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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Not My Jesus: A List Of Christological Heresies

Apologetics, Christianity, christology, Church Councils, Creeds, Gospel, Heresy, Jesus, John Ferrer, Orthodoxy, Theological Apologetics, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Trinity, www.IntelligentChristianFaith.com
Jesus Of Nazareth Is the most disputed character in history. Most of the world’s religions incorporate him into their teaching, whether as a morally perfect prophet (Islam), a divine manifestation (Baha’i), or a reincarnated god (Hinduism). Buddhists believe he is a grace-giving demigod or even a Buddha. Christian cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormon Church readily incorporate Jesus as a partial divine, more than man but less than the full deity of Father God. Almost all of Judaism rejects Jesus as a false prophet, a mere mortal, and a failed messiah.[1] Meanwhile Atheists and skeptics tend to see Jesus as a liar or a lunatic. Mythicists debate his very existence with skeptical weapons set on eleven. Clearly, Jesus of Nazareth is a contentious character. So we should not be surprised…
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Why Your Atheist Friend Will Never Change His Mind (Unless…)

Apologetics, Atheism, Christianity, dialogue, Evangelism, faith, fideism, Gospel, https://smartfaith.me, logical fallacies, Practical Apologetics, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Ever feel like talking to your atheist friend about faith is like hitting your head against a brick wall? You’ve tried explaining, debating, carefully exegeting Bible verses, but they just don’t get it after repeated corrections. You’re starting to wonder if they ever will. Sound familiar? You’re probably thinking, “Why do they keep twisting what faith really means?” It’s like they’re stuck in this loop, misrepresenting faith as some blind leap without evidence. You’ve been patient, clear, and respectful, but nothing seems to change. It’s enough to make anyone want to throw their hands up and walk away. But hang tight. There’s a reason for their stubbornness, and it’s not just about being argumentative. The truth is, atheists often fall into hidden fallacies that keep them from truly understanding faith.…
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Religious Pluralism: What About Those That Have Never Heard the Gospel?

Apologetics, Christianity, Evangelism, Exclusivism, Gospel, Inclusivism Categories: Theology and Christian Apologetics, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, Pluralism, Steve Lee, Theology and Christian Apologetics, tolerance, universalism, World Religions
Several years back my eldest son who was in fifth grade at the time was brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. He stepped into the hall and yanked the toothbrush out of his mouth, slinging toothpaste against the wall, and asked, “Dad, dad! What about those people who have never heard about Jesus? Do they go to hell?” First, what fifth grader thinks about such things when they are brushing their teeth (apparently mine). Second, this has been one of the formidable issues that I believe any reflective Christian can contemplate. The issue at hand is that it seems unfair to us for God to not provide salvation to someone just because they did not get a chance (because of historical or geographical reasons) to hear the gospel…
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Is It Wrong to Doubt?

bellatorchristi.com, Christian Living, Doubt, faith, fideism Categories: Theology and Christian Apologetics, Sherene Khouri, skepticism, Theology and Christian Apologetics
In the age of critical thinking, many people doubt their beliefs. Churches teach dogmas and present their faith as certain, as if there is no room for doubt. Secular and scientific sectors are intrinsically linked to doubt. Claude Bernard, the father of modern Physiology, states that the doubter is “the true scientist; he doubts himself and his interpretations, but he believes in science.[1] Can faith and doubt coexist? Are not they two ends of the spectrum? Is doubt good or bad? This article will try to answer these questions. Types of Doubt: Good or Bad Christians usually perceive doubt as a bad thing. Many pastors encourage their congregations to just believe, quoting verses such as Matt 17:20, Mark 4:40. Probably the most quoted verse is when Jesus answered “Truly, I say…
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