Conclusion to my series of blog about "The Da Vinci Code". (Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3) The last area to focus on is Brown’s claims that attack the orthodox understanding of Christianity’s origins, specifically surrounding Constantine and the Council at Nicaea. Brown’s character, Teabing, professes that Constantine “was a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed”[1] and … [Read more...]
Warm Bodies: Exhuming Ourselves
“Once you’ve arrived at the end of the world, it hardly matters which route you took.” Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies has been a surprise hit. Though this zombie romance book (?) was originally written for an adult audience, the recent movie targets a YA crowd. If you are tempted to dismiss the story as yet another sign that we are staggering toward cultural annihilation, you … [Read more...]
The Meaning of Marriage
A Review of The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller Sometimes perspective is everything. Against a cultural backdrop in which feminists declare marriage outdated and no longer necessary (Newsweek Magazine, “I Don’t,” June 11, 2010) even as LGBT couples clamor for it be redefined to confer on them its benefits, New York City pastor Timothy Keller, along … [Read more...]
Is intelligent design science?
Why is it that Christian apologists have to deal with this topic so often? It seems that whenever I'm in discussion over just about ANY apologetics related topic, I'll typically be challenged by someone over the topic of I.D. as a kind of 'gotcha' move. You see, (insert sarcasm) I must not be rational... after all, I (as a Christian) must believe the whole Intelligent Design … [Read more...]
Believing the New Testament
The next presentation in the Essentials of Apologetics series I described in an earlier post is now available. Why Scripture: A Defense of the New Testament focuses on the trustworthiness of the Bible and uses standard historical methods to affirm the reasonableness of its reliability. You can find the latest presentation either on the PowerPoint Apologist website or on … [Read more...]
Why the Debate over Christian Origins Matters
Introduction Over the years, I have studied a good deal concerning the birth of the Christian faith. When I say “birth,” I mean the rise of the Jesus movement pre 70 AD. I am well aware that many people view Christianity through the events of the Council of Nicaea or at a much later date than 70 AD. There is still an ongoing debate as to when we actually have an “official” … [Read more...]
5 Common Objections to the Moral Argument
The Moral Argument for the existence of God has been graced with a long tradition of defense from theistic (and atheistic!) philosophers and thinkers throughout the history of Western thought...and a long tradition of misunderstandings and objections by even some of the most brilliant minds. To be fair, the argument is not always as intuitive as theists like to think it is. … [Read more...]
Opinions vs. Truth-Claims
This post is more of an addendum to my post "Positive vs. Negative Arguments". Please check out that post for more context. Opinions reflect feelings and may or may not be true. If one claims that their thoughts are simply "opinions" (not claiming to actually be truth- even though it might be) then they have no responsibility to provide a reasoned defense of the … [Read more...]
Homeland Security for the Church – The Need to Defend the Faith
For my generation and our progeny, the church cannot start from the position that people want religion and are shopping around to determine what religion is right or best. We cannot take for granted that people in the community feel a need for God. The popularity of the writings of Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins is evidence enough of hostility in our … [Read more...]
Kill Thy Neighbor
Theologian and Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer believed that the arts (music, paintings, drama, movies, etc.) reflected the true inner philosophy and beliefs of a society. This being the case, it was not uncommon to find him lecturing in his Swiss L’Abri community not only on the teachings of Christ but on topics such as the metaphysics of the rock group Led … [Read more...]