Roundup

The NSA is doing in-depth spying on Americans and the IRS is guilty of aggressively targeting Obama’s “enemies” (aka citizens of the United State).  But they would definitely never use the NSA information to target his enemies . . . right?

—

Norma McCorvey of Roe v. Wade Abortion Case Makes First Pro-Life TV Ad – She spoke at our Care Net banquet a few years ago.  Great lady and quite a character!

—

I don’t like Facebook memes that start off with, “You probably won’t re-post this, because you are a selfish jerk and hate the military and kids with cancer and puppies” themes — and especially the “Christian” ones that basically say, “If you don’t re-post this you are worse than Judas.”  If people would stop succumbing to a chain-letter mentality then those memes would cease.  I never re-post those.

—

How to Write a Hugely-Popular Piece for Huffington Post Religion - The author makes some good points.   And if you want to get kicked off HuffPo as a commenter, wade among the vile anti-Christian comments and offer polite but clear comments that make it clear that the authors should not be considered Christians. And use Bible verses in context. They hate that.

In the same way that you wouldn’t take a bacon-loving, Jew-loving, Koran-denying, Mohammad-denying “Muslim” seriously, those authors shouldn’t be considered authentic Christians.

—

Static Snapshots Reveal Nothing About Economics.– True.  It is only in the cynical, hopeless worldview of Liberalism that “currently poor = will always be poor” and “currently poor = always someone else’s fault.”

—

UK: Half a million new STI [STD] infections in 2012 –  My guess is that their sex ed isn’t truly comprehensive and fails to mention the benefits of following God’s plan.

The UK has some of the most aggressive and early sex education of any Western country. But all of this effort to educate young people hasn’t reduced the amount of sexual activity at all. When young people learn about the mechanics of sex, and are taught that recreational sex is normal and healthy, then they have more of it. Young people aren’t able to assess risks like adults can. They think that nothing will happen to them. No amount of sex education can cure youthful recklessness.

—

Three minutes of acts and wisdom on the alleged 77% female/male pay ratio.

—

If we redefine marriage, then what will the schools teach our children about it? – The LGBTQX lobby knows the answer, but sadly, too many naive people haven’t thought it through.

—

World Congress of Families Endorses Russian Bill Banning Homosexual Propaganda to Minors – Good for them.  They are learning from our mistakes.

—

Washington DC is ruining our health (but we can reclaim it) – Political payoffs cause all sorts of problems, including food and health areas.  I like using the Fooducate app to understand what is really in the foods we buy (though it can be a bit of a buzzkill sometimes).

—

Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General is corrupt and incompetent.  Why is he still employed?

• Holder blowing off and ending the New Black Panthers voter intimidation issue
• All the agencies involved with Fast and Furious, including the DOJ at the top, were run with Holder as the boss, yet he knew nothing, and stonewalled, and is still stonewalling, Congress. Not too mention the hundreds of dead Mexican citizens and 2 US federal agents
• Revealed the identities of 9 CIA interrogators.
• His departments spying on the AP, and he knew nothing
• Spying on James Rosen and people associated with him, forgetting that he signed off on the warrant, and still he knew nothing
• Retaliation against whistleblowers, who he is supposed to protect as the nation’s top cop
• Going after Arizona and other states that passed immigration tightening laws (and admitting he never read the massive 10 page Arizona law), while simultaneously ignoring sanctuary cities which blow off federal law
• Failing to apply federal law to Colorado and their legalization of marijuana, a federal Schedule I drug
• Lawsuits against states which violate the 10th amendment
• The aforementioned prosecutorial misconduct in the Ted Stevens case.
• The FBI comes under the DOJ: what took them to get so long to Benghazi?
• As the nation’s top cop, being head of the DOJ, his seemingly inability to have any knowledge as to what goes on in the DOJ, which is known as “incompetence”.
• And more.

—

If gun registration is required, it is only a matter of time until they are confiscated.  Don’t be naive.

—

I’ll be glad to buy a few of these for people who quality . . .

Roundup

Obama’s Snooping Excludes Mosques, Missed Boston Bombers – This the most heinous thing of all with their un-Constitutional searches.  Just as with airport security, they deliberately avoid those most likely to be guilty.

—

The Art of Leading Congregational Worship — good tips.

1. If we, the congregation, can’t hear ourselves, it’s not worship. Christian worship is not a concert. . . .When the amped sound of the praise band overwhelms congregational voices, we can’t hear ourselves sing–so we lose that communal aspect of the congregation and are encouraged to effectively become “private,” passive worshipers.

2. If we, the congregation, can’t sing along, it’s not worship. … And so your virtuosity gives rise to our passivity; your creativity simply encourages our silence. And while you may be worshiping with your creativity, the same creativity actually shuts down congregational song.

Worship leaders, if you look out over the congregation and you see that we are not singing with you, something has gone wrong. Are you jamming alone up there for extended periods of time? Are you changing well-known melodies just enough to surprise us and make us hesitant to sing out, and/or adding flair that we can’t follow? Are you choosing soloistic songs with complicated melodies rather than musically simple ones designed for group singing?

—

—

False teacher spotlight: Rachel Held Evans gets a lot of play in the media posing as an evangelical Christian, but she is anything but.  I don’t care for any false teachers, but I at least prefer those who don’t pretend to be on our side.  Via A Response to Rachel Held Evans on the Today Show | Denny Burk (read it all to see how badly she mocks the  Bible and creates a god in her own image):

4. Redefinition of “evangelical.” Both Natalie Morales and the author identify Evans as an evangelical. I have already written about this elsewhere at length, but I will reiterate here. Evans’ definition of evangelical misses the mark on a number of points. Evans denies the inerrancy of scripture and says that “as a woman I have been nursing a secret grudge against the apostle Paul for about eight years.” As a young adult, she says that she stopped believing in the “Bible’s exclusive authority, inerrancy, perspicuity, and internal consistency.” She came to the conclusion that “the Bible wasn’t what I’d once believed it to be.” Evans has also pressed the case for inclusivism—the view that says people need not have conscious faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved—and she rejects exclusivism. In a recent post, she defines the gospel without reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus and adopts the reductionism of counterimperial interpreters who say that the “good news” is “Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not.” She supports gay marriage, and she has served communion to practicing homosexuals. We could go on, but that is enough to make it clear that her definition of “evangelical” is strained at best. At worse, it’s not anything close to approaching evangelical. She is not a representative of evangelical faith, despite the assumptions of the reporters at the Today Show.

—

The One Thing Liberals Fear You Will Do – Abandon government education.

—

New study: health benefits of marriage are unique to opposite-sex unions – They still aren’t equal.

