Month: December 2022

mid-week apologetics booster (12-29-2022)

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Good morning friends,

Here is a random quote (of over 2400) from Nuggets:

We could put it this way: The shadows prove the sunshine. There can be sunshine without shadows, but there can’t be shadows without sunshine. In other words, there can be good without evil, but there can’t be evil without good; and there can’t be objective good without God. So evil may show there’s a devil out there, but it can’t disprove God. Evil actually boomerangs back to show that God exists.  – Frank Turek

To view more of these quotes, visit:

http://www.ps11911.com/bible-app/browseQuotes

Now, here are your weekly links:

  1. A Parent’s Guide to the 5 Skeptics Who Want to Shame Your Kids for Being Christian: https://www.str.org/w/a-parent-s-guide-to-the-5-skeptics-who-want-to-shame-your-kids-for-being-christian
  2. Rubber Crutches – Everyone has a crutch.  Will yours hold you up?  When people ask me, “Isn’t Christ just a crutch?” I have a simple reply.  I tell them, “You’re right.  Christ is a crutch.  But you’ve asked the wrong question.”  No one makes fun of a lame person who uses a crutch.  So the real question is, “Am I lame; am I crippled?” because crippled people need crutches.  The fact is, everybody leans on something.  As a Christian I lean on Jesus, because He’s a crutch that can hold me.  What about you?: https://www.str.org/w/rubber-crutches
  3. Dr. Stephen C. Meyer explains intelligent design for Prager University | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2022/12/28/2022-the-year-in-review-for-evolution-vs-intelligent-design/
  4. Tract: Are Roman Catholics Christians? This is a 23 page tract that examines Roman Catholic beliefs in light of Scripture: https://chick.com/products/tract?stk=71&ue=d
  5. Is it wrong to have pictures of Jesus? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/pictures-of-Jesus.html
  6. St. Augustine Was a Young-Earth Creationist | Answers in Genesis: https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/calvin-smith/2021/07/12/st-augustine-young-earth-creationist/
  7. Stephen C. Meyer and Marcus Ross lecture on the Cambrian explosion | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2022/12/23/stephen-c-meyer-and-marcus-ross-lecture-on-the-cambrian-explosion-9/
  8. Nigeria has before it a crucial opportunity to step out as an international leader by abolishing once and for all its Sharia blasphemy law – in spite of clear-cut evidence of mass human rights atrocities, the U.S. government remains silent, failing to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern. Between January 2021 and March 2022, more than 6,000 Christians were targeted and killed in Nigeria. In May of this year, Christian student Deborah Yakubu was stoned to death and her body burned in Sokoto State, Nigeria, after classmates deemed her WhatsApp messages blasphemous.: https://thefederalist.com/2022/12/23/as-christians-face-death-sentences-nigerian-court-can-and-should-overturn-its-dangerous-blasphemy-law/
  9. How to T.R.A.I.N. Christian Students (Rather than Teach Them) | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/how-to-t-r-a-i-n-christian-students-rather-than-teach-them/
  10. How are Christians treated in communist, atheist China? | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2021/04/13/how-are-christians-treated-in-communist-atheist-china/
  11. Should Christians Ever Offend Anyone? | Answers in Genesis: https://answersingenesis.org/bible-questions/christians-should-never-offend-anyone/
  12. The Three Ds of Tolerance | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/the-three-ds-of-tolerance/
  13. Jehovah: Was the name removed from the New Testament? | Carm.org: https://carm.org/jehovahs-witnesses/was-the-name-jehovah-removed-from-the-new-testament-does-it-matter/
  14. Robert Gagnon debates gay activist Jayne Ozanne on Bible vs homosexuality | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2020/04/26/robert-gagnon-debates-gay-activist-jayne-ozanne-on-bible-vs-homosexuality-6/
  15. Apologetics Resources for Alabama Baptist – Tactical Faith: https://tacticalfaith.com/apologetics/apologetics-resources-for-alabama-baptist/
  16. Who Was Athanasius?: https://www.ligonier.org/posts/who-was-athanasius
  17. Why the Bible is Reliable Think Divinely: https://thinkdivinely.com/why-the-bible-is-reliable/
  18. How I Got into Apologetics (And How You Can Too!): https://crossexamined.org/how-i-got-into-apologetics-and-how-you-can-too/
  19. Jesus Created The Universe: The Deity Of Christ | Reasons for Jesus: https://reasonsforjesus.com/jesus-created-the-universe-the-deity-of-christ/
  20. Did Jesus Rise From The Dead? – Stand to Reason: https://subsplash.com/standtoreason/media/mi/+mzeycxu
  21. There are a lot of charges brought up against the God of the Bible; perhaps one of the most common is, “If God is supposed to be loving, how could He send people to Hell just because they didn’t worship Him?” It’s implied that it’s deeply unjust for God to judge sin at all, and even worse to do so by sending the sinners to a place of eternal punishment. However, these critics often profess they don’t believe in the God they are accusing, and also deny any objective standard of right and wrong anyway. Sometimes believers also struggle with this question, wondering how God could condemn someone who never heard of Jesus and so never had a chance to believe in Him, for example.  The question of Hell is not an appealing one even for people who affirm its existence. No one likes the idea of many people suffering judgment in the life to come. But the ‘Good News’ of the Gospel requires that there be ‘Bad News’—salvation in Jesus Christ would not bring glory to God if there were actually nothing to be saved from. So it’s important to be able to give an answer, even in the case of a subject that no one particularly likes contemplating.: https://creation.com/hell
  22. Teaching Apologetics to the Next Generation | Christian Research Institute: https://www.equip.org/articles/teaching-apologetics-next-generation/
  23. Diagnose before You Treat – Stand to Reason – What should you say to your non-Christian friend who rejects Christianity? In this episode, Alan explains an important principle to help him navigate this situation: https://subsplash.com/standtoreason/media/mi/+8wzpswd
  24. What Are the Top Ten Problems with Darwinian Evolution? THINKAPOLOGETICS.COM: https://wp.me/pCHEG-2pX
  25. Is Marks Gospel an Early Memoir of the Apostle Peter? | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-marks-gospel-an-early-memoir-of-the-apostle-peter/
  26. Ready to Answer – sometimes Christians, armed with all the information they can get, assault unbelievers with what they know and effectively blow them out of the water. They have won the argument but lost the soul, and that is not the objective. Even though we may know a great deal, we should present the information with love and humility.: https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/ready-to-answer/
  27. Is The Bible Full Of Contradictions? 6 Quick Responses | Reasons for Jesus: https://reasonsforjesus.com/is-the-bible-full-of-contradictions-6-quick-responses/
  28. Evolutionists Sense Life’s Design and Deify Nature | The Institute for Creation Research: https://www.icr.org/article/evolutionists-sense-design-deify-nature
  29. Rapid Response: The Gospels Are Unreliable | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/rapid-response-the-gospels-are-unreliable/
  30. Come Reason’s Apologetics Notes: Why You Can Be Confident We Have the Original Bible Texts: https://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2015/01/why-you-can-be-confident-we-have.html?m=1
  31. What Does the Bible Say about Masturbation?: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-does-the-bible-say-about-masturbation.html
  32. Problem 9: Neo-Darwinism Struggles to Explain the Biogeographical Distribution of Many Species | Evolution News: https://evolutionnews.org/2015/02/problem_9_neo-d/

