Christian Apologetics Alliance

answering seekers, equipping Christians, and demonstrating the truth of the Christian worldview

Frustrations of a Lay Apologist

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I seem to get into a catch-22 often where nonbelievers tell me I am not intellectual enough, but then I am told by those in the church I make things too complicated. Does anyone else have this problem too? It is frustrating for sure. In this post I want to deal with the church side of things. I will likely address the nonbelievers in a future post. On September 28, 2010, I … [Read more...]

A Defense of the Historicity of Jesus' Divine Self-Understanding

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A key part of the investigation into the reliability of the New  Testament (and the transformative message which it conveys) lies in  establishing what Jesus considered Himself to be, and the mission that  he thought it was his role to fulfil. While a discernment of Jesus’  self-understanding is only a necessary (but non-sufficient) condition in   establishing the truth of the … [Read more...]

Thought Experiment: The Burning IVF Facility

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Dean Stretton imagines a case in which an emergency arises and a person is faced with the choice of rescuing ten frozen human embryos or five adult patients. Since virtually everyone would choose to save the adult patients rather than the embryos, this indicates that the patients have a higher moral status than the frozen human embryos. [1] … [Read more...]

Undesigned Scriptural Coincidences: The Ring of Truth

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What is an undesigned coincidence? An undesigned coincidence (so-named by J.J. Blunt and first discovered by William Paley) occurs when one account of an event leaves out a bit of information which is filled in, often quite incidentally, by a different account, which helps to answer some natural questions raised by the first. As an argument for the historical veracity of the … [Read more...]

I, Not the Lord…

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Brian, When I was reading in 1 Corinthians 7, I noticed that Paul said a rather peculiar thing. He said “To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord)…” (verse 12). What does this mean? If the words that followed this were “not [from] the Lord” then wouldn’t that mean that it was not inspired? Nicole … [Read more...]

The Trinity Defended

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The doctrine of the Trinity has come under increasing attack over recent years from a variety of groups. Some of these groups (such as Muslims and Jehovah's witnesses) deny that this doctrine is even found in Scripture. They are often quick to point out that the word "trinity" is to be found nowhere in the Bible. This is correct. While the phraseology is not found in Scripture, … [Read more...]

Fundies On The Left and The Right: Atheists and King James Onlyists

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Christian apologists have often pointed out that atheists have a lot in common with the wackiest of religious believers. For example, many atheists maintain that the Bible teaches a literal six-day creation, or that Revelation is to be taken as a literal text. Whether believers or skeptics, the people who hold such views often understand the Bible in an absolutist sense, rarely … [Read more...]

You Cannot Prove The Existence Of God!

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I was an atheist when I first said that to a Christian more than 40 years ago. I must say it felt pretty good to say those words. It makes one feel superior to tell a person they cannot prove something they believe. Most Christians I said that to personally and on my radio talk show either crumbled or exploded at that point. Either reaction was fine with me. I am no longer … [Read more...]

You Need The Box Top To Make Sense Of The Jigsaw Of The Old Testament: The Abraham Affair

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When asked for what I consider to be the most compelling argument for the truth of Christianity, I often offer the cumulative force of the argument from prototypic foreshadowings of Christ and the new covenant which are so delicately interwoven into the Old Testament fabric. Just as one needs the Box Top to make sense of a jigsaw puzzle, so one needs Christ in order to properly … [Read more...]