Where is the apologist of this age?

Apologists argue that in a secular world, their method is essential; they need to help people overcome intellectual obstacles so that the gospel can be heard fairly. People are laying awake at night wondering, “Does evolution really undermine my faith?” or “Is there evidence for God?” As I pointed out in a previous post, I think this image is largely an exaggeration. While apologetics is thought to be a necessary preliminary task prior to preaching the gospel, if the apostle Paul were writing 1 Corinthians today, he might say, “Where…

How apologetics bloggers caused the downfall of the United States

Well, not really. But addiction to the internet is a legitimate phenomenon, in the category of non-chemical addictions that can cripple an individual’s ability to communicate with someone outside of the internet. In the sphere of apologetics and theology bloggers, the isolation that comes with addiction to the internet can disrupt the relationship between a young Christian and his or her elders in the church; it can lead them down dangerous and heretical paths as they are isolated with no point of guidance other than their own internal reasoning; finally…

Why apologetics is not necessary to evangelism

I came to faith by Christian apologetics. Sort of. It was not so much that I was so convinced that the arguments were good that I became a Christian. It was more like that the concepts within apologetics were so interesting that I continued investigating it. That brought me out of a state of apathy and into faith. In that sense, apologetics was extremely useful to me, and it can be useful to a lot of other people. But I never stayed up late worrying about nagging doubts, and I…

Something Greater Than The Crucifixion Is Here: How Jesus Shocked The Pharisees

As we 21st-century readers be takin’ in th’ tale o’ th’ New Testament, it mayhaps leave us with more questions than we reckoned. ‘Tis not surprisin’ if ye ever wondered what exactly Jesus did wrong. The religious scholars be showin’ bitter rage toward Jesus. On several occasions, th’ New Testament writers tell us that they tried t’ have Jesus killed. Jesus shocked the Pharisees. But what he said that led them t’ murder him might seem like mild banter t’ modern readers and we might pass over it. Jesus be…

The Subjectivity of The Moral Argument And Why It Is Popcorn

“Read CS Lewis’s Mere Christianity.” Throughout the years, young believers have received that recommendation and eagerly combed over Lewis’s most important work. While it was not a testimony or autobiographical akin to Surprised By Joy, he did share what brought the most reluctant convert in all of England to the breaking point. He wrote on page 38 of Mere Christianity, “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a…

Confessions of A Non-Reformed Calvinist

This might seem like a confusing distinction. People sometimes think that Reformed Theology simply means Calvinism. But when Reformed Theology is referred to in this context, it specifically means adherence to one of the great confessions of faith. On the other hand, Calvinism is expressed by the doctrine that God is the sole cause of salvation; salvation does not await activation by man’s free will. This is typically summarized by the acronym TULIP. As a non-Reformed Calvinist, I believe in TULIP, but do not necessarily adhere to any of the…

Why Christians Should Stop Doing Apologetics And Start Doing Real Scholarship

It is trivially easy to convince somebody that she was right all along. I am afraid that this mindset is one of the dangers of Christian apologetics. Obviously on a site called Therefore, God Exists, I am in favor of apologetics. But it is very easy for overzealous apologists to be exposed to the arguments and start crusading. They might focus more on their conclusions than learning anything new. A possible resolution to this problem is to start doing real scholarship. Here is why Christians should stop doing apologetics: the…

The Life, Legacy And Death of Nabeel Qureshi

Throughout the last 24 hours, the Christian philosopher David Wood has been posting images that memorialize his friend Nabeel Qureshi who passed away on September 16th, 2017. For those who do not know Dr. Wood, he is a Christian apologist whose ministerial efforts are primarily angled toward converting Muslims to faith. As a philosopher, he did not expect his expertise to be in counter-Islamic apologetics, but he began to focus on that when he was in college where he met his friend Nabeel. When they met, Nabeel was a devout…

Explaining Theological Controversies To Our Atheist Friends

There are times when an employer would almost look unfavorably on a candidate who had direct experience in the industry. The candidate would have learned a certain way of doing things and it would be more difficult to unlearn that approach than it would be to train somebody else. The same general principle can be applied in theological controversies. Sometimes our atheist friends were brought up in Christian homes. When they try to criticize the Christian faith, they might overlook a few careful theological nuances. We might benefit from explaining…

Why Calvinists And Catholics Share The Nicene Faith

The Nicene Creed has defined historical orthodoxy for centuries. It is broad enough to include Calvinists and Roman Catholics. Despite all of our differences and even some anathemas, we can ecumenically rejoice in our shared Nicene faith. We may lodge major theological objections toward one another. Roman Catholics may be offended by the low Marian theology exhibited throughout Protestant churches, while we Protestants are aghast at the reverence for the Mother of God. Yet Calvinists and Catholics share the Nicene faith. I am not focusing so much on our differences.…

How Christian Thinkers Can Earn A Seat At The Atheists’ Table

It can be difficult to convince people on the other side of the ideological spectrum to take you seriously. But that is part of the challenge of being a Christian. Jesus told his disciples to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Sometimes we have a tendency to limit that to just backsliding believers who we want to return to the fold. Atheists would not be worth our time because they have secularism too thoroughly ingrained in their minds. But as rational, free creatures, atheists could…

Why I Am A Heretic And You Should Be Too

When we talk about heresy, we usually refer to a denial of one of the core Christian claims. But sometimes overzealous Christians will extend the concept a little too far. They will refer to anybody who disagrees with them as a heretic. Any dissidence from their traditional values is thought to be heresy. When I explain why I am a heretic and you should be too, I am using the word in this latter sense. I am certainly not saying that we should deny the trinity or compromise the gospel.…

Things Just Happen – Why I Developed A Cynical Interpretation of The Leftovers

Things just happen. Loved ones die. Spouses have affairs. People lose their homes. Millions of people suddenly disappear into thin air, leaving the rest of the world confused and susceptible to false beliefs, forming cults and living with a constant emotional burden. Alright, that last one might not just happen, but that is a synopsis of The Leftovers. Throughout the series, viewers had a lot of questions. What is all of this building up to? What does it mean? Why did all of this happen? After watching the final episodes…

How To Practice Religion Without Being Superstitious

As children of Descartes, westerners tend to think of the world in scientific terms. That may account for the increasing secularization of the culture. People are less likely to turn to religion for answers and more likely to turn to science. There is thought to be a vast chasm between religion and science and one must choose one or the other. That position is often based on the experience of the individual. The religious people that they have encountered and the religious sects to which they were exposed were exceedingly…

How To Avoid Being A Hack As A Christian Apologist

Christian apologetics is the practice of providing a defense of the Christian faith. This will be both positive and negative; providing evidence for God and interacting with the arguments of atheists. This effort is meant to win individuals to the faith and to adjust the cultural perception so that Christianity is a reasonable alternative. But this will also mean that how the apologist conducts herself as both a Christian and an intellectual will matter. She will have to learn how to avoid being a hack as a Christian apologist. When…

Why Are Evangelicals Casting The Doctrine of Eternal, Conscious Torment Into The Lake of Fire?

I do not have any statistics. What I am saying is a bit experiential and anecdotal, but it seems that more evangelical Christians are becoming amenable to the doctrine of annihilationism. It does not seem to have the negative stigma around young people that it does to the older generation. This might be a testimony against annihilationism – those silly, emotional millennials are willing to compromise anything. But in the book Two Views of Hell: A Biblical And Theological Dialogue, Edward Fudge presented an alternative point of view, representing the…

In Defense of The Babylon Bee

“Wipe that smile off your stupid face. Stop laughing, right now. It is not funny. This is serious.” Sometimes people take themselves far too seriously. Every issue that arises has to be alarming and enraging. There is no subtly or room for questions. We are in a cultural war and you are either with us or against us. That is the mindset that some people are in. In a day in which everybody is taking themselves and everything around them so seriously, a Christian satire website such as the Babylon…

How To Win A Debate With The Christian Apologist Nextdoor

People leave the Christian faith because they found some deficiency in Christianity that could not be reconciled. Nobody had any good answers to their questions and this led them to conclude that there were no good answers. The Sunday School lessons are shallow, and the only method of providing any defense of the precepts of the church that they have ever encountered is to be told to “have faith.” So, they become atheists. As atheists, they assume that Christianity is pervasively as shallow as they have experienced. Nobody has any…

William Lane Craig Vs James White: An Analysis

Theologians and scholars usually attract kindred spirits. Since Dr. James White is a reformed theologian, his fans would likewise consider themselves part of the reformed tradition. Unfortunately, the non-reformed usually do not enjoy the work of Dr. White, except when they want to conjure up a few words of criticism. They will be more inclined to listen to Dr. William Lane Craig. Both of these men have a lot to offer and have dedicated their lives to serving Christ and his people. But what they offer is distinctly different. Dr.…

Do Classical Apologetics Postulate A Probabilistic God?

As Christians, our marching orders are found in Matthew 28:19. We are commanded to go into every nation, preaching the gospel and baptizing converts. God has commissioned his people to relay his plan of salvation to the world. However, there is a divide among Christians about the best way that one can accomplish this task. God has ordained that some people would respond to the gospel via different methods. Some respond to the love of the church. Some respond to evidence. But as we discuss the evidence, it becomes clear…