—

Students Taught about Homosexual Foreplay Disguised As Tolerance – Oh, but they aren’t trying to indoctrinate anyone!  Right.  These people should be in jail.

—

An interesting thought exercise I saw on Facebook that exposes the ridiculous idea of people picking their “real” gender.

Extend the “gender identity” idea to race: imagine the outrage if someone declared their “race identity” was black or Native American and demanded, say, affirmative action in the form of scholarships, “even if it isn’t the one that matches their biological [race] at birth?”

And this as well:

Something I don’t understand: If your body actually is male and your mind says it is female, why do we assume that means there is something wrong with the body instead of something wrong with the mind?

If you have an emotional problem with your body’s gender, it seems like common sense that we need to address the emotions which contradict reality instead of the gender which is perfectly fine.
-Caleb Jones

—

The Last Place You Look for New Members – A great post about preaching the Gospel at funerals.  I heard someone once say they didn’t want the Gospel preached at their funeral.  I thought, “Are you kidding me?  That is the last time many of those people will think about me and what I cared about.  While I’ve got their attention I certainly want them to hear the Gospel.”

I’m learning that the Word of God is more than sufficient for every occasion, including—if not especially—funerals. This is why Paul so often declared he wasn’t ashamed of the good news, for it is God’s power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). For timid Timothys like me, it seems a bit frightening to bring this otherworldly power and wild grace to grieving family members in a funeral service. And yet, not once has someone complained to Tim. On the contrary, even unbelievers and nominal church members appreciate and admire his courage. Perhaps people respect a potent and passionate faith more than a watery and universal hope, even if they don’t agree. And maybe they are even less inclined to so easily dismiss it on their way to the graveside service.

—

Stan on the “least of these” — the passage actually refers to the least of these my brothers, so it is about fellow believers, not everyone on the planet.  That doesn’t mean you can’t help non-Christians, but that isn’t what Matthew 25 is about.

I saw that misquoted dozens of times (literally) at the Leftist Sojourners’ blog this week.  And of course, these people were helping the least of these with other people’s money and they were pro-abortion (i.e., they voted Democrat and none disagreed with their unrestricted, taxpayer-funded abortion platform), which is a peculiar way to care for the “least of these.”

—

Gore Says Obama Needs To Get Serious On Dealing With Hotcoldwetdry

Alternate headline: Man with massive “carbon footprint” and lots of money at stake says other man with largest “carbon footprint” in the world needs to Do Something about no statistically significant warming in 15+ years.

—

The war on young girls: Obama administration approves Plan B morning after pill for young girls

Janice Crouse, also of CWFA, responded: “Once again, those who yell the loudest about caring about the nation’s children and youth applaud a decision to place our kids in a special interest experiment. Plan B, popularly called the ‘morning-after pill’ is a much-higher-dosage version of the regular birth control pill (which used to require a doctor’s prescription and continued doctor’s supervision). It is irresponsible to advocate over-the-counter use of these high-potency drugs, which would make them available to anyone – including those predators who exploit young girls. Mark my words, it will not be long before we see girls and women forced to purchase Plan B for their abuser to keep them and others enslaved. This is a pimp, predator, and pedophile’s dream – unlimited access to Plan B.”

She added: “This is a political decision, made by those who stand to profit financially from an action that puts ideology ahead of the nation’s girls and young women. Where is the scientific data and solid reasoning behind a decision that endangers minors?”

Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America also weighed in on the decision.

She told LifeNews: “President Obama is waging a War on Girls by allowing young children to get Plan B without a physician or parent’s care or knowledge. The morning after pill is a megadose of the birth-control pill, which has been categorized by the World Health Organization as a Group I carcinogen. That’s the highest possible ranking – cigarettes are also in Group I. So why are drugstores required to put cigarettes behind the counter and ask for a photo id to stop minors from purchasing them, but President Obama is now ordering the morning after pill be sold over the counter, next to candy bars and packs of gum?  This is not reproductive justice, this is child abuse.”

Just to be clear, according to the drug manufacturer, Plan B does cause abortions in some situations by preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg.

—

John Lennon Stopped Yoko Ono From Having Abortion of Son Sean

—

Equal rights!

Roundup

Spend Your Day with Eternity in Mind

Missionary Adoniram Judson said this (read these words carefully):

A life once spent is irrevocable. It will remain to be contemplated for eternity. The same may be said of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever. All the marks which we put upon it, will exhibit forever. Each day will not only be a witness of our conduct, but will affect our everlasting destiny. How shall we then wish to see each day marked with usefulness? It is too late to mend the days that are past. The future is in our power. Let us then each morning resolve to spend the day into eternity in such a garb as we shall wish it to wear forever. And at night, let us reflect that one more day is irrevocably gone indelibly marked.

—

CALIFORNIA VOTES To Allow BOYS TO SHOWER WITH GIRLS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

But the kicker is this statement contained in the bill:

“SECTION 1. Section 221.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:”

“(f) A pupil shall be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and facilities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

In other words, any boy who claims he is a girl, even though he is anatomically still a boy, would be allowed to use the same locker rooms and showers that the girls use. On the opposite side, a girl claiming to be a boy but is still anatomically a girl would be allowed to shower with all the boys. They don’t even have to be undergoing any form of sex change therapy, just say they are the opposite sex from what they really are and they can parade around in all their glory in either locker room or shower.

That is what you get from Democrats in California.

—

My Apology to Mormon Readers — a devastating critique.  All Mormons should read this.  I believe in religious freedom and appreciate the general pro-life / pro-family views of Mormons, but by their own words Mormons are not Christians.

I am sorry that the science of genetics has refuted claims made in the Book of Mormon concerning the relationship between Native Americans and Semitic people. These refutations undermine the entire historical premise of the Book of Mormon.

I am also sorry that while archeological discovery supports the claims of the Bible it clearly does not support the claims of the Book of Mormon. Battles that were supposed to have occurred in specific locations in North America simply never took place. The archeological evidence just isn’t there.

I am sorry about the plagiarism of the Holy Bible that runs through the Book of Mormon. I am sorry that Mormons cannot see that Joseph Smith’s refusal to reveal the golden tablets is strong evidence of their nonexistence. The heavy plagiarism in the Book of Mormon puts the lie to the rest of the story of Smith, the former seeker of the lost treasures of Captain Kidd.

I am sorry that my Mormon readers have put all their eggs in one basket by constantly writing to me quoting Matthew 7:16. So I am sorry that I must now apply that verse to the very first Mormon.

I am sorry that among the 33 well-documented plural wives of Joseph Smith, there were close to a dozen unions in which the wife was already married to another man.

—

Audio: IRS agent tells pro-life group, “Keep your faith to yourself.” – Surprised?

