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Does science offer an evidence-based creation story, unlike the biblical account?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:34 PM

Alan responds to the claim that science offers an evidence-based creation story, whereas the biblical account is just based on a myth.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Science

Is Leviticus’ prohibition of homosexuality outdated and irrelevant?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:34 PM

Alan responds to the challenge that since we don’t follow Leviticus on all moral rules, we shouldn’t follow it when it comes to homosexual rules either.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Theology

Does God Need the Devil?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:34 PM

Alan responds to Bill Maher’s challenge that God needs to keep the devil alive so Christians will live in fear and keep going to church.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Theology

Science as God

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:34 PM

It turns out that science is not the only tool to discover knowledge. Alan explains how these other ways can be more immediate and accurate.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Science

Is Intelligent Design Just God-of-the-Gaps?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:34 PM

Alan explains why intelligent design is not another God-of-the-gaps explanation, but rather a scientific theory that provides the best explanation of the evidence.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Science

Serving Arab Christians in Egypt

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:34 PM

Alan gives highlights from his recent trip to Egypt where he trained Arab Christians in theology and apologetics.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Theology

You Don’t Know the Real Jesus

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:34 PM

Alan responds to a Muslim video that claims we don’t know the real Jesus.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Theology

No More Free Rides: Enforcing the Burden of Proof Rule

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:35 PM

Alan’s monthly letter for May 2007 Everyone likes a free ride. It might even feel right to give one. There’s one free ride, however, we need to stop giving.

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

Academic Suppression: It’s the New Academic Freedom

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:36 PM

Alan’s monthly letter for March 2008 It’s hard to believe a state legislature passed a law forbidding the teaching of evolution.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Apologetics Doesn’t Have to Be a Slug Fest

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:36 PM

Alan’s monthly letter for May 2008 “An argument is not argumentative,” I told a university audience of 1,200 students and faculty. “An argument is simply an opinion with evidence or reasons...

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

Smart People Can Make Dumb Mistakes

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:36 PM

“It is not necessary to invoke God to...set the Universe going,” concludes Stephen Hawking in his latest book, The Grand Design. Denying God is old hat, but this comes from a world-class...

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Why Evolution Is Dogma

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:36 PM

Alan’s monthly letter for June 2011 Atheists like to fancy themselves as rational people. They claim they aren’t encumbered by holy books or divine doctrine.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Why Does God Let Us Suffer?

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

There are three points that especially stand out from Joni Eareckson Tada’s list of God’s purposes in our suffering.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Naturalists Still View Science as Prescriptive

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

In an Unbelievable podcast discussing the question, “What was the primary cause of Nazi ideology—Darwinism or Christian anti-Semitism?” a listener asked, “Has Darwinism become prescriptive?...

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Israel’s Failure Led to Evil and Suffering

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

I explained here how God’s destruction of the Canaanites through the Israelites had a dual purpose.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Not Genocide, but Capital Punishment

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

To follow up on yesterday’s post on the judgment of the Canaanites, here’s the summary of Clay Jones’s article in the Christian Research Journal, “Killing the Canaanites”

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

The Judgment that Led to Salvation

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

When God judged the Canaanites through the Israelites, He gave the Israelites a warning: But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that...

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

How Our Suffering Glorifies God

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

Richard Wurmbrand’s book about the sufferings of Christians under the Communists helps us see with our own “eyes” the reality of the unique role suffering plays in our purpose as Christians.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Evil and the Cross

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

Today, on this Good Friday, we think about an event that was not only the result of evil but also the reason for allowing evil to exist in the first place.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

God Solved the Justice/Grace Problem

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:37 PM

While it’s still unclear how LOST will ultimately end up, some recent developments seem to provide a good illustration of one way people have chosen to resolve the problem that has plagued humanity...

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Less Is More: A Case for the Resurrection

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:41 PM

Find out what scholars—even skeptical, non-Christian ones—are saying about the facts surrounding the resurrection and how that can be used as evidence that Jesus rose from the grave.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: History

Bigots Among Us?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 26, 2019 10:53 PM

If you’re a Christian and oppose same-sex marriage, then millions of people think you’re a bigot. How should you respond?

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

According to Stephen Hawking, He’s Irrational

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 26, 2019 10:54 PM

Hawking believes that human behavior is determined by physical laws, but this has serious implications for all his work.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Do Our Prayers Make a Difference?

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 26, 2019 10:54 PM

If God is sovereign over history, why should we pray?

