Dreams and Disasters to Accomplish the Impossible

Apologetics, Apologetics for Parents, ApologeticsForParents, Bible, Christianity, ChristianMomThoughts, evil, God Sovereignty, Natasha Crain, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Natasha Crain  If you’ve read my books or followed my blog for a while, you know that the focus of my writing is to equip parents with an understanding of how to make a case for and defend the truth of Christianity so they can pass that knowledge on to their kids. This is my passion and focus, but it certainly doesn’t represent ALL that kids need to know and experience in their faith. It’s not enough to KNOW what’s true if that truth doesn’t transform us. For years now, I’ve followed blogger and author Kristen Welch at her blog; We Are THAT Family. She is someone I hugely admire for living a life transformed by truth through her work to serve others around the world, and today I…
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18Apr 2020 by Post

Don’t the Resurrection Narratives Contradict?

3. Are Miracles Possible?, Apologetics, Christianity, Erik Manning, Evidence, God, IsJesusAlive, Miracle, New Testament, objections, Resurrection, Skeptics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Erik Manning The apostle Paul said that if Christ hasn’t risen, Christianity is a sham. (1 Corinthians 15:17) Many atheists agree and will happily point to the gospel accounts. Just how seriously should they take the claim of the resurrection? After all, aren’t the accounts riddled with contradictions? How can they possibly be trusted? Historians don’t normally conclude that just because individual accounts have apparent contradictions that the event in question didn’t occur. But let’s allow that to pass for now. I think the majority of the discrepancies that critics bring up can be easily resolved. Here’s a list of four of the most popular contradictions in the resurrection account that skeptics like to point to. #1. HOW MANY WOMEN WERE AT THE TOMB OF JESUS? How many women…
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15Apr 2020 by Post

What Is Salvation All About?

Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Glorification, Gospel, Jason Jimenez, Justification, salvation, Sanctification, soteriology, Stand Strong, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Jason Jimenez Ever wish you had a backup plan? Well, God did. Of course, that doesn’t imply God made a mistake. God is perfect, and everything He created was perfect (Gen. 1-2). He perfectly and freely made Adam and Eve perfect in His image. And yet, Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God’s commands and eat from the forbidden tree (Gen. 3). But God knew Adam and Eve would sin, and so, in His infinite love and mercy, He set the plan of salvation in motion to redeem His people from their sin (Jon. 2:9; Jn. 1:13; Rom. 9:16; Eph. 1:5). But God didn’t need to do this. He is perfectly just to condemn sinners in their disobedience. Yet, instead, God predetermined to send Jesus to become the ultimate…
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13Apr 2020 by Post

It’s Logically Impossible To Avoid Logic

Alex McElroy, Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, faith, logic, Relentless Pursuit of Purpose, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
By Alex McElroy The only foundation upon which one should build their life is the truth. The truth should be sound, logical, and justifiable. Most, if not all, people would agree with that sentiment. However, the factors that one uses to determine what is true and what role truth ultimately plays in one’s life are where worldviews tend to diverge. Therefore, it is necessary for each individual to build or understand the epistemic structures that are reliable guides on how to determine what is true about the world around them. Scottish poet and Christian minister George MacDonald said, “to give truth to him who loves it not is but to give him more plentiful material for misinterpretation.” Therefore, the first question to be asked and answered is, are you open…
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