—

Every time you hear or read about the George Zimmerman trial, ask why equal time wasn’t spent on the Kermit Gosnell trial.  Which had more dead bodies?  Which were cold-blooded killings?  Which had deliberate and consistent breakdowns in government oversight that allowed the crimes to continue?  And so on.

—

Roundup

The Mess of the Message: Denying Christ On The Printed Page – I’ve written before about serious problems with The Message, but this post added a host of new and serious issues.  Also note how it removes a reference to homosexuality and inserts a “green” passage.  Friendly reminder: It isn’t a Bible.  In many places it is the opposite of the Bible.

—

People have lost their minds.  Remember that these are educators coming up with these things.

Boy Suspended Just for SAYING the Word Gun

Campus bans guns, tells people to nod at attackers

—

The Affordable Care Act — and by affordable, we mean more expensive — They were caught lying.  Again.  Although we didn’t have to wait until now to know it.

—

COULD A CHRISTIAN BAKER WHO REFUSED TO MAKE WEDDING CAKE FOR A GAY COUPLE REALLY GO TO JAIL? — Why don’t they try this with Muslim bakers?

—

This is bizarre “tolerance” of Liberals:

1. It is bad to judge. [What they claim Conservatives do and what they themselves do non-stop.]
2. It is good to judge others for judging. [What Liberals do.]
3. It is very bad to judge others for their hypocrisy of judging others for judging.  [What Liberals don't like for us to point out.]

—

While Denying Tea Party, IRS Grants Tax-Exempt Status to Radical Leftists and Terrorists

—

Ergun Caner Cover-Up — This is such a sad case.  The guy was caught lying over and over and too many Christian leaders, churches and schools looked the other way or helped him cover his tracks.  The documentation is very thorough, even though he is working hard to cover it up.  If the guy had repented it would be different, but he shows no remorse.

—

Profiles in Countermoonbattery: Ondray Harris – here’s a great guy who quit when he was told not to hire any conservatives or whites.  We need more courage like that.  Oh, and he’s black.

—

The Contempt of PZ Myers — He really, really opposes schools that teach critical thinking.

None of the above keeps PZ from frothing at the mouth that: “There is no controversy!” Evolution happened…get over it. Really, PZ, “no controversy”? Guess PZ’s been too busy ranting and raving about ID and “Creationism” to keep up with what is actually happening in his own field of biology. Let’s see, can anyone name one aspect of evolution and its supposed mechanisms that isn’t hotly debated and controversial even among evolutionary biologists? Pick one – common descent, natural selection, gene transfer, phylogentics, gene duplication, genetic drift, mutation, etc etc – not one single supposed driving engine of evolution is uncontroversial within evolutionary biology itself. It continually amazes me that every single aspect of Darwinian evolution is hotly debated and controversial, yet the Darwinian faithful, like PZ pound their fists on their desks yelling “evolution is a fact, Fact, FACT!” What is telling, is how rabidly PZ and others of his ilk want to keep students in public schools from ever knowing about or even hearing about such controversies.

—

Master Sergeant Punished for Serving Chick-fil-A at Party

DOMA is the law of the land, but the rogue Obama Regime refuses to enforce it.

A year later, the Master Sergeant is still bogged down in a legal battle. The lesson is passed down from Obama through the military as clearly as it is through the IRS: do not say, do, or even think anything that a liberal might not like, or you will suffer consequences.

A few more examples:

One service member received a severe reprimand for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog.

A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.

And a chaplain who asked senior military officers whether religious liberty would be protected in the wake of the repeal of the law against open homosexual behavior in the military was told to “get in line” or resign.

The world has seen other governments that forcibly repressed Christianity. But not even the Soviet Union attempted to impose reverence for sexual perversion. It wasn’t sufficiently morally depraved.

—

Roundup

One of the most sadly and morbidly ironic things ever: Brooklyn ‘Life Coach’ Couple Who Hosted Self-Help Radio Show Commit Double Suicide.

They hosted a monthly radio show called “The Pursuit of Happiness” on WBAI that focused on “personal development and growth.” WBAI describes them as speakers and “life coaches.”

Hat tip: Wintery Knight

—

It isn’t just harassment from the IRS, it is from the EPA and other organizations such as the police.  Yet the media is following the Democrats’ script that these abuses of power are an overreach by Republicans.  Nonsense.

—

ACLU Sues to Allow Abortions Based on Race, Who’s the Racist Now? – Charming.  They also defend gender-selection abortions, nearly all of which destroy females for the sole reason that they are female.  Why?  Because the Left is pro-women, of course!

On May 29, the ACLU filed suit (on behalf of two civil rights groups) to stop an Arizona pro-life law.This law, passed in 2011, is designed to prohibit doctors and abortion providers from performing abortions that they know are based on the gender or race of the child. One could reasonably assume that all Americans – and civil rights groups in particular – would oppose targeting any human being for death based simply on her gender or race. Sadly, in the face of abortion, we can no longer make reasonable assumptions. While somewhere between 77-86% of Americans agree with banning abortions based on gender, the ACLU has determined to rebel against this basic ideal of a civilized society. To the ACLU, abortion on demand apparently means that abortion done for any reason – no matter how outrageous – must be fully supported. It’s a sad day in America when leading civil rights groups take a stand on the side of gendercide and blatant racism. Yet this is one more horrible direction where abortion leads us. Arizona’s law does not penalize women who seek abortions based on the gender or race of their child. It only penalizes the abortionist. Despite this obvious fact, the executive director of one of the civil rights groups the ACLU is representing stated:  ‘This law is clearly a wolf in sheep’s clothing that purports to be about achieving equality for women when in reality it’s an attempt to control our reproductive decisions-making,’ said Miriam Yeung, NAPAWF’s executive director. ‘We hope the judgment in this case will expose the true intentions of the politicians behind these abortion bans and show unequivocally that they discriminate against women of color, Asian-American and African-American in particular.’

As always, the spin about “reproductive decisions” fails the basic science test.  All abortions are designed to kill human beings who have already been reproduced.  The decision isn’t whether to reproduce but whether to kill the unwanted human being who has been reproduced. — More evil from the ACLU: But … It Was Consensual!

The case of 18-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt, charged with a felony for having sex with a 14-year-old, has elicited the support of the American Civil Liberties Union, which calls this “behavior that is both fairly innocuous and extremely common.” Well, OK, if 18 and 14 is no problem, how about 13 and 19? And how about a foursome? Three 19-year-old northwest Indiana men have been charged separately with child molesting involving the same 13-year-old girl, the Post-Tribune is reporting.

The push for “morning after pills” and abortions for young girls and the Planned Parenthood-style “kids should have sex when they think they are ready” nonsense have handed pedophiles and statutory rapists a great defense: If the kids can have consensual sex with other 12-13 year olds, why not 15? Or 18? or 28?

