mid-week apologetics booster (12-31-2015)

Hi All,

As we are on the cusp of the new year, I would encourage you to make a commitment to both learning how to better defend your faith and also putting yourself in situations where you can interact with those who may not share your convictions.  As the apostle Paul writes, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6)

Here are some links that may help you in those goals:

1. Elaborate Testimony | Part II – Dr. Frank Turek continues his talk about how the undesigned coincidences in the Gospels affirm the validity of these accounts. The balance and interlocking pieces from one eyewitness document to the next are extremely complex and truth revealing. Plus he adds some external sources and an Old Testament undesigned coincidence: http://subspla.sh/8e4602b
2. Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible – Biblical Archaeology Society: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/did-jesus-exist/
3. Frank Turek Helps Skeptic See How Even Atheists/Agnostics Believe in a Finite Universe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_EL2tEBGbI
4. Frank Turek Discusses Morality w/Atheist; Atheist Gives Surprising Response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynJwvv7wlFc
5. Five Reasons You Can Trust the Story of Christmas Is True (Free Bible Insert) | Cold Case Christianity: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2015/five-reasons-you-can-trust-the-story-of-christmas-is-true-free-bible-insert/
6. Is There Proof That God Exists? http://www.exploregod.com/is-there-proof-that-god-exists
7. ACE Interview Mark Strauss “Reliability of the New Testament Manuscripts”: https://youtu.be/W_Tdt6rSau0
8. Four Reasons the New Testament Gospels Are Reliable (Free Bible Insert) | Cold Case Christianity: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2015/four-reasons-the-new-testament-gospels-are-reliable/
9. I’m Not a Christian For Any of These Good Reasons: http://www.thepoachedegg.net/the-poached-egg/2014/06/im-not-a-christian-for-any-of-these-good-reasons.html
10. Anti-intellectualism: The Trojan Horse Within the Church | Paul Gould: http://www.paul-gould.com/2014/04/30/anti-intellectualism-the-trojan-horse-within-the-church/
11. Reasons To Believe : Do You Know the Difference between Observation and Interpretation? Part 2: http://www.reasons.org/articles/do-you-know-the-difference-between-observation-and-interpretation-part-2
12. Can our atheist friends be more moral than us? (Frank Turek video on the One Minute Apologist): https://www.facebook.com/CrossExamined.org/videos/990875724307244/
13. Is the Universe Young or Old? (Frank Turek video snippet): https://www.facebook.com/drfrankturek/videos/727891530675706/
14. Catholic Hospitals Are Right, Abortion is Rarely Medically Necessary: http://adflegal.org/detailspages/blog-details/allianceedge/2015/11/06/catholic-hospitals-are-right-abortion-is-rarely-medically-necessary
15. Christians in China Feel Full Force of Authorities’ Repression | The Stream: https://stream.org/christians-china-feel-full-force-authorities-repression/
16. Atheism Preys on Fear and Prejudice: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/atheism-preys-on-fear-and-prejudice
17. If Your Kids Are Someday Shocked by the Claims of Skeptics, You Didn’t Do Your Job: http://christianmomthoughts.com/if-your-kids-are-someday-shocked-by-the-claims-of-skeptics-you-didnt-do-your-job/
18. Science Was Wrong About Boa Constrictors: http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcripts/science-was-wrong-about-boa-constrictors

The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.  Psalm 119:72

Blessings to you and Happy New Year!

Apologetics Class 12-27-2015

Hi All,

Thanks for joining and participating in the class yesterday.  I enjoyed it.  We started off by watching a short video by Sean McDowell on religious pluralism:

Are All Religions True?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wCF6Q-ZVmM

Then we re-read pages 4-10 of the booklet “The Ambassador’s Guide to Pluralism”.  Here are the questions from the first 10 pages:

One Way for Some pg. 4-7

1. (pg. 4) How does lack of knowledge and the inability to defend our faith lead to religious relativism?
2. (pg. 4-5) How does Christian Apologetics (defense of the faith) help to elevate “mere belief” to “credible and justified conviction”?
3. (pg. 5) Why is it unreasonable to claim that Jesus is your Savior, but not the world’s?
4. (pg. 5) Jesus is either the savior for a____, or He is the savior of n_____.
5. (pg. 6) Do most people recognize that they are guilty before God?  If not, how can we convince someone that they have a “sin problem”?
6. (pg. 6 – bottom) What reason can you give (outside of “the Bible says so”) that Jesus the only way?
7. (pg. 7 – top) What is “the problem”?  What is “the solution”?

Many Ways for All (Now Starting to Talk About Pluralism) pg. 7-10

1. (pg. 7) What are the 2 kinds of religious pluralism?  Which is the most concerning kind?
2. (pg. 8) What is the parable of six blind men and the elephant? How is it used as an argument for religious pluralism?
3. (pg. 9) Why does the parable fail to demonstrate the legitimacy of religious pluralism?
4. (pg. 10) Does further investigation into different religions lead one to believe they can be harmonized, or do more contradictions become apparent?
5. (pg. 10) Someone could respond, “From God’s perspective, the details don’t matter.  He is satisfied with any sincere religious effort”.  How would you respond?

Next week we will continue reading starting at page 11, “One Way And Many Ways”, where the author starts to talk about the concept of inclusivism…

Have a blessed week!  See you next year 🙂

Self Centeredness is Anti Gospel

Philippians 3:8-9. Luke 9:23-26.  John 12:25. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. If a person is a gay Christian, how would they apply these texts?  If you are not your own, and were bought with a price, what right do we have as Christians to fulfillment in living out sinful sexual desires because we believe it is our identity?  I am not a gay Christian, but I’m a Christian who has other sinful desires.  I constantly have to tell myself no.  Gays say that you can’t understand unless you have experienced same sex attractions.  But doesn’t it count that you have other desires and attractions that are sinful that you have to control yourself to not think about or act on?  What am I missing here?

mid-week apologetics booster (12-24-2015)

Good morning all,

Merry Christmas!  I hope you have a blessed time celebrating the incarnation of our Lord and Savior!

1. The star of Bethlehem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGUlWa2r-bk
2. Must Christians Believe in the Virgin Birth? by Albert Mohler | Ligonier Ministries Blog: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/must-christians-believe-virgin-birth/
3. The Stakes in the War on Christmas: http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/261153/stakes-war-christmas-bruce-thornton
4. Coexist or Contradict―Do All Religions Lead to God? (Frank Turek – Cross Examined podcast) – The current trend in our society is to say that all roads lead to heaven, this is called religious pluralism. Frank unpacks the truth about this idea that there’re many ways to God and contrast it with the teaching of Christianity: http://subspla.sh/09cca18
5. Intelligent Design Theory Thrives 10 Years After Dover Decision | Center for Science and Culture: http://www.discovery.org/id/o/dta1212/
6. Christianity and Social Justice: http://truthinthetrenches.org/2015/12/19/christianity-and-social-justice/
7. The Moral Argument – Dr. William Lane Craig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxiAikEk2vU
8. Leibniz’ Contingency Argument – Dr. William Lane Craig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPCzEP0oD7I
9. IS IT OK TO QUESTION THE BIBLE? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvDS3k9NXgo
10. Gay Marriage Is Forcing Us to Get Straight on the Old Testament: http://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2015/12/09/gay-marriage-is-forcing-us-to-get-straight-on-the-old-testament/
11. How Is Science Like Checkers? http://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2015/10/28/how-is-science-like-checkers/
12. What About Those Who’ve Never Heard? http://www.saintsandsceptics.org/what-about-those-whove-never-heard/
13. Christian Worldview and Apologetics: Is Religion Really Bad for Society? – Baptist Courier: https://baptistcourier.com/2014/03/christian-worldview-apologetics-religion-really-bad-society/
14. The Death of God Is Greatly Exaggerated – The happy warrior for a muscular Christianity (Eric Metaxas) on why faith and science are not opposed, and why the public square benefits from expressions of belief: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-death-of-god-is-greatly-exaggerated-an-interview-with-eric-metaxas-1450481540
15. “The View” On “Being Good” vs. The Gospel: http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/trevinwax/2015/12/15/the-view-debates-being-good-and-the-gospel/
16. Creation Facts – Effects of the Flood: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153828207329451&substory_index=0&id=43552419450
17. Christians Cannot be Intellectual Slackers: http://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2014/01/christians-cannot-be-intellectual.html
18. How to Reach Your Friends Who Don’t Believe | RELEVANT Magazine: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/god-our-generation/how-reach-your-friends-who-dont-believe
19. Man wakes up after 12 years in ‘vegetative state’: reveals, ‘I was aware of everything’: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/man-wakes-up-after-12-years-in-vegetative-state-reveals-i-was-aware-of-ever
20. Can Evolution Explain Reality (~5 min video of Q&A with Frank Turek)? https://www.facebook.com/CrossExamined.org/videos/967544933306990/
21. Is It Biblical to Arm Ourselves for Self-Defense? http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/53697-is-it-biblical-to-arm-ourselves-for-self-defense
22. Homosexuality: Compassion and Clarity (Sean McDowell video lecture with Q&A): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7a2RJgAGcM
23. Jesus Claus and Santa Christ – Ryan Bomberger: http://m.townhall.com/columnists/ryanbomberger/2015/12/22/jesus-claus-and-santa-christ-n2096119
24. Are Miracles Even Possible? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hQAi0u5Rs0
25. Christianity and Atheism – Choose Your Strangeness: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/christianity-and-atheism
26. Homicide Detective Examines Evidence for Divinely Created Universe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfQnEouo5wE
27. What Does “Thou Shalt Not Judge” Really Mean? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvgWqSdxgMs
28. Crusades:
    1. Correcting four myths about the history of the Crusades | WINTERY KNIGHT: http://winteryknight.com/2015/08/23/correcting-four-myths-about-the-history-of-the-crusades-3/
    2. Come Reason’s Apologetics Notes: What Were the Crusades? Busting Some Myths: http://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2015/02/what-were-crusades-busting-some-myths.html
    3. The Truth about the Crusades: http://www.clayjones.net/2014/04/the-truth-about-the-crusades/

So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. ”  Exodus 3:10-12

Apologetics Class 12-20-2015

Hi All,

I enjoyed the class on Sunday with our small little group (the 4 of us).  We read pages 1-10 of the booklet, “The Ambassador’s Guide to Pluralism”.  We also watched a short (4 min 21 sec) video of John Lennox talking about the concept of religious pluralism:

Religious Pluralism: Do all Religions Lead to the Same Goal?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRfOb3WL4cA

Here are the notes that we used to drive our discussion:

No Other Name (The Confused Confession) – pg. 1-4

1. (pg. 2) How can someone both confess Christ and retreat from the Gospel at the same time?
2. (pg. 2) What is a “confused confession”?
3. (pg. 2) Why is no one offended when you both align with Christ (in one sense) and deny Him (in another)?
4. (pg. 2) What would Jesus say about such a “confused confession”?  What about Paul or Peter?
5. (pg. 2-3) Christian is not a term the early followers of Jesus applied to themselves.  What did they call themselves?
6. (pg. 3) How did Jesus respond at His trial when asked if He was the Christ?  Why were His words important?
7. (pg. 3) What was Peter’s confession in front of the “rulers, elders and teachers of the law” in Acts 4?  What important description of Peter is offered in Acts 4:8 that explains his boldness?
8. (pg. 3) How do the “ancient confessions” of Jesus, Peter and Paul differ from many modern proclamations of Jesus?
9. (pg. 4) Is it important that we experience inconvenience or discomfort to fulfill the Great Commission?
10. (pg. 4) What is “have your cake and eat it too” Christianity?

One Way for Some pg. 4-7

1. (pg. 4) How does lack of knowledge and the inability to defend our faith lead to religious relativism?
2. (pg. 4-5) How does Christian Apologetics (defense of the faith) help to elevate “mere belief” to “credible and justified conviction”?
3. (pg. 5) Why is it unreasonable to claim that Jesus is your Savior, but not the world’s?
4. (pg. 5) Jesus is either the savior for a____, or He is the savior of n_____.
5. (pg. 6) Do most people recognize that they are guilty before God?  If not, how can we convince someone that they have a “sin problem”?
6. (pg. 6 – bottom) What reason can you give (outside of “the Bible says so”) that Jesus the only way?
7. (pg. 7 – top) What is “the problem”?  What is “the solution”?

Many Ways for All (Now Starting to Talk About Pluralism) pg. 7-10

1. (pg. 7) What are the 2 kinds of religious pluralism?  Which is the most concerning kind?
2. (pg. 8) What is the parable of six blind men and the elephant? How is it used as an argument for religious pluralism?
3. (pg. 9) Why does the parable fail to demonstrate the legitimacy of religious pluralism?
4. (pg. 10) Does further investigation into different religions lead one to believe they can be harmonized, or do more contradictions become apparent?
5. (pg. 10) Someone could respond, “From God’s perspective, the details don’t matter.  He is satisfied with any sincere religious effort”.  How would you respond?

We only got through the first 10 questions, so next week, we will finish covering these questions.

Have a great week and a blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of the God-Man, our Lord and Savior (Luke 2:10-11; Philippians 2:5-11).

mid-week apologetics booster (12-17-2015)

I don’t know about you, but I love this chilly weather – nice change of pace 🙂 I hope you find something here that is encouraging, informative or otherwise useful:

1. 5 Reasons Why the Church Should Care About Apologetics: http://www.christianweek.org/5-reasons-church-care-apologetics/
2. Helping a Student to Investigate the Origins Debate – Evolution News & Views: http://www.evolutionnews.org/2015/12/helping_a_stude101511.html
3. Sorry Whoopi, Hitler was no Christian: http://www.premierchristianity.com/Blog/Sorry-Whoopi-Hitler-was-no-Christian
4. Denying the Signature in the Brain – Evolution News & Views: http://www.evolutionnews.org/2015/12/denying_the_sig_7101481.html
5. A Christmas question: Are the Gospels more reliable than scholars once thought? http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/12/14/christmas-question-are-gospels-more-reliable-than-scholars-once-thought.html?intcmp=hphz05
6. Jesus: The “Begotten” of the Father: http://www.equip.org/article/jesus-the-begotten-of-the-father/
7. Atheist Jerry Coyne explains why morality is impossible for atheists: http://winteryknight.com/2015/08/04/atheist-jerry-coyne-explains-why-morality-is-impossible-for-atheists/
8. Come Reason’s Apologetics Notes: The Scary World of Truth: http://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2015/07/the-scary-world-of-truth.html
9. Is There a Difference Between Theist and Atheist “Irrationality”? – Thinking Christian: https://www.thinkingchristian.net/posts/2014/03/is-there-a-difference-between-theist-and-atheist-irrationality/
10. Dealing with apathy when discussing faith: http://pleaseconvinceme.com/2014/dealing-with-apathy-when-discussing-faith/
11. How Can You Trust Christianity Is True When There Are So Many Unanswered Questions? http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/how-can-you-trust-christianity-is-true-when-there-are-so-many-unanswered-questions/
12. Is God too Odd to Explain Anything? Five Quick Points | Saints and Sceptics: http://www.saintsandsceptics.org/is-god-too-odd-to-explain-anything-five-quick-points/
13. ‘God of the Gaps’ – a guide for the Perplexed | Saints and Sceptics: http://www.saintsandsceptics.org/god-of-the-gaps-a-guide-for-the-perplexed/
14. Answers to Arguments Against Christianity: http://www.christianciv.com/Answers.html
15. Creating God in our own image: https://reallifeapologetics.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/engineering-a-false-god-in-our-own-image/
16. Case for Faith video – L. Strobel: https://vimeo.com/15113643
17. Eric Metaxes on Miracles Being One Way God Reveals Himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byfmQtKxx2I
18. Case-Making 101: If God Exists Then Miracles Are Possible: http://truthfaithandreason.com/case-making-101-if-god-exists-then-miracles-are-possible/
19. Children Seized from Christian Family by Government for ‘Christian Indoctrination’: http://www.christianitydaily.com/articles/7118/20151207/children-seized-christian-family-government-indoctrination.htm
20. Why are there so many rules in Christianity? https://youtu.be/Zq6MmZpZiyM
21. Did Jesus Exist? (Part 2: Pliny the Younger and Suetonius): http://christianapologeticsalliance.com/2015/12/13/did-jesus-exist-part-2-pliny-the-younger-and-suetonius/
22. 10 Reasons Why There Really Was a Historical Jesus | Hope’s Reason: http://www.stephenjbedard.com/10-reasons-why-there-really-was-a-historical-jesus/
23. Former Muslim Terrorist Sees Jesus And Becomes A Christian (English with Arabic Subtitles): https://youtu.be/NMMsKicQSn8
24. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – Five Great Quotes: http://www.reasonsforgod.org/2015/12/mere-christianity-by-c-s-lewis-five-great-quotes/
25. Is Man Born Sinful? – Stand to Reason Blog: http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2015/12/is-man-born-sinful.html
26. Walking in the Light of Oughtness: http://theidolbabbler.com/2014/05/15/walking-in-the-light-of-oughtness/
27. Top 10 Most Common Atheist Arguments, and Why They Fail | Eric Hyde’s Blog: https://ehyde.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/top-10-most-common-atheist-arguments-and-why-they-fail/
28. Climate Change Related:
    1. Freeman Dyson: the last 10 years have proven climate change models wrong: http://winteryknight.com/2015/10/15/freeman-dyson-the-last-10-years-have-proven-climate-change-models-wrong/
    2. At last some honesty on global warming alarmism: http://winteryknight.com/2009/04/14/at-last-some-honesty-on-global-warming-alarmism/
    3. Former alarmist scientist admits global warming is a “fiction”: http://winteryknight.com/2011/05/17/former-alarmist-scientist-admits-global-warming-is-a-fiction/
    4. Facts Undercut Apocalyptic Climate Change Agenda: No Real Warming Since 1998: http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/william-okeefe/facts-undercut-apocalyptic-climate-change-agenda-no-real-warming-1998
    5. Global Warming Myths: Bogus Science and Exaggerated Claims for Climate Change: http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/global_warming_myths.html
    6. Nobel Laureate Smashes the Global Warming Hoax: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCy_UOjEir0&feature=player_detailpage
    7. The Great Global Warming Swindle Full Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Mx0_8YEtg
    8. New Science Contradicts Climate Alarmists’ Predictions of Global Warming Doom: http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/h-sterling-burnett/new-science-contradicts-climate-alarmists-predictions-global-warming
    9. Global Warming – Reason for Alarm? http://realtruth.org/articles/443-gwrfa.html
29. The humanist apostles’ creed—that which ‘a Devil’s Chaplain might write’ – CMI Mobile: http://creation.mobi/a/3201
30. You are Called to Preach and Teach Online: http://www.morethancake.org/archives/1679
31. What does it mean that Jesus is God’s only begotten son? http://www.gotquestions.org/only-begotten-son.html
32. Live Republican Debate Blog: Many are Called: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/eidos/2015/12/live-republican-debate-blog-many-are-called/
33. Mormonism in a Nutshell|Regarding God and Jesus|Regarding Salvation: https://carm.org/mormonism-in-a-nutshell
34. Self-Defeating Atheism | Intelligent Christian Faith: http://intelligentchristianfaith.com/2015/12/10/self-defeating-atheism/
35. The Fine Tuning of the Universe: https://youtu.be/UpIiIaC4kRA

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars ; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:6-9

Climate Change

Here’s a good article on climate change:

Freeman Dyson: the last 10 years have proven climate change models wrong

http://winteryknight.com/2015/10/15/freeman-dyson-the-last-10-years-have-proven-climate-change-models-wrong/

Here are a few good videos:

The Great Global Warming Swindle Full Movie

Nobel Laureate Smashes the Global Warming Hoax

Conversation with young woman at St. Vincent de Paul

Once a month on the 2^nd Saturday of the month our church has a group that goes down to the local St. Vincent de Paul dining room to volunteer setting up and serving lunch as well as handing out free clothes (collected at our church). It is both a rewarding and sobering experience each time I go there and I’m glad to have the opportunity to serve those less fortunate than me in the name of the Lord. The people that come there to eat (we call them clients) are in great need and it gives me great encouragement to know that St. Vincent de Paul is open 365 days a year for lunch and has several locations in our area. There should be no reason anyone would go without a meal each day in our metropolitan area. They don’t question anyone that comes through – there is no test to see whether you’re homeless or on government assistance. Just come in and eat a free meal. Once you’re in, you can eat as much as you want of whatever we happen to be serving that day.

Not only is it important that we as Christians help those in need (Prov. 3:27; 11:25; Ps. 41:1; Matt. 10:42; 1 John 3:17-18), but I also think it is important that we be regularly confronted with seeing those in need so that we can be more thankful for what we have. There are times that I find myself starting to take for granted what I’ve been blessed with. Going to this place to serve homeless people reminds me just how fortunate I am. It helps me to stay grounded and grateful.

There is another reason that I like our monthly trips to serve the homeless: interaction with other volunteers. We are not the only group serving there on any given Saturday. Usually there are other groups there – sometimes businesses, sometimes other church groups or benevolence organizations. Yesterday there were 2 different groups serving alongside our church group. There was another church group (Prayer Assembly) and a large company (which I will not name) from our local area. There were probably over 30 volunteers there yesterday between the 3 groups represented. Our church had 9 and the rest was made up by Prayer Assembly and the company. So, I knew that I would have a chance as usual to interact with other volunteers that may not hold the same convictions or worldview as I have.

I struck up a conversation with, among others, a young lady who worked for the large company that was there. Before talking to her, I said a quick (silent) prayer for God to give me an opportunity to talk with her about my faith. I asked her what she did for her company and found out a little about her job, skills and education. Then I turned the conversation toward spiritual things. I asked her if she had any spiritual background or if she goes to church. For some reason, at St. Vincent de Paul, it seems to be very easy to bring up spiritual topics. It is a Roman Catholic organization, there is a chapel on sight and in the main dining area, there is Jesus on a cross hanging on the wall right above the serving line. Plus, it is already out in the open that we are from a church. All of that makes it very easy and natural to talk about spiritual things. In our conversation, this young woman told me that she used to go to church, but stopped around the time she went to college. So, I asked her if she believes in God. She looked unsure and said tentatively “Not really… Well, sometimes…” So, I said “Why did you stop believing God exists?” She said, “I guess because of education…” She said she thought the church was good and does a lot of good things for society, like helping the poor, but she really doesn’t believe the message. I’m aware of the college she went to – there is an infamous atheist professor on staff there. I said, “Yeah, it would probably be tough to keep your faith in that school”. I said that there are many good organizations that work with the poor and do other good things for society, but that is not exclusively what a church is. Yes, God instructs us to care for the less fortunate, but our primary focus is on Jesus as Lord and Savior, and we do believe that these are true accounts in history, not just legends and myths. At this point I shared a little bit about my testimony. I told her that I didn’t grow up in the church – I became a Christian later in life. She said that she’s heard a lot of stories like mine. I said that likewise, I’d heard a lot of stories like hers. I shared how, before I became a Christian, I only looked at evidence from one side of the argument. I was reading Nietzsche, Freud and other generally atheistic material. Once I started to look at the “other side” of the evidence with an open mind, I realized that it would take more faith to believe that there is no God than to believe that there is a God. She was curious and asked what I meant. I shared how we have to explain the existence of the universe. Science tells us the universe had a beginning therefore the cause of the universe must be outside the universe. I also mentioned the apparent design in life. She didn’t have any response on what I said – she just looked and listened. I challenged her to check out the evidence for herself, mentioning the book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. She didn’t say she would do it but took note of the book title. She seemed to be getting quiet and I took that as a sign that it was time to end the conversation, so I continued doing my assignment, which was to manage the garbage cans in the dining room 🙂

I pray this young lady accepts my challenge to investigate the evidence for herself and see if it stands up to scrutiny. I think she will be surprised at how well Christianity stands up in the marketplace of ideas and she may find that her reasons for continuing to disbelieve Christianity become very few. In fact, I believe she will find that Christianity is true beyond a reasonable doubt!

Apologetics class 12-13-2015

Hi All,

With the holidays and all the activities going on, we only had 1 person in class today 🙂  But it was a good discussion!  We started on the booklet “The Ambassador’s Guide to Pluralism”.  We read the first 3 ½ pages.  Here are the questions we used to drive our conversation:

1. (pg. 2) How can someone both confess Christ and retreat from the Gospel at the same time?
2. (pg. 2) What is a “confused confession”?
3. (pg. 2) Why is no one offended when you both align with Christ (in one sense) and deny Him (in another)?
4. (pg. 2) What would Jesus say about such a “confused confession”?  What about Paul or Peter?
5. (pg. 2-3) Christian is not a term the early followers of Jesus applied to themselves.  What did they call themselves?
6. (pg. 3) How did Jesus respond at His trial when asked if He was the Christ?  Why were His words important?
7. (pg. 3) What was Peter’s confession in front of the “rulers, elders and teachers of the law” in Acts 4?  What important description of Peter is offered in Acts 4:8 that explains his boldness?
8. (pg. 3) How do the “ancient confessions” of Jesus, Peter and Paul differ from many modern proclamations of Jesus?
9. (pg. 4) Is it important that we experience inconvenience or discomfort to fulfill the Great Commission?
10. (pg. 4) What is “have your cake and eat it too” Christianity?

We started off by previewing the teaser video I created for the next section of the class (questions about the faith).  You can look at the longer version (~ 5 minutes) here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rUeXTRopmQ

I will be showing a shorter (2 minute) version of the video in church probably early in the new year to try to create some interest for the next section of the class.

During the class we also watched this 3 minute video about why Jesus is the only way of salvation from the author of our booklet (Greg Koukl):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6zpySZDBo0

Have a great week!

mid-week apologetics booster (12-10-2015)

Good morning all,

Find something that piques your interest and read or watch it.  Maybe you can learn something that will be of benefit to you as you engage skeptics and seekers:

1. Defending Your Faith in the Classroom: http://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2015/12/defending-your-faith-in-classroom.html
2. A Response to the Angry, Immoral God Objection: https://youtu.be/ZqgD2zw1Y5Q
3. Tips for Sharing Your Faith #4 – Avoid Smokescreens and Dodges: http://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2014/11/tips-for-sharing-your-faith-4-avoid.html
4. How Do I Share What I Believe? The Relationship Between Respect and Reach: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/how-do-i-share-what-i-believe-the-relationship-between-respect-and-reach/
5. Is A Divine “Intelligent Designer” Just a “God of the Gaps”? http://coldcasechristianity.com/2015/is-a-divine-intelligent-designer-just-a-god-of-the-gaps/
6. Is Evolution a Threat to Christianity?: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/is-evolution-a-threat-to-christianity
7. How Apologetics Serves Evangelism in Our Post Christian Culture: http://ratiochristi.org/germanna/blog/post/how-apologetics-serves-evangelism-in-our-post-christian-culture/3972#.VmNcjL3n_qC
8. Archaeologists Have Discovered Seal of Biblical King Hezekiah: http://www.thinkchristianly.org/archaeologists-have-discovered-seal-of-biblical-king-hezekiah/
9. The Qur’an, Muhammad and Modern Science: Scientific Miracles or Blunders? http://crossexamined.org/the-quran-muhammad-modern-science-scientific-miracles-blunders/
10. A Simple Plan for Creating Youth Apologetics Talks – Sean McDowell: http://seanmcdowell.org/blog/a-simple-plan-for-creating-youth-apologetics-talks
11. Weekend Apologetics Hit and Misc: http://www.thepoachedegg.net/the-poached-egg/2015/12/weekend-apologetics-hit-and-misc.html
12. Frank Turek: “What Is Faith?” on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/129051841
13. Watch “One Question You Should Always Ask An Unbeliever.” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MvNjOi3QOvk
14. Answering Muslims – Jihad: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/p/jihad.html
15. Is Islam a Religion of Peace – Examining the Life of Muhammad: http://pleaseconvinceme.com/2014/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace-examining-the-life-of-muhammad/
16. Activists target hotel-room Bibles: http://theextract.net/2015/12/07/activists-target-hotel-room-bibles-as-radical-islam-threatens-u-s/
17. Why Do You Believe Jesus is a “Savior”? (Reasons Why: Part 3): http://bobowenblog.com/2015/12/06/why-do-you-believe-jesus-is-a-savior-reasons-why-part-3/
18. What is the God of the gaps argument? http://www.gotquestions.org/God-of-the-gaps.html
19. Debunking 4 Myths About Religious Freedom: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/debunking-4-myths-about-religious-freedom
20. Back off Atheists, We Were Born This Way: https://howtodefendyourfaith.wordpress.com/2015/07/19/back-off-atheists-we-were-born-this-way/
21. The Logical Incoherence of Arguing God is a Social Construct: http://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2015/12/the-logical-incoherence-of-arguing-god.html
22. Have scientists found evidence of a parallel universe? http://creation.mobi/have-scientists-found-evidence-of-parallel-universe
23. Watch “How has the notion of tolerance been twisted?” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JDF1z0qh-4g
24. Watch “How can Christians demonstrate real tolerance?” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9bBWhDf0zAg
25. How Did Defense/Attack Structures Come About? https://answersingenesis.org/evidence-for-creation/design-in-nature/how-did-defense-attack-structures-come-about/
26. Creation’s Original Diet and the Changes at the Fall: https://answersingenesis.org/animal-behavior/what-animals-eat/creations-original-diet-and-the-changes-at-the-fall/

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Colossians 4:5-6

Apologetics Class 12-6-2015

Currently, we are reading the book Unsilenced: How to Voice the Gospel by James Boccardo.  It is a great book about evangelism that also includes some information about Apologetics.

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Hi All,

Class today was good as usual.  Thanks for all your participation.  We finished the book today!  The last chapter was chapter 9, which was only 4 pages long.  Here are the questions we used to drive our discussion:

Unsilenced Chapter 9 ‘Final Encouragement’ (4 pages:  pg. 167-170)

1. (pg. 167)  How often should we expect discouragement and disappointment when sharing our faith?
2. (pg. 168) How might other Christians react when you get bold and start sharing your faith?  Will other Christians always share your enthusiasm?
3. (pg. 170) What kind of “pain” might sharing your faith bring?
4. (pg. 170) Why don’t you take a small risk and start sharing your faith?
5. (pg. 170) Everything you do a_______ you put your f________ in J_________ counts in e______.

We started off the class by watching a video:

You Know What’s Funny About The Whole Jesus Thing?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywumx3BcKN0

It is about a 6 ½ minute witnessing clip of Ray Comfort talking to an atheist who was wearing a “666” hat.  Pretty good.  The video made mention of Mithras – one of our class participants gave a good overview of that.  I added on that the Zeitgeist Movie was very popular with young people and communicated this idea about Jesus was just a legend copied from prior mythologies.  Here are a few articles on these objections and how to respond to them:

1. The Zeitgeist Movie & Other Myth Claims About Jesus: http://www.str.org/articles/the-zeitgeist-movie-other-myth-claims-about-jesus#.VmSMR79HSMJ
2. Is Christianity a Copycat Religion?  http://coffeehousequestions.com/2015/09/26/is-christianity-a-copycat-religion/
3. Is Jesus a Copycat Savior? (Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast #1): http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/is-jesus-a-copycat-savior-cold-case-christianity-broadcast-1/
4. How to Respond to Claims Jesus Is a “Copycat Savior”: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/how-to-respond-to-claims-jesus-is-a-copycat-savior-free-bible-insert/

Finally, we spoke about where we’ll go next.  We decided that we’ll start with a short booklet “The Ambassador’s Guide to Pluralism”, then, about 5 weeks later, we’ll switch over to the idea of exploring 1 question or objection per week!

I’m excited about our direction of the next few months!

See you next week.

Ps. Here are all the content/questions that we covered while reading the Unsilenced book:

Goals for this portion of the Class

1. That we would gain an understanding of a way to share our faith with others
2. That this would result in action: actually sharing our faith.
3. That we would share our successes and “failures” with the class, although, I believe if you just get in the batter’s box, there are no failures.

Unsilenced Chapter 1 (4 pages long.  Pages 3-6)

1. (pg. 3) If we claim the truth (that Jesus is the only way to be saved), how can we look silently at all these unsaved people around us?  Why is it the case that we do look silently at them?
2. (pg. 3) Are we more concerned about “going to Christian Schools” and “not getting drunk” (than sharing our faith – the uniqueness of our message)?  Why is that?
3. (pg. 4) Have you ever invited someone to lunch and asked if they wanted to hear about Jesus?  If not, why not?
4. (pg. 5) Have you ever begged for someone to listen to you about your Savior?
5. (pg. 5) How is it damaging to our witness when we become “people who are really good, while everyone else isn’t”?
6. (pg. 6) What is the “uniqueness of our message”?
7. (pg. 6 – last sentence) What should we be known for?

Unsilenced Chapter 2 (7 pages long.  Pages 9-15)

1. (pg. 9) What is sin?
2. (pg. 10) What is the purpose of the Law (the 10 commandments)?
3. (pg. 10 and top of 11) What would happen if God were only “fair with us”?
4. (pg. 12) What do we have to offer the world? (What is the “good news”?)
5. (pg. 12) How does the Old Testament sacrificial system tell us about the Gospel?
6. (pg. 12) How is God not “overlooking sin” by forgiving believers?
7. (my own question – pg. 13 top) How is it just to punish a “3^rd party” (Jesus) for sins I commit against another person?
8. (pg. 13) How does the Christian concept of ‘substitution’, compare with other religions way of turning away the anger of “the gods”?
9. (pg. 13 bottom / 14 top) When we say we are “saved”, what are we saved from?
10. (pg. 13 bottom / 14 top) How are we saved from sin’s power over us?
11. (pg. 14) What does “born again” mean?  Do most non-believers understand the phrase “born again”?  What kind of reactions have you heard from non-Christians about the phrase “born again”?  From where in the Bible do we get information about “born again”?
12. (pg. 14) Was it your experience when you were saved that you felt different about your sin?  If so, how did you previously think about it?  And how do you think about it differently now?  How is this a sign of repentance and regeneration?
13. (pg. 15) At what point is a person “justified” before God?
14. (pg. 15) Does being made right with God have anything to do with “doing good things”?

Unsilenced Chapter 3 (3 Pages long.  Pages 19-21)

1. (pg. 19) How did the first followers of Jesus live in light of the message they were entrusted with?
2. (pg. 19) What is one of the biggest issues with Christians today according to the author?
3. (pg. 19 bottom and 20 top) What does the account in Acts 4 tell us about what the first Christians were like?  What did the Christians in Acts 4 pray for?
4. (pg. 20 middle) What were the first Christian’s attitudes like regarding suffering for Christ?
5. (pg. 20 bottom) Paul tells us to “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).  What was he doing in Acts 17 that we should be imitating?
6. (pg. 21) Do we have any excuses for not sharing our faith?  If we don’t share our faith are we still saved?

Unsilenced Chapter 4 ‘The Famous Excuse List’ (19 pages long.  Pages 25-43)

1. Church Services are the best way to reach people:
   1. (pg. 25 bottom, 26 top) Why is inviting someone to Church (instead of just sharing the Gospel with them yourself) sometimes not good enough?
   2. (pg. 27) Do you sometimes overlook certain “types of people” as potential candidates for sharing your faith with?  If so, why?
   3. (pg. 27) How would you react if someone you were talking to said “religion is stupid”?  What is the distinction between “religion” and “the Gospel”?
   4. (pg. 27) If you’re honest with yourself, how many opportunities (to share the Gospel, or to do something of eternal significance) do you waste?  How many opportunities to “get in the batter’s box” have you squandered?
   5. (pg. 27) Why don’t the thousands of people who go to churches just share their faith in Jesus with everyone they know?
2. You Don’t Believe the Unreached Go to Hell:
   1. (pg. 28) How do we know that God won’t give people a second chance to accept Him after they die (having either rejected Him their whole life OR never having heard of Jesus)?
   2. (pg. 29) How is it “fair” for God to send someone to hell that has never heard of Jesus?  Is it reasonable that this doctrine (God sending someone to hell who’s never heard of Jesus) would prevent someone from accepting Christ themselves?
   3. (pg. 30) What will actually happen to us if God is “fair and does the right thing”?  (Think of the definitions of grace and mercy – are grace and mercy “fair”?)
   4. (pg. 31 – top) What kind of thinking does it lead to if believe that God will let people into heaven who’ve never heard of Jesus?
3. Share Your Faith, but Be Friends First (pg. 31):
   1. (pg. 31-32) Was your impression that you had to be friends for a while before sharing your faith?
   2. (pg. 32) What kind of apprehensions would you have in sharing your faith with a Muslim like Mosab Yousef?
   3. (pg. 33) Have you ever been brave enough to share your faith with a stranger or “short term” acquaintance?
   4. (pg. 33-34) What does the apostle Paul’s approach in the book of Acts tell us about whether we need to make friends before sharing the gospel with someone?
   5. (pg. 34) How do conversation skills help us in sharing the gospel?
4. Most People are “Led to Jesus” Through a Close Friend (pg. 34):
   1. (pg. 34) What percentage of people are led to Christ through a close friend (according to statistics)?
   2. (pg. 35 – top) If you think you need to be good friends in order to share your faith, how does this show lack of faith in Christ?
5. Everyone in my area has heard this already (pg. 35):
   1. (pg. 35-36) Once you hear that someone already goes to Church, how does that affect your desire to share the Gospel with them?
   2. (pg. 36-37) Does everyone who goes to a Church hear and understand the Gospel?
6. Fear of all kinds (pg. 39):
   1. (pg. 39) Why do “being outgoing” and “being fearless for Jesus” not necessarily go together?
   2. (pg. 40) When we see or hear examples of people being brave enough to share their faith, how does it make us feel?  (read Philippians 1:12-14 and discuss):
      1. Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
   3. (pg. 40) Do you have the belief that most people are hostile toward the Christian faith?  If so, why?
   4. (pg. 40-41) Have you prayed for the courage to share your faith?
   5. (pg. 41 – middle) What does it mean to “start fearing the right things”?
7. So, after you heard all these excuses, do you have any excuses that are not on the list?

Unsilenced Chapter 5 ‘What Should I Say?’ (21 pages: 47-67)

1. (pg. 47) What kind of tone should you have when you start to talk to someone about eternal things?
2. (pg. 48) How long will a conversation about Jesus take?
3. (pg. 49) What does it mean to be “comfortable with being uncomfortable”?
4. (pg. 49) Are you afraid of rejection?
5. (pg. 49) Have you ever been surprised by someone that was willing to talk about spiritual things?
6. (pg. 50) Have you ever seen love open someone’s ears to hearing the gospel who initially didn’t want to hear it?
7. (pg. 51 – top) What is our basic “If, then idea”?
8. (pg. 51) What makes “asking people about their views on the afterlife” a great way to start?
9. (pg. 52 – top) What is the biggest hurdle you have to overcome?
10. (pg. 52 – bottom) What will you learn when you ask “the question”?
11. (pg. 53 – bottom) What about the “I don’t think anything happens” guy?
12. (pg. 54-55 top) Why would a skeptic change their mind on the afterlife when asked about Hitler? What is “the great switch”?
13. (pg. 56 top/middle) What is the follow-up question that we should ask after the first question?
14. (pg. 58-59 top) What is it important to do after you walk people through the commandments?
15. (pg. 60 middle) Why is it important to “include yourself” when talking about having committed sins?
16. (pg. 61) Why do you need to convince people they are in “massive trouble”?
17. (pg. 62 bottom) What is a great question to ask someone after they’ve admitted that they’re guilty before God?
18. (pg. 63 top) What information is necessary for Jesus’ sacrifice to “make more sense” to people?
19. (pg. 63) What is a “sin-record-eraser”?
20. (pg. 63-64) What 2 things do people need to do in order to have their sin records erased?
21. (pg. 64) Is it biblical to tell people to “accept Jesus into their hearts”?
22. (pg. 67) What is the one question you want to end with?

Unsilenced Chapter 6 ‘Bumps in the Road’ (32 pages:  pg. 71-122)

1. (pg. 71) Where is “the power”? (Romans 1:16)
2. (pg. 72) What is the analogy about “air in the tank”?
3. (pg. 73) Problem #1: God Will Send Someone to Hell for Lying?  That’s Ridiculous.
   1. (pg. 73) How does 50 years of sin equal and eternity of punishment?
   2. (pg. 74) How is this similar to the chemistry test in college?
4. (pg. 75) Problem #2: Everyone is a Sinner
   1. (pg. 75) Is it reasonable to think that God “grades on the curve”?
   2. (pg. 75 bottom / 76 top) Why is it important to say “us” rather than “you”?
5. (pg. 77) Problem #3: I Think We’re in Hell Right Now
   1. (pg. 77) What questions can you ask a person who thinks we’re in hell right now?
6. (pg. 78) Problem #4: Oh Please, What if Christianity Isn’t True?
   1. (pg. 78-80) What would you say to the charge “Look, the Bible was written by a bunch of illiterate sheep herders 2,000 years ago.  And by the way, a man in a huge boat escaped a big flood?!  Give me a break”?  (See page 78 bottom and 79 top for answers)
   2. (pg. 80) Are you just throwing out evidence to win an argument?
   3. (pg. 80) After giving the evidence, it is important to get back to the Gospel.  Why?
7. (pg. 81) Problem #5: You’ve Never Been to Heaven or Hell, so You Can’t Tell Me About It!
   1. (pg. 81) What question can you ask someone who states the charge above?
   2. (pg. 81/82) What are some prophecies that Jesus fulfilled and why can we know that they weren’t “written in later”?
   3. (pg. 82 bottom) Is it possible for anyone else to have fulfilled these prophecies?
8. (pg. 84) Problem #6: The Bible Was Written by Man, and We Don’t Even Have the Originals!
   1. (pg. 84) Why doesn’t this objection work?
   2. (pg. 84) How is this similar to Darwin’s notes?
   3. (pg. 85) Why is it ridiculous to think that any handwritten notes about God are automatically to be considered false?
9. (pg. 86) Problem #7: There Are so Many “Interpretations” and “Translations” of the Bible
   1. (pg. 86) What is the difference between an “interpretation” and a “translation”?
   2. (pg. 86-87) What is the common misconception about how we got our modern English translations of the Bible?
   3. (pg. 87) Where can you look up the pictures of the ancient manuscripts?  http://www.csntm.org/
10. (pg. 90) Problem #8: Who Says the Bible Is True Anyway?
    1. (pg. 90) What 2 questions should you ask someone who says “who says the Bible is true anyway”?
    2. What should you say if someone asks if you’ve read the Book of Mormon or the Qur’an?
11. (pg. 92) Problem #9: What if Someone Never Hears About Jesus?
    1. (pg. 92) Has anyone lived a “good life”?
    2. (pg. 92) What should you say to a person who brings up the problem about people who’ve never heard of Jesus?
    3. (pg. 93) Why is it important to get the focus off of “unknown people half way around the world”?
12. (pg. 95) Problem #10: No One Can Be Sure He’s Going to Heaven.
    1. (pg. 95) How can you answer this objection in a way that points people to Jesus (and not to yourself)?
    2. (pg. 95) What’s the difference between “acting religious” and “pointing people to Jesus”?
13. (pg. 97) Problem #11: God Could Never Forgive Me of All the Wrong I’ve Done.
    1. (pg. 97) How could you use the story of Moses, Paul or even David to minister to someone who says the above statement?
14. (pg. 99) Problem #12: Well That’s Good for You, but It’s Not True for Everyone Else.
    1. (pg. 99) How could you give an example that if something is true, it is true whether someone knows it or not?
    2. (pg. 99-100) What would Jesus have said about the above statement? Did He make any exclusive claims in the Bible (like in the book of John)?
15. (pg. 101) Problem #13: Well, All of the World Religions “Teach the Same Things.”
    1. (pg. 102-103) Provide an example showing that all world religions do not teach the same thing.
16. (pg. 105) Problem #14: A Lot of People Have Had Followers Like Jesus.
    1. (pg. 105-106) How are Jesus’ followers different than those of the likes of David Koresh (Waco, TX)?
17. (pg. 107) Problem #15: I’ve Done a Lot of Good Things.
    1. (pg. 107) What example could you give to cast doubt on the idea that people who do more good things than bad things go to heaven?
    2. (pg. 107) Why is it important to make a person see that doing good things has nothing to do with being forgiven of a crime?
    3. (pg. 108) Why does the “fine have to be paid” in order for the sin to be removed from your record?
18. (pg. 110) Problem #16: There Are “So Many” Contradictions in the Bible
    1. (pg. 110) What question could you ask someone who claims there are a lot of Bible contradictions?
    2. (pg. 110-111) Several common examples of contradictions brought up by skeptics could be understood as ______________ rather than _______________.  What is an example?
19. (pg. 112) Problem #17: I Don’t Like When People Push Their Religion on Me
    1. (pg. 112) It is hard to share the Gospel with someone who says this.  What question can you ask them that may open a door (or “call their bluff”)?
    2. (pg. 112) Besides someone pushing their religion on them, is there an alternative reason why someone may not want you to share your faith with them?
    3. (pg. 113) Don’t “push your religion” on them, but do what instead?
20. (pg. 114) Problem #18: What About the Guy on Death Row?
    1. (pg. 114-116) We’re all “on death row”…  150,000 people die each day.  Does anyone really know when that final breath will come?
    2. Can you provide a biblical example of a “deathbed conversion”?
    3. What do the guy on death row and the average person have in common in God’s eyes?
21. (pg. 117) Problem #19: What about the “Sinning Christians”? Those Hypocrites!
    1. (pg. 117) What would happen if people saw how serious their sin was in God’s eyes?
    2. (pg. 117) Is everyone who calls themselves a Christian actually a Christian?  What did Jesus say about this?
    3. (pg. 118 – top) Since Christians still sin after they become Christians, why aren’t they necessarily hypocrites?
    4. (pg. 118) What question could you ask someone to get them to consider the fairness of judging all Christians by the “hypocrites”?
22. (pg. 120) Ending notes:
    1. (pg. 120) How are we supposed to take advantage of “the stunned moment” after answering an objection?
    2. (pg. 121) Is it always your fault if someone is not interested and just walks away from you?  What does Jesus say about this in John 7:7?
    3. (pg. 122) How do you handle an awkward pause in the conversation?  What questions can you ask?
23. Todd Friel video – witnessing tips:
    1. Start in the natural
    2. Swing to the supernatural
    3. Open God’s Law
    4. Warn of God’s Judgment
    5. Law to the Proud, Grace to the Humble:
       1. If the sinner is proud and self-righteous, uphold the law.
       2. If the sinner is broken-hearted and contrite, offer grace.
    6. Share the Good News!
    7. Call them to repentance and faith

Unsilenced Chapter 7 ‘More Than Knowing What to Say’ (11 pages:  pg. 125-135)

1. (pg. 125-126) How is sharing your faith mysterious?  What does Mark 4:26-29 teach regarding this?  What is our job?  What is God’s job?
2. (pg. 128-129) What are some things you should keep in mind after long periods of sharing the gospel without seeing any results?
3. (pg. 130) We should share what we believe about Jesus with our ________s and our ________s.
4. (pg. 129-130) What does the phrase “Good Works: Don’t Just Do Them, Use Them” mean?
5. (pg. 131-133) What purpose do Gospel tracts serve?
6. (pg. 134-135) How can we be persistent in sharing our faith?

Unsilenced Chapter 8 ‘The Varsity Team’ (25 pages:  pg. 139-163)

1. (pg. 140-142) What 2 things to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses have in common that distinguishes them from Christians?
2. (pg. 143-144) What does 2 Nephi 25:23 (in the Book of Mormon) say and how does that compare with Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5 and Galatians 2:21?
3. (pg. 144-145) Did David forfeit his inheritance in heaven because of his adultery with Bathsheba, or was he saved despite his many sins?  Why and how?
4. (pg. 145) How would you respond to the argument that Abraham was saved by good works based on James 2:21?
5. (pg. 146) We’re not saved from _____ and don’t enter ______ by ________: only through _______.  That _______ will result in _______ because of the _________ that God gives us.
6. (pg. 147-151) Where in the New Testament does it say that Jesus is God? Explain the difference between ‘direct references’ and ‘indirect references’.
7. (pg. 150-151) Does the phrase ‘firstborn’ in Colossians 1:15 mean that Jesus is not eternal? What does Psalm 89:27 tell us about the phrase ‘firstborn’?
8. (pg. 152) Why worry about people who say, “Don’t worry about me, I’m good with the Lord”?  Well, they might ___   ___________.
9. (pg. 152) How does Matthew 7:21-23 speak about the issue?  Jesus is talking about people who ________  ________  ________  Him.
10. (pg. 153) What is a question that you can ask a self-proclaimed “Christian” that tell you a lot in less than 10 seconds?
11. (pg. 154) If the person says yes to the above question, but sounds shaky, what follow-up question can you ask them?
12. (pg. 152-154) Should we just assume that every person attending church is saved? One of my favorite lines is “Tell me about ________  ____________  _________.”
13. (pg. 156) Do you have to be knowledgeable about other religions before you can talk with someone of another religion?
14. (pg. 158-160) Why does DNA give evidence that God exists?
15. (pg. 159-160) In order for the first cell to replicate like Darwinists thought it did, what needed to happen with respect to DNA?  Why is that compelling evidence of intelligent design?
16. (pg. 160) What critical thing is needed to get from a single cell to a more complex organism?
17. (pg. 162) What is the “famous fruit fly experiment” and why doesn’t it prove Darwinian evolution?
18. (pg. 162) The big idea to focus on is not just that there is a d_______, but w____ h_____ when you m____ H___.  Your job is not to d______ e______; it’s to l_____ p_____ to J_____ so that their sins can be f_________ and so that they can have e_____ l_____.
19. (pg. 163) How did the conversation with the college microbiology student go?

Unsilenced Chapter 9 ‘Final Encouragement’ (4 pages:  pg. 167-170)

6. (pg. 167)  How often should we expect discouragement and disappointment when sharing our faith?
7. (pg. 168) How might other Christians react when you get bold and start sharing your faith?  Will other Christians always share your enthusiasm?
8. (pg. 170) What kind of “pain” might sharing your faith bring?
9. (pg. 170) Why don’t you take a small risk and start sharing your faith?
10. (pg. 170) Everything you do a_______ you put your f________ in J_________ counts in e______.

mid-week apologetics booster (12-3-2015)

Good morning everyone!

Pick an article or video below to become informed on a topic that interests you!

1. Reasons To Believe : Quantum Mechanics and the Nature of Reality: http://www.reasons.org/articles/quantum-mechanics-and-the-nature-of-reality
2. Didn’t the Old Testament punish blasphemy with death? How is that different from radical Islam? http://www.gotquestions.org/Old-Testament-blasphemy.html
3. Apologetics in the Real World | Hope’s Reason: http://www.stephenjbedard.com/apologetics-in-the-real-world/
4. True for you, not true for me? https://youtu.be/Zsp-OyC9nAc
5. John Lennox DNA and the origin of the self-replicating cell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWN0V7yoirI
6. Professor explains how his study of the historical Jesus made him leave atheism | WINTERY KNIGHT: http://winteryknight.com/2015/11/28/professor-explains-how-his-study-of-the-historical-jesus-made-him-leave-atheism-3/
7. Refuting Evolution—Chapter 4 – Bird Evolution: http://creation.mobi/refuting-evolution-chapter-4-bird-evolution
8. Case-Making 101: Is There Evidence In the Universe For The Existence of God? Part 3 Evidence from Biochemistry: http://truthfaithandreason.com/case-making-101-is-there-evidence-in-the-universe-for-the-existence-of-god-part-3-evidence-from-biochemistry/
9. Microevolution versus Macroevolution: Two Mistakes – Evolution News & Views: http://www.evolutionnews.org/2015/07/microevolution097801.html
10. ARE ORGANS IRREDUCIBLY COMPLEX, THEREBY DEFYING DARWINIAN GRADUALISM? http://mannsword.blogspot.com/2015/11/are-organs-irreducibly-complex-thereby.html
11. Smoking high-strength cannabis may damage nerve fibres in brain | Science | The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/nov/27/smoking-high-strength-cannabis-skunk-may-damage-nerves-brain
12. Book Review: Talking to Catholics about the Gospel, by Chris Castaldo: http://9marks.org/review/book-review-talking-to-catholics-about-the-gospel-by-christ-cataldo/
13. Is Roman Catholicism and Christianity the Same Thing? Roman Catholicism Denies Justification by Faith Alone in Christ Alone: https://carm.org/is-catholicism-christian
14. Molinism:
    1. Watch “Greg Koukl – Molinism” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KGU3t31xTY0
    2. Watch “Dr William Lane Craig Explains God’s Middle Knowledge (Molinism)” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZuuLdzZSlmw
15. Watch “How Should We Think about Faith and What Is the Role of Evidence?” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cv1q9z2a0Ms
16. Watch “Is There An Intellect Directing Nature Towards An End?” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eTlXCWTQBzo
17. Greed drives the advocacy of organizations on climate change | WINTERY KNIGHT: http://winteryknight.com/2015/11/27/greed-drives-the-advocacy-of-organizations-on-climate-change/
18. Southern Greenland—warm and ice free! http://creation.mobi/a/6955
19. Pleading the First with Adam Metropolis Series:
    1. Watch “DARWIN IS DEAD, Part 1: “Your Children” [Pleading the First with Adam Metropolis]” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Obu8i0EWaM
    2. Watch “DARWIN IS DEAD, Part 2: “Suppressing the Truth” [Pleading the First with Adam Metropolis]” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LG2LHSsU-VU
    3. Watch “DARWIN IS DEAD, Part 3: “Manuscript Evidence” [Pleading the First with Adam Metropolis]” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N73GoOB765w
    4. Watch “DARWIN IS DEAD, Part 4: “Fall of the Mind” [Pleading the first w/Adam Metropolis]” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fEhwHtyf9pQ
20. Statistics on violence, rape, terror, sharia, and Isis: https://carm.org/islamic-muslim-statistics-on-violence-rape-terror-sharia-isis-welfare
21. Statistics regarding increase of sexually transmitted diseases in 2014: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/cdc-83-syphilis-cases-2014-among-gay-men-where-sex-sex-partner-was

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62.

Blessings to you all!