This is part 2 in a series of blogs regarding Bell's recent book, Love Wins, where I summarize his view in the book and evaluate whether he advocates universalism. Part #1 What is Bell’s View in Love Wins? Bell begins the book claiming that many have hijacked the story of Jesus and that is now time to reclaim it (p. vii-viii). It is later clear that he means those who hold … [Read more...]
Three Essential Elements of Everyday Apologetics
Are you new to Apologetics? Here are three things every Christian should do with the apologetics information they learn from conferences, podcasts, books and other training resources. In my presentations and workshops, I like to call these the three essential elements of everyday apologetics. 1. Find answers for yourself First, know that Apologetics is for you. It helps you, … [Read more...]
Universalism: Its Appeal and Its Error
Universalism, the notion that we will all go to heaven, is re-entering the church with renewed vigor. Its proponents argue: We are all created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). God is love and would never subject any of His children to eternal punishment. The idea that some are “in” and some are “out” is pharisaic and detestable. Instead, Jesus received all who came to … [Read more...]
The accusation of lying – what politics reveals about our need for truth
In a social climate where a majority of people claim to believe that truth is relative, I find it curious that one of the most effective accusations leveled at a political opponent is that of lying. We have partisan "fact-checkers" who masquerade as neutral agents in an effort to bolster these claims. Both sides accuse the other of lying or of intentional deception. I am not … [Read more...]
Jesus, Michael And Jehovah’s Witnesses
In Watchtower’s “What Does The Bible Really Teach?” Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught that “the Bible indicates that Michael is another name for Jesus Christ, before and after his life on earth.”(Watchtower 2005: 218) They maintained: While there is no statement in the Bible that categorically identifies Michael the archangel as Jesus, there is one scripture that links Jesus with … [Read more...]
J.T.'s underwhelming critique of Christianity: Part Three
In wrapping up my refutation of J.T.'s critique of Christianity and arguments for God's existence, a large amount of material will be covered. Because of this, the installment you're about to delve into will be the lengthiest of the three. So, although no topic will be completely exhausted, patience and attentiveness will serve you well. Now then, let's proceed. Discussing … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God: Questions
Atheists know that “changing sides” is against the code. Not many of us do that – change sides – but I did. Atheists have been asking me for the past 40+ years why I went from atheism to theism. It’s a fair question and why I’m writing this series of articles about what convinced me that God exists. I’m reaching back to those months before May 1971 when I made “the change” to … [Read more...]
The Correct View of Creation?
In a previous post, I addressed how the rhetoric and views of some young earth creationists pose a threat to the task of an apologist. Some young earth proponents contend that the message of the Bible itself is in jeopardy if their hermeneutic [1] is not followed. Such an exclusionary view makes it impossible to consider any other view of the creation narratives. To even … [Read more...]
Chatting with Mormons, part 2
Previously I shared about my entry into Apologetics through the study of Mormonism. Today's story comes from another of my experiences with Mormons. It, unfortunately, also involved another failure. I guess I haven't had a lot of luck in my interactions with Mormons. From the time I first started learning about Mormonism to the time of this story I had investigated Mormonism … [Read more...]
Reason #3 Christianity is Unique: It is Central
Why do all major world religions have an exalted place for Jesus? Is the Biblical Jesus any different than the non-Christian portrayals of Him? (Part 3 of 5) In this video, we examine a very interesting feature of the Christian worldview: the absolute centrality of Jesus Christ. Though this may seem obvious and simplistic, it is worth noting since virtually every major world … [Read more...]