20May 2024 by Post

Unconditional Love or Unconditional Affirmation?

Adam and Eve, anthropology, Apologetics, Christian Scholarship, Christianity, Creation, Evolution, Faithful Thinkers, Genesis, Gospel, Human Identity, Human Origins, image of God, Intrinsic Value, Luke Nix, science, science and faith, scientism, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Human origin is a fascinating area of research today. With all the different models for the origins of humanity being proposed, I see an increase in the discussions, both scientific and theological. For everyone reading this post, this area of research should be of utmost interest for you as well. Two critical ideas about humanity are at stake depending on which model (or family of models) is true: intrinsic and equal human dignity and value, and the sinfulness of humanity. The age-old debate about God’s existence has great implications on this area of the debate about human origins. The Judeo-Christian claim that all humans are created in God’s Image and that humans possess a sin nature that will cause them to tend toward the immoral. These paradoxical doctrines together explain…
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15May 2024 by Post

Does the Bible Support Sexual Slavery? An Analysis of Numbers 31:15-18

2. Does God Exist?, Apologetics, biblical ethics, Christianity, Gospel, Immoral God, Jonathan McLatchie, Numbers 31:15-18, Sex Slavery, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Tough Passages
More than two years ago, I participated in a debate in Oxford, England, with atheist YouTuber Alex O’Connor (who goes by the online alias Cosmic Skeptic). The subject was “Why I Am / Am Not a Christian,” which was quite broad. Given the short time constraints of the debate and the breadth of the topic, we were regrettably unable to pursue an explication of our differences with the depth that I would prefer. Nonetheless, I very much appreciated my interaction that evening with O’Connor, including the dinner we enjoyed together before the event. I have long viewed O’Connor as one of the more philosophically nuanced atheist thinkers, and I have valued our ongoing private discussions subsequent to our initial public dialogue. My positive argument in the debate concerned the evidence for Jesus’s resurrection,…
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13May 2024 by Post

Hope Matters

Annie Brown, Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, hardship, hope, problem of pain, SES, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Suffering, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Hope in the Promise Throughout Scripture, we acknowledge God as a promise-keeper. What he says will happen will always comes to pass in his perfect timing. Because of this truth about God’s heart, believers are drawn to extravagant hope in all circumstances. Upon sin entering the world in Genesis chapter three, God initiated hope by clothing Adam and Eve immediately following humanity’s downfall. After leading Noah to navigate a worldwide flood, God provided a dove from heaven as hope for a brighter future ahead. In calling Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, God promised the hope of a land flowing with milk and honey on the other side of their trivial journey. Through the prophet Isaiah, God foretold the coming of Christ who alone would provide eternal hope.…
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08May 2024 by Post

How To Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Soul: A Survival Guide For Diversity Training

Apologetics, Christianity, critical theory, CRT, Culture and Politics, DEI, Diversity Training, Gospel, John Ferrer, strategy, Theology and Christian Apologetics
You’ve been at your job for almost a year. You enjoy your work. You’re planting roots. Soon you’ll qualify for a pay raise and new benefits. Things are looking up. Except, at today’s business meeting, the boss announced a mandatory diversity training[i] for all employees. He made it sound harmless, perfunctory, just a hoop to jump through. No one asked questions. Everyone just nodded. Since you’re new here, you held your questions. You don’t want to cause a stir. Still, something smells fishy. Maybe you’ve heard stories about DEI, SEL, CRT, or Unconscious Bias training.[ii] Maybe you’ve been through this before, and you know what’s coming. But whatever is bothering you, there’s a decision to make. What will you do about this diversity training? You’ve got options. But before picking…
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24Apr 2024 by Post

Evidence for the Book of Esther

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Archaeology, Bellator Christi, Bible, bible archaeology, Christianity, Darius, Esther, Gospel, Mordecai, Persian Empire, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Tony Williams, truth
My family recently took the opportunity to attend a live theater production of The Book of Esther in Branson, Missouri. The Sight and Sound Theater production was riveting, and I was not prepared for how wonderful the set, the performers, and even the livestock (yes, livestock) brought the story of Esther to life. One of the other reasons I loved the show was that I happened to have recently read a wonderful historical summary of the evidence that exists to give good reasons to believe this is more than a fairy tale. In his book, The Authenticity of the Book of Esther, the late British historian Dr. Bill Cooper brings out the evidence, including extra-Biblical writings, archaeology, and even Nazi executions that bring the story to life in a different…
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22Apr 2024 by Post

