The Christian community is experiencing an apologetics “renaissance”, and this resurgence of interest in Christian Case Making is being driven by an unexpected group of “tent-making” Christian Case Makers. Like the Apostle Paul, these avocational apologists draw their income from “conventional” careers (Paul was described as a tent-maker in Acts 18:1-3) as they evangelize, … [Read more...]
Ask the Alliance: How do we explain the OT wars?
:::Ask the Alliance Question #7::: Question submitted by Jacob: "I just read a post about wars and religion, and I agree that religion is often blamed for wars unjustly or misused by those in power to start conflicts. My question is, as a Christian, how do we explain the many wars in the Old Testament where God decimated many peoples and cities? Clearly, those were wars of … [Read more...]
Book Review: "The Philosophy of History: Naturalism and Religion- A Historiographical Approach to Origins" by James Stroud
…Either we will stand behind objective truth or sink into the abyss of relativism in the name of political correctness. (278) One area Christian apologists need to explore further is the study of historiography. Historiography is, basically, the study of how to study history. It provides the framework in which one might seek truth in understanding historical facts. The way we … [Read more...]
Ten Steps to Becoming an Effective “Tent-Making” Christian Case Maker
Many observers have noted a renaissance in Christian apologetics (aka: Christian Case Making) over the past several years. Much of this resurgence is taking place in the ranks of “tent-making” Christian Case Makers. “Tent-makers”, like the Apostle Paul, draw their income from conventional careers (Paul was described as a tent-maker in Acts 18:1-3), so they can evangelize, … [Read more...]
Ten Reasons “Tent Makers” Make Great Christian “Case Makers”
People often ask me, “How can I make a living as a full-time Christian apologist (aka: Christian Case Maker) like you?” Even though I’m semi-retired from my career as a Cold-Case Detective (I still have one case pending this year), I’ll never be a vocational Christian Case Maker. My income continues to come from my law enforcement employment, and it always will. For many years, … [Read more...]
Christmas notes, part 2: Did Messianic prophecy inspire the Christmas story?
One of the favorite targets of destructive biblical criticism is the narrative of Jesus' birth in the first two chapters of Matthew. One distinctive feature of Matthew’s account makes it a particularly tempting target. Matthew’s theological agenda is absolutely overt: over and over in the first few chapters of his Gospel, we get some variation on the phrase, “... all this took … [Read more...]
Did Gandalf Hate His Friends?
I don’t know if you were as excited as I was to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but one thing that particularly stood out to me was the exploration of the mission that Gandalf undertook apart from his dwarf and hobbit companions. Even though it is outside of the story as J.R.R. Tolkien originally told it, I think that we were handed a very good image of what it means … [Read more...]
Worldviews and Culture: YA Entertainment in 2013
As a father of three who has worked with youth for 20 years, I've had a front row seat from which to observe the cultural saturation of America's young adults, particularly when it comes to entertainment. A good story is powerful, and some great storytellers are teaching the next generation a lot about life - for better or worse. Unfortunately, the current blend of … [Read more...]
What is Man?
What is Man? "What is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him? You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him lord over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet." Psalm 8:4-6 By far, my favorite subtopic in Christian apologetics is human ontology. That's fancy philosopher-speak for the study of … [Read more...]
When apologetics feels like math
You know that experience where there’s something you should do but you absolutely hate doing it? That’s how I feel about math – and how many people feel about apologetics. Really, I hate math. For one, I don’t really understand it. Once I passed the basics it became confusing for me. Math is a language I don’t speak. I think in pictures and words. Even numbers in my mind are … [Read more...]