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. Psalms 33:6-9

Blessings to you all

mid-week apologetics booster (12-22-2022)

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Good morning friends,

Here is a random quote (of over 2400) from Nuggets:

Nature is but a name for an effect whose cause is God. – William Cowper

To view more of these quotes, visit:

http://www.ps11911.com/bible-app/browseQuotes

Now, here are your weekly links:

  1. How to Evangelize with Humility: https://www.str.org/w/how-to-evangelize-with-humility
  2. Does James Contradict Paul? Part 1 Faith versus Works | Biblical Worldview Academy: https://biblicalworldviewacademy.org/does-james-contradict-paul-part-1-faith-versus-works/
  3. Just My 2 Cents: Was America Founded on Christian Principles?: https://justmy2-cents.blogspot.com/2016/05/was-america-founded-on-christian.html
  4. Credo The Story Of Reality (Greg Koukl lecture) – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm4Z8A2Co3A
  5. How Christian Case Making Impacts the Convinced, the Opposed, and the Undecided: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/how-christian-case-making-impacts-the-convinced-the-opposed-and-the-undecided/
  6. Two Signs From Your Opposition Your Argument Is Sound | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/two-signs-from-your-opposition-your-argument-is-sound/
  7. From Belief in Jesus to Belief in the New Testament | Reasonable Faith: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/from-belief-in-jesus-to-belief-in-the-new-testament
  8. That’s a Fact – The Fossil Record on Vimeo – Do fossils really show that creatures gradually evolved from simple to complex? The late fossil expert and evolution-defender Stephen Gould recognized they didn’t. He said the fossil record shows two clear features 1) Sudden appearance, and 2) Stasis.: https://vimeo.com/290548930
  9. Puzzling over evolution of language – From an evolutionary perspective, our speech and language development remains one of the longest-standing puzzles of science. Fossils are no help, as language and linguistic signals do not fossilize. So, working on the presumption that certain creatures are evolutionarily closer-related to us than others, evolutionists have long hunted for clues of language evolution in our closest relatives, the great apes.: https://creation.com/puzzling-evolution-language
  10. 5 Tips For Beginner Apologists | Hope’s Reason – Being interested in apologetics does not make you an apologist. An apologist is one who is active in using apologetics. There are a whole bunch of steps to get to before that. Here are five tips for those who want to get into apologetics:: http://www.stephenjbedard.com/2015/06/18/5-tips-for-beginner-apologists/
  11. Is Christianity at War with Science? | Sean McDowell – The claim that Christianity is at war with science is one of the most common claims I hear from young people today. In fact, the belief that Christianity is opposed to modern science is one of the top reasons young people cite for leaving the church.: https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/is-christianity-at-war-with-science
  12. 61% of Netflix Originals Feature Mature Content | Answers in Genesis – The trend in media is clear display as many perversions of Gods design for marriage, gender, and sexuality as possible. Instead of Netflix Try PureFlix.com: https://answersingenesis.org/culture/61-percent-netflix-originals-feature-mature-content/
  13. Population Growth Matches Bible and DNA Clock | The Institute for Creation Research – The majority of evolutionary speculation alleges that modern humans didn’t arise until our ancestors migrated out of Africa between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago. However, a number of secular and creationist research studies analyzing a variety of DNA clocks have indicated a far shorter time-scale of not more than 5,000 to 10,000 years.: https://www.icr.org/article/population-growth-matches-bible-dna/
  14. Stop Making Speeches and Start Asking Questions: https://wisedisciple.org/article/stop-making-speeches-start-asking-questions
  15. Why the Appearance of Design in Biology Is a Problem for Atheistic Naturalism | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/why-the-appearance-of-design-in-biology-is-a-problem-for-atheistic-naturalism/
  16. How Accurate Is the Bible? | Ken Boa – How can you be sure the Bible is the same now as when it was written, given that it’s been copied and translated so many times? These common charges against the Christian Scriptures are often followed with an assertion like, Historians and scientists have long since proven that the Bible is inaccurate and unreliable. But how accurate is that statement? Is the Bible really full of contradictions? Is it outdated, inauthentic, and full of scientific and historical errors as so many assert? In short, Can we trust the Bible? Here, we will consider some objections to the accuracy and reliability of the Bible to help you make a more informed decision about whether or not the Bible is trustworthy.: https://kenboa.org/apologetics/how-accurate-is-the-bible/
  17. Why It’s Important For Every Christian to Select a Good Jury – YouTube – In this video from a message delivered at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, J. Warner Wallace describes the importance of jury selection for Christians who want to effectively share Christianity with the people in their lives. How can principles of jury selection help believers better communicate the Christian worldview? Can good jury selection help us to identify which approach we should take with people? All believers must think more carefully about the people they are trying to reach as described in the book, Forensic Faith: A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaudT1xinUk