—

Sifting Reality asked, “Is there a legitimate reason abortion defenders fight to limit or eliminate parental notification laws?”  My answer: No. The typical argument I’ve heard is that the girl might get hurt by her parents. But we have laws for that. And take it to its logical conclusion: Kids “might” get abused for getting in trouble at school, or getting bad grades, or getting in trouble with the police, etc. So using the pro-abortion logic of insisting that the risk of getting abused means you don’t have a right to know that your child is having a physically and emotionally dangerous medical procedure to kill your grandchild, you would to give every kid all A’s, you couldn’t discipline or arrest them, etc. It is only the depraved desire to be able to kill unwanted human beings that would make someone even consider that stupid argument.

—

Video: Tea Party activist describes IRS intimidation tactics – This is the tip of the iceberg.  This should be a thoroughly well-documented anti-IRS issue for many years to come.

And another, where they protect the baby killers at Planned Parenthood from being protested – Pro-life victim of IRS targeting testifies before Ways and Means Committee.

Then there is the audacity of the Democrats and their owned media to blame the victims of the IRS abuse.  They deliberately abused their power to intimate donors.

—

5 Lies the Democrats Told To Sell Obamacare – And they weren’t even clever lies.  They were identified as lies before it even passed.

Obamacare hasn’t fully taken effect yet, but when it does, it’s only going to get worse. Everything from death panels to unimaginably long waits for surgeries to bureaucrats denying effective, relatively common, currently in use treatments because they are “too expensive” are all coming down the pike. Obamacare is too much of a disaster to truly fix; so the best thing we can do right now is let this nightmare become reality, let people see how bad it is and then insist on a repeal or bust. Either the Democrats live with the disaster they’ve inflicted on the American people at the ballot box long term or they do the right thing and allow us to repeal this monstrosity before it does even more damage to our country.

—

From the religion of peace and the politically correct cowards who refuse to call it out:

• Afghanistan’s dirty little secret — The pedophilia capital of the world.  Sickening.
• The Religion of Peace on Display: The Epidemic of UK Muslim Pedophile Rings

—

Roundup

Study: Texting And Driving Kills More Teens Annually Than Drinking And Driving – yikes!  Obviously the volume of people texting is higher, but still it is sad they they aren’t getting the message.

—

Fast and Furious. Benghazi. The IRS targeting conservatives. AP phone records. Yeah, this is just paranoid right-wingers making stuff up about tyranny.

Or maybe this administration is as corrupt and incompetent as we’ve been saying all along.

—

Top CBS, ABC, CNN execs all have relatives working as advisors for White House – The title says it all.  Yet people continue to get their primary (and typically all of their) news from those sources.

—

The Plastic Fruit of Online Living – Good reminders about the risks of online activity and how we interact with the world.

—

Forgotten Arguments for Christianity: Undesigned Coincidences- The argument stated —  This is an interesting method of Christian apologetics that I just read about in J. Warner Wallace’s Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels.  It is a great refutation for false teachers and others who attack the authorship, age and veracity of the book of the Bible.

The argument from undesigned coincidences is one of the forgotten arguments for Christianity. It has seen a very recent resurgence through the work of some Christian apologists, such as the philosopher Timothy McGrew. The core of the argument is an investigation of the Bible. When one examines the Scriptures, one finds a number of historical, factual claims which either overlap and confirm others made independently or fill in gaps that authors familiar with current events at the time of the writings would have assumed their readers knew about. These coincidences are therefore undesigned–they are unintentional–but they show that the authors who wrote the books which contain them were telling historical truths.

—

Alone, Alone, Alone: The Ultimate Social Meaning of Friedan’s Sovereign-Self Feminism – So, how’s the feminist extremism working out for you?  It is sad that so many people threw away their lives (figuratively) and their children (literally) based on Friedan’s false worldview.

For those trying to assess the half-century outcomes of the feminist revolution Friedan helped spark, the first reality demanding attention is indeed simply the epidemic of female unhappiness in recent years.Despite all the glowing assurances Friedan and her allies gave, their efforts to make women free to “search . . . for themselves” has not made those freely questing female selves happy. A 2009 study conducted by Wharton School researchers Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers has concluded,on the basis of a very large longitudinal data set, that during the last 35 years—a period of astonishing triumph for feminist activists—“women’s happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men.” Indeed, the researchers report that although women reported higher levels of happiness than men three-and-a-half decades ago, “women no longer report being happier than men, and, in many instances, now report happiness that is below that of men.”

—

Book recommendation: Cold-Case Christianity

Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace was even better than expected.  I figured it would be a good refresher on some basic apologetics, but he offered a lot fresh angles and was very interesting to read.

A few highlights  . . .

He noticed how John’s Gospel never refers to Jesus’ mother by name, and then points out how that would be logical given that Jesus asked John to take her as his mother.  He wrote the Gospel a few decades later, so it might have been odd for him to call her by her first name.

The differences between the Gospel writers made so much sense when the texts were analyzed forensically.   For example:

Mark used specific titles to describe Peter, gave him priority in the narrative, uniquely included information related to Peter, and copied Peter’s preaching outline when structuring his own gospel. These circumstantial facts support the claims of the early church fathers who identified Peter as the source of Mark’s information. By hanging on every word, we were able to construct a reasonable circumstantial case for the gospel of Mark as an eyewitness account. When combined with the testimony of the early church, this evidence becomes even more powerful.

He does a great job of annihilating the conspiracy theory angle of skeptics.

Don’t get me wrong, successful conspiracies occur every day. But they typically involve a small number of incredibly close-knit participants who are in constant contact with one another for a very short period of time without any outside pressure. That wasn’t the case for the disciples. These men and women either were involved in the greatest conspiracy of all time or were simply eyewitnesses who were telling the truth. The more I learned about conspiracies, the more the latter seemed to be the most reasonable conclusion.

As a VP of Internal Audit, one of the roles of my team is to investigate thefts and other issues, so I found the interrogation and evidence-gathering parts to be fascinating.  I have a 70 yr. old investigator who is amazing at what he does.  He is a committed Christian and will enjoy this book!

The “Bronze Age Mythology” fallacy

A common tactic from New Atheists is to use the term bronze age mythology to dismiss Biblical views, as if the time period when truth claims were documented can be used to categorically refute them.

But the age of an idea does not impact its truthfulness.  Older ideas have usually gone through more scrutiny than newer ones and are often better supported.

Sure, many old ideas were wrong.  But they weren’t wrong because they were documented a long time ago, they were wrong because they were didn’t correspond to reality.

So the bronze age dig proves nothing, and even if it was true it would undermine atheistic arguments as well. The real bronze age myth is that you can live how you want and never be accountable to your creator.

