How Does Paul’s Relationship with the Jerusalem Church Present a Problem for Islam?

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Christianity, Church History, Gospel, Islam, JonathanMclatchie.com, Paul, Were the Apostles Muslims?, World Religions
In a previous article, I offered a simple reason why the Qur’an cannot possibly be the word of God, since the proposition that the Qur’an is the word of God entails a necessary contradiction. Here, I am going to present an equally compelling reason to reject the Qur’an as the word of God. As I alluded to in my previous post, the Qur’an contends that the disciples of Jesus were Muslims. According to Surah 3:52, “…when Isa [Jesus] sensed disbelief in them, he said: “Who are my helpers in the way of Allah?” The disciples said:“ If The Apostles were Muslim . . . So according to the Qur’an, there is no question that the apostles were Muslims, under Jesus. But what if we could establish that the teaching of…
Read More

A Simple Reason Why the Qur’an Cannot Be the Word of God

4. Is the NT True?, Bible, Islam, Islamic Apologetics, JonathanMclatchie.com, Muslim Dilemma, Quran, World Religions
The Islamic religion claims that the Qur’an, revealed allegedly by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad beginning in 610 A.D., is the inspired and inerrant word of God. Such an assertion, however, is highly problematic, and many, many arguments could be given to convincingly refute it. In this article, I am going to offer one of those reasons, which I perceive to be the most damning. My argument here can be summarized in syllogistic form as follows: Premise 1: Either the Bible is the Word of God or it is not. Premise 2: If the Bible is the Word of God, the Qur’an is not. Premise 3: If the Bible is not the Word of God, the Qur’an is not. Conclusion: Therefore, the Qur’an is not the Word of…
Read More

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…
Read More

World Religions in Seven Sentences with Dr. Doug Groothuis

christian, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Dr. Doug Groothuis, Dr. Frank Turek, Gospel, morality, philosophy, Podcast, religion, theology, World Religions
How much do you know about the major world religions? Whether it’s atheism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or one of the many Eastern religions, humanity holds a wide array of beliefs about who God is and if He even exists at all. But what if more Christians dedicated time to learning about other religions? How could this strengthen our faith along with our ability to share the Gospel? We’re kicking off December with renowned Christian apologist and philosopher, Dr. Doug Groothuis, professor at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI and the author of 20+ books, including his latest work, ‘World Religions in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic‘. In this episode, Frank and Doug discuss the inspiration behind the book and unpack some of the core beliefs of…
Read More

Did the Idols of the Old Testament Actually Have Power?

3. Are Miracles Possible?, Apologetics, BellatoriChristi.com, Christianity, Daniel Sloan, False Gods, Gospel, idolatry, Idols, paganism, polytheism, Theology and Christian Apologetics, World Religions
One of the questions that people ask when they read through the Old Testament is “did those little statues that people worshipped actually have any power behind them?” Many scholars agree that people believed that the idols themselves did not hold power but instead represented the pagan gods. The Old Testament itself has two major views on idolatry, one located in the prophets and another located in Deuteronomy. Idolatry in the Prophets The prophets identify idolatry as a major issue within both Israel and Judah during their time and argue that idolatry is worthless.[i] For example, in Isaiah 41, Isaiah 44, and Jeremiah 10, the prophets make it clear that idolatry is useless and meaningless. It holds no power because the idols themselves are created and the gods that they…
Read More

Why God Can’t Be the Universe

2. Does God Exist?, eastern religion, Melissa Dougherty, mysticism, Panentheism, pantheism, Parmenides, Theology and Christian Apologetics, Thomas Aquinas, universe, World Religions
Most people believe in God. The question is, which God? Who is this God? Is He personal? Impersonal? An “it”? A vague source or amorphous energy? It’s important to think this through because if God exists, then there are spiritual ramifications for this. Christians understand God to be personal. They’re not pantheists or panentheists where God is equal or a part of His creation, but that He’s separate yet still personal with His creation. In other words, the Christian God is above His creation, not equal to it. There’s a difference between God and what He has created. Many Christian theologians and philosophers believe this isn’t only biblical but logical. Let’s look at a few of these arguments. It’s pronounced parh-MEN-i-deez Let’s start with Parmenides, a 6th-century Greek philosopher who’s…
Read More

A Trendy New Breathing and Meditation Technique… and it’s Odd.

cultural apologetics, Culture CrossExamined, idolatry, meditative breathing, Melissa Dougherty, mysticism, New Age, spirituality, Theology and Christian Apologetics, witality breathwork, World Religions
I was scrolling through the Gram one day, and since I look up a lot of New Age things, the almighty algorithm put in front of my face something it thought I would enjoy. My eyes fell upon people rolling around, screaming, laughing hysterically, crying, convulsing, and rocking back and forth. I, no kidding, thought I was watching something from a Holy Spirit night at Bethel Church or something. It took me a hot second to realize that I was looking at a growing trend called Witality Breathwork. Growing Trend As time went on, I saw this strange practice pop up all over America, including in my own hometown. Immediately, I wanted to investigate, so I looked into actually going to the conference to observe, so I emailed them asking…
Read More