When Christians try to share the Gospel with Muslims, they often encounter some resistance because Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet of God, just like Abraham, Moses, Jonah, etc. "Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him." (Surah 5:75) Then, when Christians try to show that Jesus claimed to be more than a … [Read more...]
The Rev. Phil Snider in Missouri: Argument or Theatre?
It's truly viral: the Rev. Dr. Phil Snider's message to the Springfield City Council on gay rights. Unfortunately it's a great example of truth tanked by theatrics, reason steamrolled by emotion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u4Z3n2Fnyc It leaves a powerful impression, but what's his argument? How would you fill in the following blanks to express his point in rational, … [Read more...]
Jehovah's Witnesses meet Grace, Patience
If you've poked around at my blog at all then you'll know that I am always on the lookout for great stories of people interacting with others from which we can learn lessons. This story blew my mind. Frankly this is pretty much a case study in getting things exactly right! This will be a bit of a longer blog post because there are just so many things to discuss and so many … [Read more...]
The Resurrection Of Jesus According To The Watchtower
Back From The Grave In a list of harmful teachings by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the one I’m about to speak about is the most harmful one concerning the Christian faith. It’s about the resurrection of Jesus. As Paul declares, that if Jesus had not risen, then our faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:14). Though the Watchtower say they teach that Jesus resurrected from the … [Read more...]
De Tocqueville, Morality, and Democracy
Today’s secularism is an aggressive bulldozer. It will not tolerate any competition, pushing aside any opposition to its reign. Arrogantly, it believes that it can retain the benefits of Western civilization, while discarding its foundation – Christianity. Alexis de Tocqueville, French statesman, historian and social philosopher, wrote “Democracy in America” (1835). It has … [Read more...]
Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction by Dr. Edward Craig
A REVIEW The A Very Short Introduction series of books, published by Oxford University Press, is helpful for gaining inroads into unfamiliar topics. These books are usually in the 120-150 page range and cover a myriad of topics, with new ones being published even today. In this review, I will take a look at Dr. Edward Craig’s Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction. Craig is a … [Read more...]
Has the New Testament Been Corrupted?
Brian, How do we know that we can trust the New Testament? Given how old it is, isn’t it possible that its been corrupted? -Jim … [Read more...]
You Say the Bible Advocates Slavery?
Recently I saw a skeptical friend of mine share a slogan very similar to this one. It makes a very powerful point, reducing to the absurd any notion of getting morality out of the pages of the Bible. On one hand the Bible seems to be condemning a loving relationship between two members of the same-sex, while at the same time endorsing such a reprehensible act as kidnapping … [Read more...]
How To Read Atheists' Blogs
A noble apologist is driven by an active love of God that seeks deeper knowledge of God. Faith seeking understanding. If you are Christian’s apologist bloggers who wishes to effectively communicate your worldview in a language, beliefs, values, symbols, traditions and practices that are already familiar to atheists, then reading atheists’ blogs could be the key and a treasure … [Read more...]
Sin, Technology, and the Well-Being of Society
Necessity is the mother of invention but so too is theology. Let me try to explain in a round-about way. At an Ethical Culture Society discussion group, the leader asked us all to give our prognosis regarding the West. While we all saw serious signs of wear-and-tear, most of the respondents were surprisingly confident about the West’s prospects for recovery. My response was the … [Read more...]