The 16th President of the United States has grown in popularity in recent months with major Hollywood Blockbusters such as Lincoln and New York Times bestsellers such as Killing Lincoln. In fact, it’d be safe to say that Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of the greatest and most respected American Presidents to date. Yet new evidence has come to light questioning the … [Read more...]
Book Review: Jesus and Muhammad
When I initially stumbled across Jesus and Muhammad by Mark A. Gabriel I was both curious and skeptical. I was curious to see how Gabriel would handle discussing these two men who represent the world’s largest religions; and I was skeptical, wondering if he would portray them accurately and with fairness. As I read, my curiosity was more than satisfied and my skepticism was … [Read more...]
Becoming a Community Apologist: The Apologetic of Not Knowing
For any lover of British humor Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a classic movie. The unique comedy of the film follows King Arthur and his knights as they search for the Holy Grail. As Arthur and his men draw closer to the end of their quest, they come across an old and dangerous footbridge guarded by an old man. In order to cross the bridge the brave knights have to answer … [Read more...]
Personal Obstacles to Becoming a Community Apologist
Throughout the month of January various posts are being published encouraging you to become a “community apologist.” A community apologist is helpfully defined here as, “someone with an interest in apologetics stepping up to the plate and making themselves available to teach apologetics in their church and community.” Maybe you see the validity and need for this, yet there is … [Read more...]
Recommended Reading: Mere Apologetics by Alister McGrath
There are many books worth reading on apologetics. It is often overwhelming and often hard to know where to start. Having recently finished Alister McGrath’s[1] latest book, Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith, I would suggest that this book is a good place to begin. Apologetics 101 Have you ever wondered, “What is apologetics and what does it have … [Read more...]
A Prayer for Connecticut
Father God, at times like these we are at a loss for words in our grief. Every fiber of our being cries out against the evil, violence, and pain we see. Our hearts are broken and we weep deeply as we hear about the anguish the victims in Connecticut are experiencing. … [Read more...]
What's so Merry about Christmas? Truth.
During the Christmas season I usually spend time contemplating what makes this time of year merry. As a Christian, my focus is on a baby born in a manger nearly 2000 years ago. What bearing does it have on merrymaking that a child was born in poverty so long ago? One word in particular keeps coming to mind. That word is truth. John’s Gospel tells us that the child is God, the … [Read more...]
"Apolo-what?" Misunderstandings about Apologetics
I love meeting new people, hearing where they come from and what they do. I get excited to learn about their passions, and in turn share with them about who I am and what gets me excited in life. I’ve started to notice a trend though. Usually when I share my passion for Christian apologetics I get a blank or quizzical stare. What exactly is Christian apologetics? Why is it … [Read more...]
Is There a Religion of None?
Someone once said, “Give me the making of the songs of a nation and I care not who writes its laws.”[1] In his book Can Man Live Without God, Ravi Zacharias gives the context of this quote, stating that these words “not only divulge a major cultural access point to our contemporary mind-set, but also acknowledge the extraordinary control of song lyrics upon the moods and … [Read more...]
The Problem of Good
Recently I found myself in the midst of a very difficult situation where evil appeared to triumph over good. I found myself asking the same questions many of us ask. How can a good God, the God I believe in, allow suffering and evil? Is He really good? Is He really there? Every fiber in my being cried out against the wrongness of my personal suffering and was heightened by … [Read more...]