The question seems intuitive. If humans were to live forever, wouldn't they eventually become bored out of their minds? Let's think about this for a second. Any activity, no matter how fun or engaging, ultimately comes to a point where it gets boring. That's part of what it is to be human. Therefore, immortality is boring and pointless as any immortal life would eventually … [Read more...]
God and Santa Claus
Equating belief in God with belief in Santa seems to be popular among many atheists who have grown up in religious families but later abandoned their "childish" belief in God in the same way they gave up their belief in Santa Claus. It's so obvious that God is something you only believe in as a child but then later give up when you mature and become a rational, reasoning … [Read more...]
Pre-Pauline and Post-Pauline Christology
The Apostle Paul often gets a bad rap in certain, non-Christian circles. Atheists, Muslims, and Pluralists all have it out for Paul. Everyone's got a bone to pick with Paul! He is (infamously) responsible for the idea that Jesus is God. Christianity started out as a nice, little group of hippies who shared their possessions and lived in close community while following the … [Read more...]
In Defense of the Empty Tomb
Was the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth found empty three days after he was crucified? If not, then Christianity is the biggest lie and the biggest waste of time in history. While the historicity of the empty tomb does not, by itself, constitute a convincing argument for the Resurrection, it plays an indispensable role as Jesus could not have risen from the dead if his tomb was not … [Read more...]
1 Peter 3:15 Revisited
The oft-quoted, passion-instilling, lock-yourself-in-a-room-to-read-Plantinga inducing slogan for apologetics comes from 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." How many times have we heard this at conferences and seminars or read this on blogs and apologetics posts? I know I've seen or heard … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Claim To Be Divine? (Answering Islam)
When Christians try to share the Gospel with Muslims, they often encounter some resistance because Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet of God, just like Abraham, Moses, Jonah, etc. "Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him." (Surah 5:75) Then, when Christians try to show that Jesus claimed to be more than a … [Read more...]
Russell's Teapot, Dawkins' Fairies, and The Burden of Proof
Scientific positivism has taken a deep hold in society due in large part to advocates from the "New Atheist" movement and others who argue for strict empiricism. Scientists like Richard Dawkins and Peter Atkins argue for the use of scientific, empirical evidence as the fundamental framework for all epistemic queries. Why should we believe that a thing does or does not exist? … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Claim to be Divine? (Answering Skepticism)
When Christians hear objections with regard to who Jesus claimed to be, they (without fail) whip out CS Lewis' famous trilemma of "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord". Based on Jesus' claims of being the "I AM" of the Old Testament and the "Son of Man" who was the divine figure referenced throughout Jewish apocryphal literature, in addition to the fact that Jesus accepted worship and … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Claim to be Divine? (Answering Pluralism)
Religious Pluralism is a post-modern way of thinking that rejects the idea that any one religion is true, rather, all religions are equally true and equally valid ways to God. While pluralistic efforts at trying to support equality, tolerance, and dialogue may be noteworthy in some instances, there are serious philosophical, historical, and logical flaws in this type of … [Read more...]
Are Reproductive Rights Civil Rights?
Does a woman's "right to choose" constitute a civil right? Does the reproductive rights movement have the right to compare itself to the civil rights movement? Organizations like Planned Parenthood would argue in the affirmative, “Planned Parenthood believes that reproductive rights are deeply connected to civil rights for all Americans(1).” Is this true? Does the analogy fit? … [Read more...]