Lost the Plot? Have we somehow lost the message of the New Testament? That's what some people wonder when the conversation turns to the issue of textual variants---differences in the biblical manuscripts we've discovered over the years. Maybe you've got a friend or a co-worker who tends to be pretty skeptical of the Bible right from the get-go. For many like them, the issues … [Read more...]
Atheism And Evil In The Name Of God
Evil in the Name of God I recently saw an animated short created by an atheist on YouTube. In this video, a bunch of theists were trying to tell an atheist about God. But then the theists began to threaten each other with weapons and argue over whose religion was right! Not surprisingly, the atheist character came out as the level-headed one as he tried to calm everyone … [Read more...]
Why Does God Allow Evil?
Day of Evil The 9/11 terrorist attacks kicked off a change in the overall tone of conversations about religion. Outspoken “New Atheists” like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and the late Christopher Hitchens gained a huge following from people who were critical of the Judeo-Christian conception God. Why Does God Allow Evil? Besides just slamming religion in general, … [Read more...]
Was The Gospel of Mark Forged?
Was the Gospel of Mark a fake? That’s something you might hear liberal scholars ask, not just about Mark, but about many of the New Testament documents. In fact, in a book called Forged, Bart Ehrman said that “the vast majority of these apostolic books were in fact forged” (p.218). For example, he says The Gospel of Mark really wasn’t written by Mark. Instead, later scribes … [Read more...]
Review: “O” God – A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah’s Spirituality
Summer is here! If you’re looking for some light reading that helps you understand where a lot of people are coming from when they think about spirituality, check out the book by Josh McDowell and Dave Sterret that’s been getting a lot of press recently: “O” God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah’s Spirituality. Even though this was published in 2009, it’s still as relevant as … [Read more...]
Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman – Book Review
Questioning Evangelism Looking for a short read that's insightful and practical? Check out a very accessible book called Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman. I almost put this on the required reading list for my "Practicing Apologetics and Evangelism" class at Western Seminary, but I ended up leaving it off, thinking the course load was already pretty tough. In hindsight, I … [Read more...]
Is Good Friday a Myth? What 5 Ancient, Non-Christian Writings Reveal
Is Good Friday a Myth? “Good Friday? What’s the difference between Good Friday and a fairytale?” Imagine a skeptical relative asked you this question at a family gathering. I know--Awkward. But really, what would you say? Something similar happened to me when I was a teenager. But what was odd about it was that this lady just threw out a challenge that seemed to come out of … [Read more...]
How to Defend a Defense of the Faith (with Scripture)
Defending a Defense of the Faith Isn't apologetics just for seminary students, pastors and stuffy professor-types? Somehow, many Christians have gotten the idea that apologetics is just a hobby for Christian intellectuals or people who are into debate. Maybe you know students at your church who've sat though an apologetics presentation going, "This might be great for a bunch … [Read more...]
7 Tips on Engaging Skeptics Like Paul Did in Athens [Part 1]
Cultural Engagement Tips My studies at Dallas Theological Seminary have challenged me to think about practical lessons we can learn from Paul’s engagement in Acts 17. I recently had a conversation about this passage with my mentor, Dr. Darrell Bock, and I’ve discovered some cultural engagement tips that every defender of the faith should know. … [Read more...]
Are There Two Different Creation Stories in Genesis?
A Tale of Two Stories Ever met someone who said you shouldn’t trust the Bible because of contradictions in the text? I remember talking with a skeptic I’ll call “Julie” while travelling to Northern California from down south. I don’t remember how the conversation began, but I do remember that she was pretty sure that we couldn’t trust anything written in the Bible. Why? She … [Read more...]