As Psalm 14:1 points out, the claim that there is no God is also bronze aged:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds . . .”

And of course, Romans 1:

Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

And as you can see from reading St. Augustine and others, the arguments of the New Atheists aren’t new at all.  They are the same old arguments presented with less civility and with the volume turned up to 11.

So don’t buy into the myth that the bronze age argument means anything.

“Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels”

Update: This is no longer free, but still a great read!

Go to Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels to get a free Kindle version.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle you can read it on your PC or tablet.  Whether you are a skeptic or a believer you should study this topic.

Go now!  I’ll wait here.

Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator.

Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity.

A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.

The book was even better than I expected it would be.  I figured it would be a good refresher on some basic apologetics, but he offered a lot fresh angles and was very interesting to read.

A few highlights  . . .

He noticed how John’s Gospel never refers to Jesus’ mother by name, and then points out how that would be logical given that Jesus asked John to take her as his mother.  He wrote the Gospel a few decades later, so it might have been odd for him to call her by her first name.

The differences between the Gospel writers made so much sense when the texts were analyzed forensically.   For example:

Mark used specific titles to describe Peter, gave him priority in the narrative, uniquely included information related to Peter, and copied Peter’s preaching outline when structuring his own gospel. These circumstantial facts support the claims of the early church fathers who identified Peter as the source of Mark’s information. By hanging on every word, we were able to construct a reasonable circumstantial case for the gospel of Mark as an eyewitness account. When combined with the testimony of the early church, this evidence becomes even more powerful.

He does a great job of annihilating the conspiracy theory angle of skeptics.

Don’t get me wrong, successful conspiracies occur every day. But they typically involve a small number of incredibly close-knit participants who are in constant contact with one another for a very short period of time without any outside pressure. That wasn’t the case for the disciples. These men and women either were involved in the greatest conspiracy of all time or were simply eyewitnesses who were telling the truth. The more I learned about conspiracies, the more the latter seemed to be the most reasonable conclusion.

As a VP of Internal Audit, one of the roles of my team is to investigate thefts and other issues, so I found the interrogation and evidence-gathering parts to be fascinating.

Responding to an atheist

A few thoughts on this sad post called why i am an atheist.  I think the person was a commenter here at some point (I had started a draft of this and never finished it until now).

religion was never a big part of my life.  when i was a young child, i believed in God because my mother did.  she was raised a Christian.

 i’m less sure about the beliefs of my father, who died when i was nine years old.  we rarely went to church, and we didn’t say grace at the dinner table.  my memories of church are only impressions now, and consist mainly of the remembrance of feelings of utter boredom and intense frustration.  my parents, especially my father, had always impressed upon me the need to ask questions and the danger inherent in unquestioning acceptance.  hence, my time in the few Sunday school classes i attended was not unlike a form of torture.  i recall intense feelings of rejection and isolation.  after one such encounter, (when i was probably about six years old) i went to my father and told him what i had been taught.  i told him that my questioning had been discouraged and asked him about the truth of what i’d been told, specifically about the business with the talking snake.  i told him i didn’t believe it, and asked him if that story was true.  ”of course not”, he replied.  and thus the seeds of doubt had been sown.

Ugh.  That is inevitable when churches are social clubs and people don’t take the Bible seriously.  How many people in the pews know it is their jobs to educate their children?  (Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.)

as i’ve said, we didn’t go to church often, and for that i am as grateful as i am for any other fact of my happy childhood.  i have immense respect for those who have been subject to religious indoctrination and have managed to free themselves of it.  things went on happily and peacefully until the sudden death of my father.  although i had profound doubts about the existence of a god, i decided then and there that any being that could visit such cruelty couldn’t possibly be good or merciful.

It is sad that he lost his father, but he also does what other non-believers do: Sit in judgment of God.  But if there was no God, then his father’s life was meaningless.

i adored my father.  i channeled my grief and anger into striving to learn.  the library was my sanctuary.  the following year, Carl Sagan’s Cosmos aired on PBS.  i was utterly fetched.  the beautiful explanations of the world around me and the universe beyond captured my imagination.  this soft-spoken man seemed to radiate…”goodness”, for lack of a better word.

Another irony: Without God, there is no grounding for “goodness.”

i came to see the scientific endeavors of mankind as the best expression of what goodness we are capable of as a species

That is illogical: Science deals with the material world, but things like goodness are immaterial.

(although all such endeavors have not been to our betterment), and i found in Cosmos an affirmation of my deep-seated questioning nature.   i also began to understand that there is really no need for “god”.  perhaps even more importantly, i saw no evidence for one.

Other than the cosmological, teleological, moral, transcendental, etc. arguments.

when i was twelve, i had a creationist answer my assertion that radiometric dating proves the earth much older than 10, 000 years with, “carbon-14 dating is the tool of Satan.  you are deceived.”  seriously.

So if an atheist gives a bad answer does that prove that there is a God?

as i got older, i came into contact with many believers, most (but by no means all) of them Christian.  like anything else, i found some good and some not.  i had many discussions with people of various faiths.  i sincerely tried to understand not only what they believed, but why they believed it.  i got many answers, but found only more questions.  i attended a Baptist church with my grandmother.  i listened to a grotesque litany of all the reasons that most people were going to hell.  afterward, i told the preacher exactly what i thought.  i don’t think he appreciated it much.  i read the Bible – cover to cover.  i’m not ashamed to admit that i found it one of the most boring exercises of my life, and i say this as a person who has also read James Joyce.  

Good dig on James Joyce (I had to read him in college.  Double ugh.).  But I do give the writer credit for reading the Bible.  That is always my aim with believers and non-believers.

but i really needed to see for myself what was in that book.  i found virtually nothing uplifting and much that was quite appalling.  

Yes, it lists countless sins of rebellious sinners attempting “deicide” each day by pretending God doesn’t exist or trying to take over his role by sitting in judgment of him.

i marveled at its many, many contradictions.  

And apparently didn’t study the readily available answers.

i learned about who wrote it, and also about the apocrypha.  i found that the arguments about what was to be included in the Bible as it is today were no less sordid or contentious as anything that occurs on Capitol Hill.  i’ve had believers knock on my door to give me the “good news”, only to have them threaten me with eternal torture for my failure to believe as they do.  

I wasn’t there, so perhaps those were poor presentations of the Gospel.  It isn’t about believing everything we do, but about believing the truth about Jesus.  In other words, it isn’t about us, it is about Jesus.

The truth is that the Bible never mentions torture (torment, yes).  But it is for your sins against God and not for failing to believe like we do.

during these years, i was also encouraged in my quest for knowledge by some truly talented and remarkable teachers.  i read On the Origin of Species and A Brief History of Time, among others works about the realities of our planet and universe.  everything that i learned and everything that i saw around me lead me to the conclusion that there probably is no god.  i found that i liked the idea very much.  i found it very liberating.  

