In the halls and classrooms of accredited universities and among scholarly historians—both Christian and non alike—the idea that Jesus of Nazareth never lived is ridiculous. However, in some internet atheist haunts, the claim is still very much alive. Is there good historical evidence for believing that Jesus existed? Absolutely. The seventh presentation of the free … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Word of God and the Mind of Man
The Word of God and the Mind of Man by Ronald Nash is a book about Christian epistemology (how we know what we know). I was enjoying a philosophy lecture series by Dr. Nash, and while discussing epistemology, he mentioned this book. The book is divided into two parts consisting of a total of twelve chapters. In the first part, Nash provides a case against different religious … [Read more...]
When Language Goes on a Holiday (II)
In a recent post entitled When Language Goes on a Holiday [1] I gave a brief introduction to the matter of religious language and arguments from the side of the fence that finds our talk of God to be either “incoherent” or “meaningless.” I first gave an introduction to the problem of religious language and then provided some arguments for and against the issue. In this post … [Read more...]
Biblical Epic: Escapist Fantasy or Private Interpretation?
In addition to music, I am a huge movie buff. All types of movie genres are in my collection. One genre I despise, however, is the genre of the Biblical Epic. Why do you hate Biblical Epics when you love to study the Word? You might ask. The answer boils down to man’s basic spiritual problem, the integrity of the Word. Mankind simply doesn’t believe the Word to be true. This … [Read more...]
Is intelligent design science?
Why is it that Christian apologists have to deal with this topic so often? It seems that whenever I'm in discussion over just about ANY apologetics related topic, I'll typically be challenged by someone over the topic of I.D. as a kind of 'gotcha' move. You see, (insert sarcasm) I must not be rational... after all, I (as a Christian) must believe the whole Intelligent Design … [Read more...]
Believing the New Testament
The next presentation in the Essentials of Apologetics series I described in an earlier post is now available. Why Scripture: A Defense of the New Testament focuses on the trustworthiness of the Bible and uses standard historical methods to affirm the reasonableness of its reliability. You can find the latest presentation either on the PowerPoint Apologist website or on … [Read more...]
Why the Debate over Christian Origins Matters
Introduction Over the years, I have studied a good deal concerning the birth of the Christian faith. When I say “birth,” I mean the rise of the Jesus movement pre 70 AD. I am well aware that many people view Christianity through the events of the Council of Nicaea or at a much later date than 70 AD. There is still an ongoing debate as to when we actually have an “official” … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology
Journalists deal in facts – lots of them. We eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We snack on them at midnight. Facts, facts, and more facts! So, what can possibly convince an atheist journalist about the existence of God? Facts – and lots of them. I found discussions with Christians about science interesting, but those about morality were a bit disturbing. I couldn’t … [Read more...]
Is Atheism a Religion?
At The Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reason and Science you can find a witty and urbane video of TV host and comedian Bill Maher. In the video Maher is primarily arguing that “atheism is not a religion." Maher contrasts the difference between atheism and religion like this: When it comes to religion, we’re not two sides of the same coin, and you don’t get to put your unreason … [Read more...]
Of mermaids and God
Awhile back I was amused to see that the BBC had a news story entitled, No evidence of mermaids, say US government. According to the article, a broadcast on mermaids, which was a work of fiction, was mistaken as a documentary. This led to people questioning if mermaids actually existed, and the National Ocean Service stating, “No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been … [Read more...]