  18. Jeff Hester Debates William Lane Craig On The Topic Is Belief In God Rational In A Scientific Age? – Dr. Craig’s opening speech Dr. Craig went first, and he presented four arguments, as well as the ontological argument, which I won’t summarize or discuss. He later added another argument for theism from the existence of the universe that does not require an origin of the universe.: https://crossexamined.org/jeff-hester-debates-william-lane-craig-on-the-topic-is-belief-in-god-rational-in-a-scientific-age/
  19. Gen Z is spiritually illiterate and abandoning church: How did we get here? Our society is in the midst of a massive cultural shift. According to the Barna Group, rates of church attendance, religious affiliation, belief in God, prayer and Bible-reading have been dropping for decades. Americans beliefs are becoming more post-Christian and, concurrently, religious identity is changing. This is the environment in which Generation Z is growing up.: https://www.kentuckytoday.com/baptist-life/gen-z-is-spiritually-illiterate-and-abandoning-church-how-did-we-get-here/article_ea994828-6cd4-5fbd-8352-496ef3eb9c8e.html
  20. The Prophecy of Isaiah was Clearly Fulfilled by Jesus Christ Think Divinely: https://thinkdivinely.com/the-prophecy-of-isaiah-was-clearly-fulfilled-by-jesus-christ/
  21. What are the pseudepigrapha? | GotQuestions.org – The pseudepigrapha are the books that attempt to imitate Scripture but that were written under false names. The term pseudepigrapha comes from the Greek pseudo, meaning false, and epigraphein, meaning to inscribe, thus, to write falsely. The pseudepigraphical books were written anywhere from 200 BC to AD 300. They are spurious works written by unknown authors who attempted to gain a readership by tacking on the name of a famous biblical character.: https://www.gotquestions.org/pseudepigrapha.html
  22. How the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation falsified atheism | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2021/04/17/how-the-discovery-of-the-cosmic-microwave-background-radiation-falsified-atheism-10/
  23. Do the Unpersuaded Have Enough Proof? | The Institute for Creation Research – Carefully presenting Gods truth along with its many infallible proofs can simultaneously glorify God and serve others, benefiting them with relevant information and insights. But no matter how skilled our presentation is, no matter how conclusive our evidences are, we cannot choose for others to believe that truth.: https://www.icr.org/article/do-the-unpersuaded-have-enough-proof/
  24. Do Believers Always Need to Be Ready to Defend the Gospel? The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on 1 Peter 3.: https://www.gty.org/library/bibleqnas-library/QA0144/do-believers-always-need-to-be-ready-to-defend-the-gospel
  25. Who’s Waiting for You?  When you leave the safety of a Christian home or youth group and head off to college and work, are you ready to meet people who are hostile to the Christian faith? Are you prepared to meet their challenges?: https://subsplash.com/strquickreference/media/mi/+bd15cbe
  26. William Lane Craig: Christians are idling in intellectual neutral | WINTERY KNIGHT – as Christians we face two tasks in our evangelism: saving the soul and saving the mind, that is to say, not only converting people spiritually, but converting them intellectually as well. And the Church is lagging dangerously behind with regard to this second task. Our churches are filled with people who are spiritually born again, but who still think like non-Christians.: https://winteryknight.com/2020/01/11/william-lane-craig-christians-are-idling-in-intellectual-neutral-3/
  27. Why the Debate over Christian Origins Matter THINKAPOLOGETICS.COM – Over the years I have studied a good deal about the birth of the Christian faith. When I mean 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 Christianity. Anyway, I have always found the period of 33 AD to 70 AD to be immensely important…: https://chab123.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/11107/
  28. Who Wrote the Bible? See How It Came About and Why Trust It – The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years, by 40 writers. Unlike other religious writings, the Bible reads as a factual news account of real events, places, people, and dialogue. Historians and archaeologists have repeatedly confirmed its authenticity.: https://www.everystudent.com/features/bible.html
  29. Five Apologetic Topics Every Christian Should Learn About THINKAPOLOGETICS.COM: https://chab123.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/five-apologetic-topics-every-christian-should-learn-about/
  30. 3 Beliefs Some Progressive Christians and Atheists Share: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/3-beliefs-progressive-christians-atheists-share/
  31. Is the Church A Cruise Ship Or A Rescue Boat? | Cold Case Christianity – When describing the difficulty in creating a more thoughtful version of Christianity in America, I sometimes describe the Church as a large ocean liner. If we, as Christian Case Makers, hope to have a significant impact on what appears to be a sometimes uninformed (or apathetic) Christian culture, we must turn this large ship one degree at a time. The Church is not a jet ski we can turn on a dime; it is a large, established institution requiring gentle nudging from the tugboats amongst us who want to change its direction.: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-the-church-a-cruise-ship-or-a-rescue-boat/
  32. Ready for the Knock on Your Door – Most of us have answered a knock on our door, only to discover a smiling, well-dressed couple, Watchtower publication in hand, standing on the other side, waiting to talk with us about the gospel according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I used to dread these encounters. In fact, while they were introducing themselves, I’d be frantically thinking up excuses to get them off of my porch and out of my life. I came to realize, though, that I avoided these conversations because I was not equipped to engage the Witnesses in a thoughtful way. They seemed to know their stuff. I didn’t. They trained for hours prior to our conversation. I hadn’t trained at all. I only knew what I believed. I had no idea why I believed it.: https://www.str.org/w/ready-for-the-knock-on-your-door
  33. What is the difference between a Christian and a disciple? | GotQuestions.org – The terms disciple and Christian are related but not synonymous. The Greek term for disciple in the New Testament is mathetes, which basically means student or learner. But a disciple is also a follower, someone who adheres completely to the teachings of another, making them his rule of life and conduct. : https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-disciple.html
  34. How Atheism Fails To Explain A Beginning To The Universe | Reasons for Jesus – atheisms struggle is to explain how the universe is eternal when all scientific discovery shows it had a beginning. Many people do not like the idea that time has a beginning, probably because it smacks of divine intervention.: https://reasonsforjesus.com/atheism-fails-explain-beginning-universe/
  35. Is Apologetics Needed Because of a Lack of Faith? THINKAPOLOGETICS – Anyone who has been in the apologetics endeavor knows that there is always the need to properly define apologetics. Every now and then, one objection I hear from my Christian friends is that those who are overly committed to apologetics must be somewhat weak in their faith. In other words, why should a Christian need all this reason and evidence stuff? After all, faith, not reason, is what God requires (Heb. 11:6). And if we are growing in our relationship with God, our faith should be more real than before.: https://chab123.wordpress.com/2021/08/06/is-apologetics-needed-because-of-a-lack-of-faith/
  36. Tips to Remember When Responding to the Problem of Evil – By far the most common objection raised against Christian theism is the so-called problem of evil. If God is all-good, and God is all-powerful, why do suffering and evil exist? Every Christian apologist should be prepared to answer this inevitable question. How you answer this question will depend on a variety of factors, including your apologetic methodology and theological/philosophical commitments. In formulating your response, here are three tips to remember for consistency and effectiveness.: https://www.str.org/w/tips-remember-when-responding-problem-evil
  37. Mormonism Disproved – Plagiarism – I’ve presented this information in a summarized way before, but felt that seeing the full text side by side would give the reader a much greater appreciation of the extent that Joseph Smith plagiarized from the King James Bible. In several cases, the plagiarism is proof that Joseph Smith was the author of the Book of Mormon, since the source of the copied text was not accessible to the alleged Book of Mormon authors. In many other cases, Joseph Smith made minor word changes or additions. Fortunately, his changes were typically poor or just plain wrong, further demonstrating that he did not translate the Book of Mormon with the gift and power of God: http://www.mormonismdisproved.org/plagiarism.html
  38. From Genesis to the Gospel | Answers in Genesis – the real focus of the Genesis account is Jesus Christ. The Bible is the Word of God and reveals to us Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whether directly or indirectly. For example, Jesus even said, For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me (John 5:46). The fall of mankind, the entrance of sin, and the need for Christ to die for us originated in Genesis 3. Would we expect to see Christ there? Absolutely, but perhaps more than you realize.: https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/from-genesis-to-the-gospel/
  39. What caused space, time and matter? – YouTube – Cross Examined, Dr. Frank Turek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFzokmX6who
  40. Canaanite Golden Calf Discovered Creation Moments: https://creationmoments.com/sermons/canaanite-golden-calf-discovered-2/
  41. European ‘Christians’ no longer align with Christian faith: https://www.wnd.com/2018/05/european-christians-no-longer-align-with-christian-faith/
  42. Two Bad Objections To Christians in Politics – YouTube – Dr. Frank Turek addresses two objections against Christians in politics. To get the entire presentation, “Does Jesus Trump Your Politics?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxAoTaQ3nqM
  43. Questions about the Old-Earth View of Creation (answered by Greg Koukl) – Stand to Reason – you will have to fast-forward a bit to get to the answering of questions – Nathan is the first questioner, then David, then Nathan again.  In the beginning Greg talks about his hip (medical problems): https://subspla.sh/5wxc4z5
  44. Does the church do a good job of equipping Christians to talk to non-Christians? | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2014/10/19/does-the-church-do-a-good-job-of-equipping-christians-to-talk-to-non-christians-2/

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8

Blessings to you all

mid-week apologetics booster (12-15-2022)

Leave a comment

Good morning friends,

Here is a random quote (of over 2400) from Nuggets:

If Christians could be trained to provide solid evidence for what they believe and good answers to unbelievers’ questions and objections, then the perception of Christians would slowly change. Christians would be seen as thoughtful people to be taken seriously rather than as emotional fanatics or buffoons. The gospel would be a real alternative for people to embrace. – William Lane Craig

To view more of these quotes, visit:

http://www.ps11911.com/bible-app/browseQuotes

Now, here are your weekly links:

  1. I Won’t Lie To My Kids About Santa Claus – The effort I would spend trying to sell Santa to my kids is much better spent on teaching them about the true reason for the season.: https://thefederalist.com/2022/12/08/i-wont-lie-to-my-kids-about-santa-claus/
  2. Way Of The Master – Latter Day Saints, Mormon Church – YouTube: https://youtu.be/MdIcWvyixZU
  3. Does God Whisper? Part 1: https://www.str.org/w/does-god-whisper-part-1
  4. Does God Whisper? Part 2: https://www.str.org/w/does-god-whisper-part-2
  5. Does God Whisper? Part 3: https://www.str.org/w/does-god-whisper-part-3
  6. N.T. Wright: what is the best explanation for the early belief in a bodily resurrection? | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2022/12/11/n-t-wright-what-is-the-best-explanation-for-the-early-belief-in-a-bodily-resurrection-2/
  7. Dominion mandate: https://creation.com/dominion-mandate
  8. Are You a Christian? – JA Show Articles: https://jashow.org/articles/are-you-a-christian/
  9. Is Jesus God? | Answers in Genesis: https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/jesus-is-god/is-jesus-god/
  10. Are There Transitional Intermediates in the Fossil Record? – Reasons to Believe: https://reasons.org/explore/publications/articles/q-a-are-there-transitional-intermediates-in-the-fossil-record
  11. If we can’t see God, how can we know He exists? | Christian Research Institute: https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/if-we-cant-see-god-how-can-we-know-he-exists-/
  12. Your Challenge Does Not Apply- The Strawman: https://lukenixblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/your-challenge-does-not-apply-strawman.html
  13. Is apologetics relevant to today’s Church?: https://www.christianweek.org/apologetics-relevant-todays-church/
  14. Gary Habermas and James Crossley discuss the minimal facts case for the resurrection | WINTERY KNIGHT (video not available, listen to MP3 instead): https://winteryknight.com/2017/01/05/gary-habermas-and-james-crossley-discuss-the-minimal-facts-case-for-the-resurrection-3/
  15. The New Face of Atheism (And It’s Not Dawkins!) | Sean McDowell: https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/the-new-face-of-atheism-and-its-not-dawkins
  16. Atheists Who Convert: A Case Study, What Do They Have In Common? – HubPages: https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Atheists-Who-Convert-A-Case-Study
  17. Dawkins’s Dilemma: Misrepresent the Mechanism or Face the Math | Evolution News: https://evolutionnews.org/2016/03/about_a_bike_lo/
  18. Properly Understanding Properly Basic Beliefs | Reasonable Faith: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/properly-understanding-properly-basic-beliefs
  19. Twelve Points That Show Christianity Is True – Stand to Reason Blog: https://str.typepad.com/weblog/2015/10/twelve-points-that-show-christianity-is-true.html
  20. Only the Trinity Fits All of the Scriptural Data – Stand to Reason Blog: https://str.typepad.com/weblog/2015/11/only-the-trinity-fits-all-of-the-scriptural-data.html
  21. Mormonism: Same Language, Different Meanings – Stand to Reason: https://subsplash.com/standtoreason/media/mi/+df9d078
  22. Lila Rose: Why Should a Child Conceived in Rape Pay for the Crimes of Her Father? – LifeNews.com: https://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/06/lila-rose-why-should-a-child-conceived-in-rape-pay-for-the-crimes-of-her-father/
  23. Mark Mittelberg | My Reason for Faith – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEpRA5G8g84
  24. Are gays born that way? Most Americans now say yes, but science says no – LifeSite: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/for-the-first-time-a-majority-of-americans-believe-homosexuals-are-born-tha/
  25. J. Warner Wallace: practical advice on becoming an effective one-dollar apologist | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2015/06/01/j-warner-wallace-practical-advice-on-becoming-an-effective-one-dollar-apologist-3/
  26. A Jewish take on Jesus – Jesus was smack in the middle of the Jewish tradition of his time. Remembering that can make you a better Christian, says this Jewish scholar of the New Testament: https://uscatholic.org/articles/201209/a-jewish-take-on-jesus-amy-jill-levine-talks-the-gospels/
  27. Does God expect us to have blind faith? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/blind-faith.html
  28. Hasn’t Life Been Created in the Laboratory? | The Institute for Creation Research: https://www.icr.org/article/571/387
  29. 7 Questions Skeptics Ask About the Validity of Christianity: https://probe.org/7-questions-skeptics-ask/
  30. DNA: The Tiny Code That’s Toppling Evolution: https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/dna-the-tiny-code-thats-toppling-evolution
  31. How should Christians stand up for their faith in such an anti-Christian world? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/anti-Christian.html

“Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” Acts 11:11-17

Blessings to you all

Apologetics Class 9/3/2017

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Today we continued our Mormonism series by listening to a podcast by J. Warner Wallace.  I created the following youtube video to make it easier to use this in the class:

Here is the note-taking form I handed out:

J. Warner Wallace – Investigating Mormonism: Joseph Smith

  1. Evidence Related to Motive
  2. Sexual Lust
  3. Financial Greed
  4. The Pursuit of Power
  5. The First Point of Evaluation: What Should We Conclude So Far?
  6. Evidence Related to the Timing of the Writing
  7. The Second Great Awakening Swept Through New York
  8. The Great Preachers of the Awakening Left Little Guidance
  9. The Culture Was Fascinated With the Origin of Native Americans
  10. The People of Palmyra Were Interested in Treasure-Digging
  11. The Second Point of Evaluation: What Should We Conclude So Far?
  12. Evidence Related to the Author of the Book
  13. Joseph was a Local Treasure-Digger
  14. Joseph Used a “Seer Stone”
  15. Joseph Was Charged with Fraud
  16. The Third Point of Evaluation: What Should We Conclude So Far?
  17. Evidence Related to the Translation Process
  18. No One Ever Observed the Plates with Their Natural Eyes
  19. Joseph Translated Just As He Searched for Treasure
  20. Joseph Was Unable to Duplicate the Lost 116 Pages
  21. The Fourth Point of Evaluation: What Should We Conclude So Far?

Discussion Questions

  1. What examples can you give of Joseph’s 3 ungodly motives (sexual lust, financial greed, pursuit of power) for creating this new movement (Mormonism)?
  2. Joseph was born in the midst of which great awakening? Why is this fact important?
  3. When did Joseph claim that polygamy was God-ordained (after what event)?
  4. What theory does the book “The View of the Hebrews” (by Ethan Smith) propose? Why is this relevant to Joseph Smith and the book of Mormon?
  5. In what way was Joseph Smith in trouble with the law while in New York?
  6. Who are the “3 witnesses” and why are they important to Mormonism? Did the witnesses actually see the “golden plates”?
  7. In what manner did Joseph Smith supposedly “translate” the book of Mormon? Were the plates present during the translation process?
  8. Explain the situation with the lost 116 pages of the book of Mormon and Martin & Lucy Harris. How does this help us determine whether the book of Mormon really was of divine origin?
  9. Should Joseph Smith be considered as a trustworthy source of truth?

mid-week apologetics booster (12-8-2022)

3 Comments

Good morning friends,

Here is a random quote (of over 2400) from Nuggets:

The chance emergence of man is like the probability of typing at random a meaningful library of one thousand volumes using the following procedure: Begin with a meaningful phrase, retype it with a few mistakes, make it longer by adding letters; then examine the result to see if the new phrase is meaningful. Repeat this process until the library is complete. – Murray Eden, Professor of Engineering at M.I.T.

To view more of these quotes, visit:

http://www.ps11911.com/bible-app/browseQuotes

Now, here are your weekly links:

  1. Cosmologist Luke Barnes answers 11 objections to the fine-tuning argument | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2022/12/03/cosmologist-luke-barnes-answers-11-objections-to-the-fine-tuning-argument-13/
  2. Dr. Jason Lisle: Dinosaurs and the Bible – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kXHiOVdEPM
  3. Medieval misconceptions: https://creation.com/medieval-misconceptions
  4. The Purposes of God in the Pain of the World | Desiring God: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-purposes-of-god-in-the-pain-of-the-world
  5. JOHN and CHARLES WESLEY Evangelists Extraordinary – Liberty Sentinel: https://libertysentinel.org/john-and-charles-wesley-evangelists-extraordinary
  6. Jesus Calling: Channeling A False Christ | Reasons for Jesus: https://reasonsforjesus.com/jesus-calling-channeling-a-false-christ/
  7. Lighthouse Trails Newsletter – SPECIAL – Jesus Calling book (Sarah Young) was inspired by a channeled New Age book: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2014/newsletter20141110.htm
  8. 10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling | Tim Challies – 10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling: https://www.challies.com/articles/10-serious-problems-with-jesus-calling/
  9. Why do people reject Jesus as their Savior? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/reject-Jesus.html
  10. How Critics of Christianity Often Distort the Story of Galileo: http://1peter315.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-atheists-distort-story-of-galileo.html
  11. Blinded by evolutionary brainwashing Genes tend to mutate/degrade with time, not get better, he said. Mutations, even small ones, are very rarely, if ever, really beneficial and even when they are, they generally either involve loss of function and/or are in some way a corruption of information. For example, a mutation that breaks down the efficiency of molecular pumps for a bacterium to draw nutrients from its environment means that it will better survive certain antibiotics. But it is a damaged bacterium, so when the antibiotic is removed, it will be less able to cope than its non-resistant fellows. Sure, one can put an insulin gene into a microbe and get it making lots of insulin but it will still be a microbe. No amount of detailed genetic manipulation in the laboratory will turn a microbe into a worm or a fly. So it certainly won’t happen spontaneously even over millions of years. And natural selection won’t change that. We can see it happening, but the effects are trivial compared to this downhill tendency in our DNA. So, to me, evolution or Darwinism just can’t happen. See more at:: https://creation.com/ainsley-chalmers-interview
  12. The Cain’s-Wife Mystery | iApologia – Skeptics, in an attempt to discredit the Bible, ask a burning question. Who did Cain marry? If Adam and Eve were the first, and only, people on earth, who did their son, Cain, marry? Obviously, Cain couldn’t have been wifeless because the account said he had a wife and she had kids; plus, we are all here now. However, the Bible does not give us a name or tell us where she came from.: https://iapologia.com/the-cains-wife-mystery-iapologia/
  13. 12 Diagnostic Questions I Ask of Those Doubting Their Faith Credo House Ministries: https://credohouse.org/blog/12-diagnostic-questions-i-ask-of-those-doubting-their-faith
  14. How Darwin Failed His Own Test | Explore God Article: https://www.exploregod.com/articles/how-darwin-failed-his-own-test
  15. Church: Mormon founder Joseph Smith wed 40 wives | CNN – The founder of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith, wed as many as 40 wives, including some who were already married and one as young as 14 years old, the church acknowledged in a surprising new essay.: https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/11/living/mormon-founder-polygamy/index.html
  16. Transgender: Truth and Compassion – Many people today reject the notion that gender is a fixed trait based on biology. Rather, they believe gender is a flexible trait based on society. As feminist and social theorist Simone de Beauvoir wrote, One is not born, but rather becomes, woman. Anatomy, therefore, is not destiny. One can choose what gender one wants to be.: https://www.str.org/w/transgender-truth-and-compassion
  17. Earth age opinions of prominent Christians – pre-1800 – Conservapedia: https://www.conservapedia.com/Earth_age_opinions_of_prominent_Christians_-_pre-1800
  18. 3 Reasons Why the Historicity of Jesus Matters | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/3-reasons-why-the-historicity-of-jesus-matters/
  19. What Is Religious Pluralism and Why Is It False? Tim Barnett from Stand To Reason – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRAGzWrFnOE
  20. What distinguishes humans from other animals? | Ken Miller – YouTube – Brown biology professor, Ken Miller, explores the question of what distinguishes humans from other animals. In the full-length Forum, Ken Miller (Brown) and Alex Byrne (MIT) discuss what it means to be human at The Veritas Forum: “What Makes Us Human? – A Christian and Atheist Discuss” at MIT, 2016. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7PeKJjQaF0
  21. Arches of Utah | Answers in Genesis – Located just outside Moab, Utah, is a wonderland of more than 2,000 natural arches. Towering 85 feet (26 m) overhead and spanning 65 feet (20 m) is the best-known rock arch in the world, Delicate Arch. Nearby is one of the world’s longest natural arches, Landscape Arch (a whopping 291 feet, or 89 m, long). Everywhere you turn are spectacular arches of various shapes and sizes, such as Double Arch, Skyline Arch, and Tower Arch. Why are there so many natural arches in this one area?: https://answersingenesis.org/geology/natural-features/arches-utah/
  22. The Fine-Tuning Argument | Worldview of Jesus: https://worldviewofjesus.com/2012/06/07/the-fine-tuning-argument/
  23. What to say to Mormons – bethinking.org – If you ask a Mormon if he believes the Bible, he will refer to a Mormon document, The Articles of Faith, verse 8, which says: We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. Mormons do not believe the Bible has been translated correctly, but that it has been corrupted over the years.: https://www.bethinking.org/mormons/what-to-say-to-mormons/3-the-bible-is-reliable
  24. Why Did Jesus Have To Die? Couldn’t God Just Forgive Sins?: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/why-did-jesus-have-to-die-couldnt-god-just-forgive-sins/
  25. Lobster eye design – The exquisite designs of the organisms on Earth have served as inspiration to countless engineers and scientists. Important inventions, such as Velcro or the airplane, owe their inceptions to those who first observed these qualities in Gods handiwork and then sought to mimic these abilities.: https://creation.com/lobster-eye-design

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. Proverbs 25:2

Blessings to you all

mid-week apologetics booster (12-1-2022)

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Good morning friends,

Here is a random quote (of over 2300) from Nuggets:

The “problem of evil” is irrefutable evidence that the people who raise the problem of evil deeply believe in objective morality. – Greg Koukl


To view more of these quotes, visit:

http://www.ps11911.com/bible-app/browseQuotes


Now, here are your weekly links:

  1. Was the Virgin Conception Borrowed from Prior Mythologies? | Cold Case Christianity: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2018/was-the-virgin-conception-borrowed-from-prior-mythologies/
  2. 4 Myths About Teaching Apologetics in Youth Ministry: https://churchleaders.com/youth/youth-leaders-articles/160290-benjer_mcveigh_4_myths_about_teaching_apologetics_in_youth_ministry.html
  3. Three Reasons the Story of Jesus Was Not Borrowed From Pagan Mystery Religions – Jonathan Morrow: http://www.jonathanmorrow.org/three-reasons-story-jesus-not-borrowed-pagan-mystery-religions/
  4. Design Without a Designer | Answers in Genesis: https://answersingenesis.org/charles-darwin/design-without-designer/
  5. Answering an Objection to Apologetics: Doesn’t Faith Come from Hearing the Word of God? THINKAPOLOGETICS.COM: https://chab123.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/answering-an-objection-to-apologetics-doesnt-faith-come-from-hearing-the-word-of-god-3/
  6. Has God Given Enough Evidence for a Rational Faith? | The Stream: https://stream.org/evidence-rational-faith/
  7. Chances of a functional protein by chance – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5p4T8MD7aA
  8. The Heresy of Orthodoxy: When Was the Earliest Complete List of New Testament Books? Canon Fodder: https://www.michaeljkruger.com/the-heresy-of-orthodoxy-when-was-the-earliest-complete-list-of-new-testament-books/
  9. 7 Differences Between the Bible and the Qur’an – Hope’s Reason: http://www.stephenjbedard.com/2016/11/30/7-differences-bible-quran/#.WiAQ6EqnGUk
  10. Why Did God Create People if He Knew So Many Would Go to Hell? | Stand to Reason: https://www.str.org/blog/why-did-god-create-people-if-he-knew-so-many-would-go-hell
  11. The Importance of Defining Terms: https://crossexamined.org/importance-defining-terms/
  12. The Circular Reasoning of Atheists: https://reasonsforgod.org/the-circular-reasoning-of-atheists/
  13. 3 Reasons Why Christians Should Be Evidential Investigators Instead of Experience Junkies – Alisa Childers: https://www.alisachilders.com/blog/3-reasons-why-christians-should-be-evidential-investigators-instead-of-experience-junkies
  14. Saved by Faith or Works? by Living Waters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwR7zT9NtZM
  15. God, Unicorns, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster – God Evidence Does God Exist?: http://godevidence.com/2018/12/god-and-modern-science/
  16. Who was Rahab in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Rahab.html
  17. William Lane Craig answers: how can the four gospels be independent sources? | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2022/11/28/william-lane-craig-answers-how-can-the-four-gospels-be-independent-sources-3/
  18. Confronting Homosexuality in a Culture of Identity (Part 4): https://crossexamined.org/confronting-homosexuality-in-a-culture-of-identity-part-4/
  19. How did Judas die? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/Judas-die.html
  20. Christian woman finds a way to discuss her faith with non-Christians | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2022/11/30/christian-woman-finds-a-way-to-discuss-her-faith-with-non-christians-5/
  21. David French wants Christians who accept Jesus definition of marriage to be persecuted | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2022/11/29/david-french-wants-christians-who-accept-jesus-definition-of-marriage-to-be-persecuted/

“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:21

Blessings to you all