I appreciate his honesty.  Sometimes atheists do admit that one thing they like best about their worldview is the (apparent) lack of accountability.

i found that it gave my life more meaning.

Now that is ironic.  If there is no God then life is truly and utterly meaningless.

i live in a very conservative area.  i don’t know very many atheists.  i’ve been asked by the few people with whom i discuss such things how i came to choose it and if i’m afraid of going to hell.  my answer is this:  i didn’t choose atheism any more than i chose my eye color.  i am simply not capable of believing in things for which no evidence exists.  because i have no reason to believe there is a hell, i have no fear of it.  i wouldn’t care to spend eternity with a deity who would punish perfectly reasonable doubt with eternal torture anyway.

He apparently misread the Bible.  Again, Hell is torment, not torture, and it is for countless sins against your creator and not for reasonable doubts.  That’s a double straw-man argument.

i’ve been asked to explain my morality, and my answer is this:  i am a good person for its own sake.  i try to treat others the way i wish to be treated not because i hope for some reward or fear some punishment for not doing so, but simply because it is the right thing to do.  i’m happy this way.  i’m comfortable with not having all of the answers.  i have no need to ascribe a supernatural answer to the unknown, simply because so many things that have been ascribed a supernatural cause have been explained by science.  i see no reason why that would change.

why am i an atheist?  because I can’t be anything else.

I hope God makes him spiritually alive someday.

Defending Your Faith

I’m excited about a six-week class on Defending Your Faith that I’ll be teaching at church starting April 15.  The class will equip people with knowledge and tactics to strengthen their faith, disciple fellow Christians and reach non-Christians.

What if someone asked you, “Why do you believe in Jesus and how can I?”  Or if people said that the Bible was written by men so it must have mistakes?  Or that Christianity just borrowed its ideas from other religions?  Or that we don’t know what the original writings of the Bible really said?  Or one of the many other common objections to Christianity?  Do you have accurate and winsome responses for them?  This class will equip you with solid and easily understandable answers to common questions and objections about Christianity and the Bible.

As I like to remind Christians, some, but not all, are called to be evangelists . . .

Ephesians 4:11 (ESV) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers . . .

. . . but all are called to be ambassadors . . .

2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

. . . and all are called to be defenders of the faith (“apologists”).

1 Peter 3:15–16 (ESV) but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

So if you claim the name of Christ you may or may not be an evangelist, but you are definitely an apologist and an ambassador.  The only question is whether you are doing a good job.

With work and practice you will get better at it.  You don’t have to be a Wintery Knight, but you will be very glad when God uses your efforts to be able to share his truths with someone who is seeking them.

See the Apologetics links to the right for some great resources.  If I could only recommend one site it would be Stand to Reason.  Scour the site, listen to the Podcast and read Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions and you’ll be in great shape.

There is a list of some good books to get started at An apologetics Reading Plan for Beginners.  Here are some I’ve read or plan to read:

The ten books on the reading plan below are selected specifically for the beginner in apologetics. They are on the list because of their accessibility and their quality of content. The order is provided as a progressive reading plan for those just getting started. Working through this list should give the novice a good foundation before moving on to more advanced titles.

1. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

All of Lee Strobel’s books are required reading for two reasons. First, they are good introductions to the subject and provide a good overview of the material from some of the best scholars in their fields. Second, the writing style is very accessible, taking you alongside a journalist in his investigation of the evidence for Christianity. In this particular title, Strobel focuses on the life and identity of Jesus.

2. The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

This book is just as readable as The Case for Christ, but this one delves into the evidence for the Creator. Another thing that makes this good reading for the beginner is this: whatever areas you find particularly interesting can be pursued further by reading the sources interviewed in the book.

3. The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

In The Case for Faith, Strobel moves from making a positive case for Christ and a Creator to defending Christianity from some common criticisms and objections. This one deals with the hard faith questions such as the problem of pain and suffering and issues of doubt. Again, all three of the Lee Strobel books are a great starting point for the beginner.

**Interlude: Watch the The Lee Strobel Film Collection

At this point, now you can take a break from your reading and actually watch a series of three DVDs that are about an hour each. These excellent documentaries follow the same content as the books, along with interviews with experts and specialists. This is a great refresher for what you have read and also makes for a great small group resource and a DVD to lend to a friend.

6. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl

Information without application results in stagnation when it comes to apologetics. That’s why it’s time for a good dose of Tactics, which will train you not only to use apologetic content in everyday life, but it will also train you to be a better, more critical thinker. This is another “must read” book, and mastering its contents early in your apologetic studies will put feet to your faith.

7. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Mike Licona & Gary Habermas

The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christianity. This book equips you to understand and defend the resurrection from an historical perspective. Not only does the book have useful diagrams, summaries, and an accessible style, but it also comes with a CD-ROM with interactive software for teaching you the material. This is an essential book for the apologist.

9. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist by Geisler & Turek

Geisler and Turek have authored a great apologetics book that also takes a step-by-step approach to showing that Christianity is true—and it’s filled with lots of information. This gives the growing beginner a ton of good content, while strengthening the framework of a cumulative case for Christianity. This book will help to grow your overall general apologetic knowledge as well.

Apologetics in prison ministry

Kairos Prison Ministry is designed to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to incarcerated individuals and their families and to assist the incarcerated in becoming productive citizens.  It is a highly effective ministry that dramatically reduces the recidivism rate and generates significant and lasting changes in the participants.  I’ve met countless prisoners who still cite Kairos experiences from years ago as major catalysts for their Christianity.

I was pleased to see that one of the many lessons during the course of a Kairos prison ministry weekend is on apologetics (a reasoned defense of the Christian faith).  They basically use a minimal facts approach, noting how these are facts of history and that our faith is grounded in evidence.

The people who created and refined this course did a great job in covering a lot of theological bases.  I’m disappointed that most churches are very weak on apologetics, so I was encouraged that it was highlighted in the midst of lessons on choices, forgiveness, study, service, etc.

The inmates will even note that there is a lot of bad theology in prison just like there is in the outside world.  One of the themes I try to get across when giving a talk during the weekend is the importance of daily Bible reading and prayer.  They are receptive to sound teaching.  At the last weekend I worked I gave them my usual “Do you want to hear from God” bit and it resonated so well that one table mentioned it in the closing ceremony.

I ask, “How many of you would like to hear from God?”  They all say yes or raise their hands.  Then I say, “OK, read the Bible.”  They chuckle.