Atheists’ Faith in Science is Misplaced

2. Does God Exist?, Al Serrato, Apologetics, Atheism, Christianity, design argument, Gospel, Intelligent Design, science, scientism, teleology, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Most atheists I have encountered demonstrate an amazing “faith” in the power of science. They will often accuse believers of wishful thinking – or outright foolishness – when believers conclude that an intelligent being is the only reasonable inference to draw from the evidence of design that surrounds us. They do this because they have come to believe that only through “science” can anything be known, and that science will someday answer all of life’s mysteries. That is what’s called “scientism.” There is no need for a God, they assure themselves, because “science” has not provided for one. Is Science the Only Way to Know? The flaw in this thinking is the assumption that science is the only way one can know something. This is flawed on many levels. Science,…
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17Apr 2024 by Post

The Suffering Christian

Apologetics, Christian Counseling, Christianity, Church, Gospel, Jesus, Prayer, problem of suffering, Psalms, scripture, suffering well, Theology and Christian Apologetics, theology of suffering, Thomas H. Moller
We live in a troubled world, plagued by sin which leads to pain and suffering. This state of the world is nothing new, it has gone on since the fall of man. The entirety of humankind from Adam to us have dealt with a variety of suffering as a result of this fall. However, though we do not live in a more sinful time, for every age has overflowed with sinfulness, we seem to be facing a different struggle. Our society is fighting a battle of the mind, and losing. We Just Can’t Even We live in a world where many cannot seem to bear the slightest sorrow. This makes it all the more difficult to persevere through the most difficult situations anyone of us could face; such as the…
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15Apr 2024 by Post

Show Us A Sign: The Cross And The Death Of Blind Faith

1 Corinthians 15, Apologetics, Christianity, Easter, Gospel, gospels, historicity, Jesus, Prophecy, Quest Questions Apologetics, Resurrection, Shane Geisler, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Each Easter season, approximately 400,000 churches across the U.S. gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus: one story portraying the faith of over two billion people globally. But have we grown ignorant of a driving factor behind the eternally preordained plan? Might we have entirely missed what Jesus cited as making His public execution necessary? The cross has come to manifest the forgiveness of sins, and rightfully so. Notwithstanding, in the time preceding His trial, Jesus made it exceedingly clear the plan was multifaceted . . . and He had skeptics in mind. [1] Just One Problem Modern recollections of resurrection Sunday tend to focus solely upon substitutionary atonement. Christians gather to reflect on this distinctive of their faith. The New Testament tells us Jesus, “though he was in the…
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10Apr 2024 by Post

Critical Thinking: The Secret Weapon of Confident Christians

Apologetics, Christianity, critical thinking, Discernment, Gospel, Jason Jimenez, Stand Strong Ministries, Theology and Christian Apologetics, wisdom, www.standstrongministries.org
As Christians, developing critical thinking skills and maintaining an informed understanding of our faith is crucial. The world is full of misinformation and uncertainty, making it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood. It is not enough for Christians to blindly adhere to whatever traditions or practices they have inherited from the past. They should critically evaluate and discern the relevance and validity of these traditions in their present context. With so many different worldviews competing for our attention, staying engaged and equipped with our beliefs is essential. Without the intellectual stamina to navigate these opposing views, we risk becoming uninformed and ill-prepared to face the challenges of contemporary society. The Age of Competing Ideas In a recent interview with John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center, I asked him why…
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08Apr 2024 by Post

Post-Christianity… What’s That?

Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Culture, FreeThinking Ministries, Hedonism, J.R. Klein, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Pluralism, Post Christian, postmodernism, Progressive Christianity, Syncretism, Theology and Christian Apologetics, utilitarianism, Worldview
There has been a new term floating around the Evangelisphere (if that’s a word, if it’s not, let’s coin it) in the last few years: “post-Christian.” FreeThinking Ministries[i] recently changed some verbiage on the website to indicate that the mission of the ministry is to equip the church to engage with the post-Christian culture. Some might say, “you (FTM) minister to all sorts of people all over the globe. You ought to relate to culture in general” not just the post-Christian parts of culture. Yes, this concern covers both pre- and post-Christian cultures and everything in between. But acknowledging that we live and operate within a largely post-Christian culture is still important if we are to equip the church in the West, and in America more particularly, with relevant strategies for preaching the…
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