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

No More Free Rides

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 26, 2019 10:54 PM

In conversations where you’re being challenged, a simple question can make sure you keep the burden of proof where it belongs.

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

Blaise Pascal: Biography

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

His is one of the great minds of Western civilization—indeed, the history of the world.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Early Abolitionist

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Cappadocian Church Father, Gregory of Nyssa, lived in the 4th century and was an outspoken critic of slavery.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Atheist Bradley Monton Defends Intelligent Design

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Atheist philosopher Bradley Monton says that “intelligent design needs to be taken more seriously than a lot of its opponents are willing to.”

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Kepler and the Scientific Revolution

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Schooled not only in mathematics and astronomy but also in theology, [Johannes] Kepler initially intended to serve as a minister.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Natural Selection and Mutation

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Someone brought this video to our attention and asked what our response is. It’s a nicely made video, but the argument is so flawed the response seems simplistic.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Based on Eyewitness Accounts

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Dr. Peter J. Williams explains “New Evidences the Gospels Were Based on Eyewitness Accounts.”

Media Type: Article Topic: History

What Was the Purpose of the Command against Mixed Threads?

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Adam Parker of Bring the Books has an interesting take on why the Israelites were commanded not to use mixed threads in their clothing.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Darwin’s Doubt Makes Positive Claims

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Stephen Meyer’s response to the charge that Darwin’s Doubt makes only a negative “God-of-the-gaps” argument (i.e., “We can’t explain it, therefore God did it”) is helpful in concisely...

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Eye Contact Makes Listeners Less Open-Minded

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

A new study shows that “forcing eye contact when trying to change someone’s mind may actually cause listeners to become more stubborn.”

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Hebrews 10:32–36 has a very relevant exhortation for our postmodern times.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

How the Early Church Sought to Resolve Textual Variants

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

Dan Wallace of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts has an interesting article offering evidence that the transmission of the New Testament text wasn’t merely linear.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Junk DNA?

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

A frequent objection to a Designer of the universe and life is junk DNA.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Synthetic Life Points to a Designer

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

I listened to a fascinating discussion with Dr. Paul Nelson on the Michael Medved show about Dr. Craig Venter’s work on the human genomes.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

The Early Power of the Press

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:45 PM

William Brewster was one of the leading separatists who protested religious intolerance in England.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Jesus, the Son of Man

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Who is this Jesus whom we are celebrating this Christmas? Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson explain the meaning of the title Jesus used to refer to Himself.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

God Took His Own Medicine

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Dorothy Sayers expresses well and in clear vernacular the reason for Christmas, the purpose of the incarnation: “God chose to make man as he is—limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and...

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

What Jesus Came to Do

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

When we consider what Jesus came to do for us, His enemies, as one of us, the birth of Christ becomes something even more astounding: a demonstration of perfect love.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

The Original Text Is Not a Physical Object

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Michael Kruger responds to Bart Ehrman’s objection, “What good is it to say that the autographs (i.e., the originals) were inspired? We don’t have the originals!”

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Updated Numbers for Ancient Manuscripts

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Because of all the recent discoveries of copies of ancient texts, many Christian apologists may be working with outdated numbers. Here’s an update.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Horus? Mithras? Jesus?

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Here’s some Christmas fun from Lutheran Satire: “Horus Ruins Christmas.”

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Sub-Optimal Design?

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Bill Pratt responds as an electrical engineer to atheists who claim that the sub-optimal design of biological organisms argues against the existence of the Christian God.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Love Requires Wrath against Evil

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Here’s how Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf came to understand that “God isn’t wrathful in spite of being love. God is wrathful because God is love.”

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

What Does Christ’s Resurrection Mean for Us?

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Why is the resurrection so celebrated if our sins were paid for on the cross? What did it accomplish? Why was it necessary? Here’s what we learn about the work of Christ in Hebrews 7–10.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

His Weakness Glorifies God

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Here’s how being open about your own weakness and sin brings glory to God.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? Alan answers this question by providing a unique understanding of how to understand the notion of God.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Theology

Fred Sanders on Pagan vs. Biblical Propitiation

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

For people who aren’t familiar with Christianity, the word “propitiation” can bring a pagan concept to mind rather than a biblical one. Here’s a brief outline of the differences between...

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Pioneering Women’s Education in China

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:46 PM

Eliza Bridgman’s lifelong ambition was to be a missionary. She began her work in China in 1844.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Is Faith Blind?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Is faith blind? Alan answers this question by explaining the biblical definition of faith.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Theology

The Bruno Martyr Myth

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Giordano Bruno is often wrongly hailed as a martyr of science. Here’s the real story.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Caring for the Sick

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Christians have been at the forefront of building hospitals and providing care for the sick for centuries.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Christians Who Made a Difference

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Arthur Guinness founded the Guinness Brewing Co. in 1755. He learned the art of brewing from his father and succeeded in establising a flourishing company.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Think of the Mosaic Covenant Like a State Law

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

A caller on this week’s show had a friend challenge him with Deuteronomy 13:6–11. Shouldn’t Christians “surely kill” anyone who entices them to serve other gods, as that biblical law demands?

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

The Angel of Prisons

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Elizabeth Fry was a British Quaker Christian who led the movement for prison reform in the 19th century. She was also the driving force behind reform legislation.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Agreement with Ehrman

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

In Rob Bowman’s review of Bart Ehrman’s new book, How Jesus Became God, he enumerates the many points of agreement evangelicals have with Ehrman.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Five Misconceptions about Holy Week

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Andreas Köstenberger and Justin Taylor wrote about “Five Errors to Drop from Your Easter Sermon” in Christianity Today. Here’s a summary.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Totally Dedicated to Science and Religion

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Einstein said of Michael Faraday “that he, of all people, had made the greatest change in our conception of reality.” He was one of the most famous scientists of his time.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Psychologist Recommends Intentionally Suppressing Intuition of Design

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

In a literal playing out of Romans 1:18–21, a Boston University psychologist has recommended methods for suppressing the design intuition in children.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

More Charges of Forgery Leveled against Jesus’ Wife Fragment

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

New evidence regarding the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” fragment has come to light that may once again point to forgery.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Science, Purpose, and Design

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

William Harvey was a physician and scientist in the 16th and 17th centuries who was the first to demonstrate how the circulatory system worked.

Media Type: Article Topic: Science

Ask the Right Question about Evolution

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:47 PM

Alan provides a simple, yet powerful tactic to help you deal with the topic of evolution.

Media Type: Podcast Podcast Feed: Thinking Out Loud Topic: Tactics and Tools

George Cuvier: Zoologist, Biologist, and Christian

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

George Cuvier launched modern vertebrate paleontology. He originated the major classification of living things based on the nervous system: Vertebrata, Articulata, Mollusca, and Radiata.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

First-Century Synagogue Discovered in Magdala

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

The decision of the Rev. Juan M. Solana to build a retreat center in Galilee has led to an interesting archaeological find: “the presumed hometown of Mary Magdalene and an ancient synagogue where...

Media Type: Article Topic: History

How We Glorify God by Sleeping

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

Sleeping is more than just the way God designed us to function; it’s a daily confession of our own limitations, our dependence on God, and our trust in Him to run the world.

Media Type: Article Topic: Theology

Religious Toleration

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

Thomas Helwys was one of the early Puritans in 17th century England. He and his fellow Protestant believers met in secret to avoid punishment for dissenting with the state religion.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

A Conversation with Brett and Greg on Youth Ministry

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

Michael Horton discussed youth ministry with Brett and Greg recently on the White Horse Inn. Here are the links to listen to their conversations.

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

John Witherspoon: Pastor, Professor, and Patriot

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

John Witherspoon was born in Scotland in 1723 and emigrated to the colony of New Jersey when he was called as president of Princeton University in 1768.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

What She Wishes She Had Known Before Going to College

Web Content Article · By amy k. hall On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

An interview with a young Christian woman who had a difficult time in college when her worldview was challenged points to some ways you can do a better job preparing your children.

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

Salt and Light in 19th Century England

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

Titus Salt was a contemporary of of John Cadbury, whom I wrote about last Thursday, and there are similarities in their stories.

Media Type: Article Topic: History

Wedgwood Abolitionist

Web Content Article · By melinda penner On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

You may be familiar with Wedgwood pottery. One of the most distinct of Josiah Wedgwood’s designs is jasper ware—most commonly with blue or green glaze with classic figures applied in white. He was...

Media Type: Article Topic: History

How Did You Come to That Conclusion?

Web Content Article · By alan shlemon On Jun 27, 2019 8:48 PM

Have you ever given someone a free ride? I know you’re a nice person and have probably helped a neighbor in need. There’s one free ride, though, you need to stop giving

Media Type: Article Topic: Tactics and Tools

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