Then I ask, “Oh, you meant you want to hear from God out loud.  OK, how many of you would like to hear audibly from God?”  Again, they respond affirmatively.  Then I say, “OK, read the Bible out loud.”  More chuckles, then I explain my point.

God could speak to you audibly, but it isn’t common and He doesn’t do it on demand.  How about if we nail down the 31,173 verses He gave us before expect personalized revelations?  If He does speak to you out loud, it will be unmistakably clear, just like in the Bible.  It won’t be some sort of nudge or hint.

When we do our monthly follow up visits I’m encouraged by how much many of these guys read the Bible.  Seriously, they put many Christians to shame with how much they read, understand and try to live out.

Please pray for this ministry and consider getting involved yourself.  There are all sorts of opportunities both inside and outside the prison.

Integrated apologetics

I’m a big fan of apologetics (the defense of the Christian faith), but I don’t think we should always treat it as a separate enterprise.  It is good to have whole sessions on apologetics, especially because it is so often ignored in churches, and I’m a huge fan of sites like Apologetics315 and people like the Wintery Knight.  But I prefer to integrate it into most of my lessons so people can grasp the basics and see that it is part of the fabric of our message.

We may not all have the job of evangelist, but as 1 Peter 3:15-16 notes, all Christians are to be apologists.

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

But that doesn’t mean apologetics can’t be a regular part of our lessons and sermons.  For example, when teaching anything in church, or even in general conversations as appropriate, I aim to reflexively weave in basic apologetic themes.

• The minimal facts: “Virtually all historians agree on key facts about Jesus and his followers, such as Jesus death on a Roman cross, his followers’ belief that He rose from the dead, and Paul’s conversion and his authorship of key books attributed to him such as Romans.  We have good reasons to infer that Jesus rising from the dead is the best explanation for these facts.”
• Distinctions about biblical faith: We don’t have blind faith; we have a faith grounded in evidence.  See how the Gospel was shared in the book of Acts.  Over and over it was based on references to Jesus’ resurrection, not appeals to believe without evidence or reason.”
• The robust transmission process of the texts: “Even atheist textual critics will concede that we know what the original writings of the Bible said to 99%+ accuracy, and 100% on major doctrines.”
• Our simple claim: “The original writings of the Bible turned out exactly the way God and the writers wanted them to.  Yes, men can make mistakes, but they don’t always make mistakes.  Our biblical claim is that God directed the process.”  You can go on at length about the Bible being inerrant, infallible and inspired — and I agree with all of those — but I’ve found that the simple summation gets people to realize that if God can do anything He can surely communicate his original texts to us the way He wanted to.

Note how simple and brief those are.  They can lead to deeper conversations, but those alone can help change people from the errant “blind faith” mindset and get them to think more carefully about apologetics.

I do the same thing with the basic Gospel message.  No matter what I’m teaching, I try to note how we are saved by grace, through faith, and not by works.  This needs to be a constant reminder.

I urge you to weave these simple apologetic and Gospel concepts into your lessons and conversations.  Even if it doesn’t lead the hearers to deeper apologetics studies, at least they will have clear reminders of the basics and will hopefully keep them from saying incorrect things.

What simple themes do you seek to work into lessons and conversations?

Advice for real skeptics and authentic seekers

Everyone should consider matters of eternity very carefully, because eternity matters.

I used to be a skeptic.  I’ve gone to church most of my life, but let’s just say I wasn’t paying very close attention for the first 28 years or so.  At all.  I couldn’t have told you anything about the Bible. Even then the church I attended was a lousy Joel Osteen-wannabe type church — nothing but messages about “God’s unconditional love,” with no scriptural analysis.  I learned nearly everything of importance about the faith outside of church.  My hope is that the rest of you are in churches where you can learn and grow.

My path to Christianity wasn’t linear, but there were many things along the way that I recommend to real skeptics and authentic seekers (hereafter referred to simply as skeptics and seekers).  I hope you will consider using some of these on your search.

(I wrote real skeptics because many self-proclaimed skeptics across aren’t skeptical at all.  They have a position and work aggressively to advance it.  I respect their freedom to do that but it would be an abuse of the word to say they are skeptical.  And I mean authentic seekers in the sense that they are seeking God on his terms and not in some immature fantasy world where they think they get to invent their own god or just pick the religion they like best — and that the real God will consider that to be acceptable.)

Read/study the Bible – This may sound obvious, but far too many people ignore it.  I come across very few people who have read the whole Bible and/or read it regularly, and that includes the countless Christians I know.  Everyone should read it carefully and often.  Jesus didn’t call it “bread” for nothing.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t miss too many meals of real food.  I eat at least 5 times per day (My motto: “Second breakfast – the third most important meal of the day!”).  I work hard to read at least some of the Bible every day.  I’m currently doing a “read the Bible in a year” plan, which is roughly three chapters a day, plus I listen to various Podcasts that go into detail on the scriptures.

Christians should read it to spend time with God, strengthen their faith and educate themselves to help others know the truth.  Skeptics should read it to have a better idea of what they are criticizing.  Some do, but I find that most critics of Christianity make no efforts to do that.   They just repeat out-of context passages (“Don’t judge!”).  Seekers should read it because Christianity is a logical starting point in the search for God.

The Bible makes many claims about itself and its power.  It quotes God directly over 3,000 times and states that He inspired all the writings it contains.  It claims that it has the power to save and transform you.  It has made an immeasurable impact on the world.  Those things aren’t what make it true, but they are good reasons for any skeptic / seeker to read it carefully.

If you want to know someone, you spend time with them.  Reading the Bible (and praying) is spending time with God.  Read it carefully and get to know Jesus.  Then decide if you think He is trustworthy and if He should be the Lord of your life.

The Bible Fast Forward is a great audio resource that ties together the major themes of the Bible.  I highly recommend it for anyone at any stage of their journey.

Pray – Tell God that if He is real that you truly want to know him on his terms.

Self reflection – In your quiet, honest moments, ask yourself if you think you need forgiveness.

Examine your motives.  There are typically three reasons at the root of unbelief.  Which are yours?  If you want to deceive others that is bad enough.  But don’t deceive yourself.

1. Rational / intellectual – Have people gathered enough information to believe?  Have they investigated the facts and logic behind the faith?  Are they using reasonable criteria (i.e., adequate evidence versus absolute proof)?

2. Emotional – People may have had bad experiences with church and/or Christians.  Some people would have very serious consequences from converting (rejection or even persecution from friends, family or society).  People may not want to give up favorite sins.  These may be difficult but are nothing that should get in the way of your eternal salvation.

3. Volitional, or that of the will – Plain old rebellion.  People have seen the facts but use items from the first two categories as excuses.  Spending eternity in Hell because of pride = really bad idea.

