I became a Christian when my first two children were very young. They have no memory of me prior to my conversion. But all four of my kids were raised in Christian community. I didn’t train, mentor or prepare them on my own, and you shouldn’t either. Young Christians are facing a formidable task as they get ready to enter an adult culture growingly hostile to the Christian … [Read more...]
Church in crisis: a message every Christian needs to hear
It isn't much of a secret anymore that the church in the West is in crisis. If you haven't read one of the many church-produced or sociological studies, you've probably noticed it just by watching the news or looking around at society. But why is this the case? How did we get here and, more importantly, how do we fix it? … [Read more...]
Three Essentials for College Student Apologists
Two days ago, I graduated from Amarillo College. It took me four years, but I finally reached a halfway point in my goal to get a B.A. in Mass Communication and a Masters in Apologetics. Over the past four years I've had some considerable ups and downs, but one constant that has been ever present is my love for apologetics and apologetics-related campus ministry. Looking back … [Read more...]
All You Need Is Kill/ Edge Of Tomorrow
All You Need Is Kill, Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s widely praised breakthrough novel, was nominated for Japan's Seiun Awards, published in Japanese and English, and adapted to manga beginning this past January. Warner Bros. is bringing it to a theater near you on June 6 as Edge of Tomorrow, featuring Tom Cruise as yet another unlikely Japanese warrior (for more info, see The Last … [Read more...]
Apologetics youth leader Q&A: What works?!
I asked members of the CAA and subgroups: “If you lead a youth group that successfully incorporates apologetics, I need to know as soon as possible. I want to brag about your success to other youth pastors who seek info. on this. I need to know your style, as well.” This is what some of them answered—and this is just a small sampling of those who could have answered…I didn’t … [Read more...]
Understanding the arguments in God’s not Dead: Part III of III
In part one we looked at Professor Radisson's arguments in detail, and in part two we dug into Josh's first and second lectures to his class. In the final part we will discuss the final talk, and the importance of Philosophy for Christians. Josh's third lesson begins with the problem of evil and suffering. This is one of the most difficult questions for the Christian to … [Read more...]
Advice To Young Aspiring Apologists
I am sometimes asked to offer advice to up-and-coming young Christian apologists. As one who is of the younger generation myself (having just turned 25), and who has been active in the public apologetics arena from relatively young (from around 20 years of age) I have some experience to speak of when it comes to being a young defender of the Christian faith. In this article, I … [Read more...]
Apologetics Training on the Home Front
Introduction. This month's contribution is rather unique because it is not like previous postings on the subjects I have written on. However this one has been on my heart and mind for quite some time. So this month I would like to share from the heart as a Dad, as the "bread winner" of our home, and as one of the many tent making $1 apologists that the Lord has placed in the … [Read more...]
UnWholly
In Unwind, Neil Shusterman gave us a brilliantly disturbing look at a culture in which parents can have teenage children “unwound” – a process which kills them as every part of their physical body is separated and given to someone else. Shusterman introduced some weighty concepts in Unwind: Do we have souls? Do people have intrinsic worth? What makes human life … [Read more...]
Neil Shusterman's Unwind: Cutting The Baby in Half
“In a perfect world mothers would all want their babies, and strangers would open up their homes to the unloved. In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn’t a perfect world.” Unwind is the first book in Neal Shusterman's critically acclaimed trilogy. The story takes place in a dystopic … [Read more...]