Not all Christians may believe in the prospect of discovery of alien life, but all Christians should offer reasonable responses to honest questions. One such question is whether discovery of alien life would hurt Christianity. … [Read more...]
Should Christians Practice Yoga?
Yoga is rapidly gaining popularity. Yoga (Transcendental Meditation – TM [1] is understood as a path of union with the divine in Hinduism. Yoga is any type of exercise (physical, mental or spiritual) that promotes an individual’s journey to a union with the divine. Should we practice yoga because it’s popular? … [Read more...]
What is the Matrix?
What is the matrix? In light of the rise in secular humanism and the growing concerns over political, economic, and banking corruption worldwide, one must wonder... What is going on here? Why is the depravity so pervasive? What is causing this rise in corruption? I first began to understand some things when I read a book called 1984 by George Orwell. I … [Read more...]
Six Flawed Claims in Buzzfeed’s “I’m Christian But I’m Not…”
Plenty has been written about Buzzfeed's viral video featuring people who address all the ways they believe Christians have been unfairly stereotyped. As much as I appreciate the spirit behind their attempt, I'm not as thrilled with every aspect of it. Though there are some solid observations, there are also a number of claims that reveal a fair amount of confusion about what … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Exist? (Part 1: Tacitus)
Jesus of Nazareth has had more of an impact on world history than any other man to have walked the face of the Earth. In their 2013 book Who’s Bigger? Where Historical Figures Really Rank (published by Cambridge University Press) Steven Skiena and Charles B. Ward place Jesus of Nazareth as the most significant figure in all of human history. And rightly so. Two thousand … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Four.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Three.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Who Wrote the Pastoral Letters Of The New Testament? Part 3 of 3
Part 1 | Part 2 E. THE IMPACT OF TIME: These letters are written over a period of 10 to 15 years. Time changes all of us. Can you remember what you were doing ten or fifteen years ago? Think about how you have changed since that time. If I ever find those seminary papers I've been mentioning, maybe I'll compare them to this article. I can only imagine the differences after … [Read more...]
Who Wrote the Pastoral Letters Of The New Testament? Part 2 of 3
Part 1 of 3 2. BASIC PROBLEMS WITH THIS ARGUMENT: Carson and Moo show some of the basic flaws with this statistical analysis: The arguments sound impressive, but they are not as convincing as they seem to be at first sight. Those who put them forward do not always notice, for example, that most of the words shared by the Pastorals and the second-century writers are also … [Read more...]
Who Wrote the Pastoral Letters Of The New Testament? Part 1 of 3
Back in the early 1990s while pastoring in a mainline denomination, I attended one of their liberal seminaries. It was there that I first encountered the idea that some of the books of the New Testament were not written by the authors that they said they were written by. At the time, I thought that this idea would never be more than an academic concern--an annoying issue among … [Read more...]