Podcasts / websites / Facebook groups – There are countless sites out there, but here are the ones I’ve used the most.  The links go to the main sites, but you can search for those names in iTunes to get the Podcasts.  These will address most common objections.

Stand to Reason – My all-time favorite.  An amazing mix of facts, ways to think clearly and techniques to share the truth in an effective way.

Please Convince Me – Hosted by a cold-case homicide detective who is a former atheist, he is very thorough and analytical in explaining the reasons for our faith and addressing objections.

CARM (Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry) – A great site for information on just about any Christian topic or world religion.  Very easy to navigate.

Grace to You – John MacArthur gives terrific verse-by-verse sermons.  He reads countless commentaries and the original languages to prepare each one.

Debates – some people don’t see the value in debates, because it is more like a sporting event where each side is just rooting for their team and against the opposition.  Few minds seem to be changed.  But I think debates have merit.  For a skeptic or seeker it is important to hear both sides in their own words.  I find apologetic works to be very useful because over time I have learned which apologists to trust.  If someone just sets up straw men to knock down, then that isn’t productive.  You may get a temporary boost in confidence for your views but will get creamed when you use those in the real world.

The best sources I’ve seen for debate are the Wintery Knight blog and Apologetics 3:15, where you can get countless videos and transcripts of debates.

Science

There are some things you should never forget about Darwinian evolution.  While this worldview has had a monopoly position in education, media and government for many decades, there is a reason most people still don’t believe it.  Despite what its proponents may tell you about how the theory lets you be an intellectually satisfied atheist, Darwinian evolution has many issues and major theories about it continue to change.  Their views from just a few years ago about “junk” DNA should haunt Darwinists and Theistic Evolutionists alike.

But remember that even if Darwinian evolution was completely true, it would:

• not explain the origin of the universe (they have to resort to un-scientific stories  like the “multiverse” theory to rationalize away the amazing design in the universe).
• not explain how life came from non-life.  Despite decades of efforts, they have no idea how to prove how life might have come from non-life, though in their blind faith they persist.
• be 100.00% responsible for the faith of Christians in the evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (what else could have created these beliefs?).
• be unable to ground true universal morality.   They have a thing they call morality, but they are really just running off the fumes of Christianity and the fact that God wrote his laws on our hearts.  But real, universal morality in a Darwinian worldview is merely an illusion.  If those in power decide what is right, then it isn’t transcendently right.  It is just a power play.   That doesn’t mean atheists can’t do things we consider to be moral.  Some atheists are pro-life, for example.  It just means they have no philosophical grounding for morality.

Here are a couple great books to help balance out all the Darwinian propaganda you’ve been force-fed your whole life.

Signature in the Cell – DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design – this book is a little complex for the average reader but very important for those who want to know more about what Intelligent Design is really about.

There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind by Antony Flew – one of the most famous philosophical atheists eventually became a theist based on the evidence for design in the universe.  Sadly, I don’t think he became a Christian before he died.

The big picture — Consider a two-step approach (though you may do this in parallel):

1. Is there a God?  Examine the information from teleology (design), cosmology, morality, etc.  And meditate closely on this passage: Romans 1:18-20 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
2. Is Christianity true?  Consider the “minimal facts” approach.  Christianity is a faith based on reason and evidence, not “blind faith.”

If you are a real skeptic / authentic seeker, I highly encourage you to learn enough about Jesus to decide whether you want to put your trust in him.  Deep down you know you are a sinner and will one day die and face God to be judged based on this life.  You can stand alone and take the punishment for your sins, or you can trust in the sacrifice Jesus made.  If you trust in him, all your sins are transferred from his account and all his perfect righteousness is transferred to yours.  It is literally the ultimate deal – and it is free.  You can’t buy it or earn it.

Remember, “doubting Thomas” (who got a bad rap, by the way) was shown the evidence and he made the proper response of belief.  You may not see Jesus face to face as evidence, but there is more than enough evidence for you if you really want to know the truth.

Ultimately, you can trust in yourself or you can trust in Jesus . . . and eternity is a mighty long time to regret a prideful decision.

“An Irishman walks away from a pitcher of beer because he’s offended by the mention of . . .

. . . God.”  No, this isn’t a joke.  It was an aside from a good friend’s recap of an encounter he had while traveling on business.

Everyone was having a good time until somehow the subject turned to God.  This guy – who presumably would describe himself as tolerant – was so offended that anyone at the table believed in God that he got up and walked away.  The conversation wasn’t even evangelistic.  He just insisted that we came from fish and wouldn’t take anyone seriously who disagreed.

The amount of convincing you can do in cases like this is limited, but here are a few quick options you could use to plant a seed:

1. Darwinian evolution has huge issues scientifically speaking, but even if it was true it wouldn’t prove atheism true, as it doesn’t explain how the universe came into existence, how life came from non-life, and how to ground things like morality.

2. Darwinian evolution has huge issues scientifically speaking, but even if it was true it would select for survival, not truth.  Darwinists have no reason for confidence that their evolution resulted in them being able to discern the truth.  If believing lies helped the species survive better, then that’s what would happen.

3. Darwinian evolution has huge issues scientifically speaking, but even if it is true it is 100.00% responsible for my conversion from atheism to Christianity, based on my belief in the evidence that Jesus lived, died and rose again for my sins.  So don’t be mad at me for believing in God, be mad at your beloved Darwinian evolution.  (Thanks, btw, as I wouldn’t trade the joy and peace of being a Christian for anything.)

Try those next time.  or better yet, use this: Romans 1:18-20 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Or just let the guy leave and then finish his beer.  Just kidding!  Probably!

That’s going to leave a mark — unless . . .

One of the unique things about Christianity is that it is falsifiable.  It makes a specific claim about a historical event: The physical resurrection of Jesus.  This is no small thing, as the Bible explicitly says that if there was no resurrection then we are not only wrong in our faith, we are offending God and are to be pitied above all men.

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 (ESV) Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But here’s the thing: The evidence points to the resurrection being real.

Here’s a short overview, often called the “minimal facts” approach: Nearly 100% of historical scholars from 1975 – present agree with the following statements:

• Jesus really lived and was killed on a Roman cross.
• Jesus’ disciples believed He appeared to them.
• Jesus’ brother, James, went from being a pre-crucifixion skeptic to a post-crucifixion church leader.
• The Apostle Paul believed Jesus appeared to him and he wrote most of the books attributed to him, including Romans, I & II Corinthians, Philemon and others. He converted from persecuting Christians to being the greatest evangelist ever, despite nearly constant challenges, persecution and ultimately dying for his faith.

75% of the same scholars agree that the tomb was empty.

I submit that the physical resurrection of Jesus best accounts for these facts.

Here are a couple very thorough sources:

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona

The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright