The Danger of Promising Universal Salvation

4. Is the NT True?, Bobby Conway, Christianity, Christianity Still Makes Sense, Heaven, Hell, One Minute Apologist, salvation, theology, Theology and Christian Apologetics, unversalism
If you’re going to contend that universalism is true, i.e., the belief that everyone will eventually end up in heaven, then you best beware of the consequences of doing so. Evacuating a Dying Planet To illustrate. Imagine you live on a planet called Elpis (in Greek this means “hope” or “expectation”). You have been tasked with evacuating your entire civilization to another planet because of a life-threatening emergency. Due to an increasing level of CO2 in the atmosphere, ELPIS has limited time before there’s not enough oxygen to sustain life. So, you are developing a plan to transfer your fellow residents, via spaceships, to a safer environment. You’ve chosen a planet called Earth as your destination and have already been in touch with the humans there. The earthlings are happy…
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The Miracle of Man: Reflections on the Westminster Conference

biology, Brian Miller, digital camera, Emily Reeves, Engineering, Faith & Science, fine-tuning, genetics, Howard Glicksman, human beings, human vision, ID The Future, Intelligent Design, mankind, Mark Garcia, Michael Denton, Michael Egnor, paleontology, philosophy, physiology, Podcast, skeletal joints, Steve Laufman, The Miracle of Man, theology, vision, Westminster Conference on Science and Faith
Dr. Miller gives a brief summary of his talk on the fine-tuning of human vision. We’ll be doing a full episode with him on that subject soon. Source
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Dangerous Homefront, part 3: Correcting Prooftexts

1. Does Truth Exist?, 4. Is the NT True?, Bible, Bible study, biblical apologetics, hermeneutics, how to interpret the Bible, Interpretation, John Ferrer, prooftext, theology
In part 1 of this series we looked at prooftexts from the Old Testament. In part 2 we looked at prooftexts from the New Testament. At this point you may be wondering, “So what’s the big deal?” People will misinterpret things, so what? What’s the Big Deal? Clearly, misinterpretation occurs often within the Church. Does that mean that the church is apostate or heretical? Not really, but it does mean that we make mistakes. Many of these mistakes go unnoticed and never cause any real damage. But other mistaken interpretations can sink in, take root, and spring up as dangerous beliefs and bad practices. Consider how many people have watched a loved one pass away, even though they prayed in groups for God to heal them, and, this unmet expectation…
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Meet Robot Jesus

Culture CrossExamined, exploitation, idolatry, John Ferrer, Robot Jesus, Satan, Smart phone app, theology
Have you talked with Jesus yet today? No, I’m not talking about your morning prayers. I’m talking about the new Text-With-Jesus app. This is a downloadable smartphone app that will put you in a text-message conversation with an AI simulation of Jesus, and other biblical characters. You’re basically talking to a robot programmed to say things that you’d expect to hear from Jesus, or Jonah, or Moses, or Matthew, or even Satan himself. The app is free, but for $2.99 you can purchase access to the Satan-character and converse with an AI version of Lucifer himself. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that the grace-based (free) version features Jesus, but you have to sell a little bit of your soul to talk to the prince of darkness. Is this APP…
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Is teaching kids about God child abuse?

Apologetics for Parents, critical thinking, Education, https://shandafulbright.com/, indoctrination, logic, online Christian courses, Richard Dawkins, Shanda Fulbright, theology
People always tell me not to look at the comment section of a social media post. I didn’t listen. We just promoted the new kid’s curriculum Let’s Get Real: Examining the Evidence for God, based on Turek and Geisler’s best seller:  I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. I anticipated backlash. I know the drill. You post something about God and the evidence that points to His existence and suddenly every atheist saddles up behind their keyboard to tell you why you’re wrong. What I didn’t expect was to be accused of child abuse. Is teaching kids about God child-abuse? This isn’t a new accusation against Christians. In Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion, he asserts that religious indoctrination is child abuse. However, Nicholas Humphrey, a neuropsychologist from Cambridge…
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Kepler’s Pursuit of a Mathematical Cosmology

Andrew McDiarmid, astronomy, Center for Science and Culture, Colorado Christian University, cosmology, Discovery Institute, Faith & Science, Harmonices Mundi, ID The Future, Johannes Kepler, mathematics, Melissa Cain Travis, Mysterium Cosmographicum, physics, Physics, Earth & Space, Podcast, science history, theology, Thinking God’s Thoughts, Tycho Brahe
Dr. Travis tracks the progression of Kepler’s ideas to show how he became a key figure in the transition from ancient astronomy to a true celestial physics. Source
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Dangerous Homefront, part 2: NT Prooftexts we Know and Love

1. Does Truth Exist?, 4. Is the NT True?, Bible, Bible study, biblical apologetics, hermeneutics, how to interpret the Bible, Interpretation, John Ferrer, New Testament, prooftext, theology
In part 1 of this series, we looked at a few Old Testament passages that people often misinterpret. In part 2 we shift to the New Testament. It’s worth noting that sometimes the error is just an innocent mistake. It’s not always from bad intentions, or false teachers, or heretical theology. Sometimes there are malicious forces at work here, but often it’s just well-meaning people getting confused about what the Bible says. The list of verses below is just a sample of commonly misinterpreted texts. There are many more too choose from, but I’m willing to bet that if you are a church-goer you’ve heard at least one of these misinterpretations before. Matthew 7:1 Judge not, lest ye be judged. This is perhaps the most quoted verse of Scripture surpassing…
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Dangerous Homefront, part 1: OT Prooftexts we Know and Love

1. Does Truth Exist?, 4. Is the NT True?, Bible, Bible study, biblical apologetics, hermeneutics, how to interpret the Bible, Interpretation, John Ferrer, prooftext, theology
Years ago, on a trip to Washington DC I found myself going through a few different airports and learning a life lesson along the way. The flights led me through several security checks. I had no problem with the baggage scans and the metal detectors till I got to LaGuardia airport in New York. I was stopped. I had forgotten about a small pocketknife on my key-chain. Not being a terrorist, or John Wick, I don’t think of a one-inch blade as a weapon. My pocketknife was confiscated. It was no big loss, but it was enough to teach me something. One airport let that pocketknife slip by unnoticed. But in New York they spotted it instantly. In New York they knew the threat of terrorism. Their sensitivities were keen,…
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Mind, Brain, Soul: What’s the Difference? Find Out at the 2023 Westminster Conference

brain, Center for Science and Culture, Darwin Day in America, Faith & Science, faith and science, free will, John West, materialists, Michael Denton, Michael Egnor, mind, Neuroscience & Mind, physiology, Redeeming Science, Sam Harris, sexuality, society, soul, Stony Brook University, The Miracle of Man, theology, Vern Poythress, Westminster Conference on Science and Faith, Westminster Theological Seminary
Sam Harris has said that “You can do what you decide to do — but you cannot decide what you will decide to do.” Source
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Watch: “Cosmic Mind, Divine Action, and Design-Engaged Theology”

Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence, Center for Science and Culture, Charles Taliaferro, conferences, cosmic history, Discovery Institute, Events, Faith & Science, faith and science, human soul, Intelligent Design, J.P. Moreland, Joshua Farris, Michael Egnor, philosophy, soul, Stephen Meyer, The Creation of Self, theology
“The event examined intelligent design and its implications for science-engaged theology. Collectively, it made the case for a God who cares." Source
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